Czechia has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world. When you would like to order beer ask for “velké pivo” (large beer 0,5l) or “malé pivo” (small beer 0,3l). If you are drinking Pilsner Urquell, the most popular Czech beer, you can have it draught in four different ways. Creme Urquell – “hladinka” – this is the classic way to draught a Czech pilsner with thick creamy foam head. Slice “Šnyt” – the beer is draught to have four fingers thick foam to preserve the creamy taste of beer. The Milk – “mlíko” – is just a beer foam which is having sweet taste, some locals are starting their evening with this drink to prepare the stomach. Neat – “čochtan” – foamless beer which is significant with its bitter taste. In Prague you can find beer almost everywhere and the good news are that it is cheap and the highest quality. In Prague you can nowadays find two types of beer places the classic ones which are usually offering well known beer brands such as Pilsner Urquell and Budweiser and then there are smaller ones which are offering crafted beers.
THE CLASSIC BEER PLACES
The classic beer places in the city centre are usually full of tourists who are searching for the authentic character old Prague’s beer places. But we still think that you should visit these “classic” places which have in common not only amazing beer but also the letter “U” in the name – that means “at someone’s place”. “U Pinkasů” is located close to “Václavské náměstí” – Wenceslas square and it is one of the places which is still having a bit of the authentic character, mainly because the prices for the beer are fair so the locals are still visiting. “U Pinkasů” was founded in 1843 and and it is considered as the first beer place in Prague which was offering Pilsner Urquell. You can find there also restaurant with traditional Czech cuisine and a nice beer garden in summer. Another place “U Fleků” huge and legendary beer place which is serving beer since at least 1499 and it is considered as one of the cultural sights. What is special about this place is that they are brewing their own 13 percent lager for over 500 years. It has several large rooms a big courtyard which during warm months is used as a beer garden. The beer is at least good as ever, but be ready that it will be served in 0,4l glasses and the waiters will offer you a beer every time they will spot that you have empty glass also with small unrequested spirits which sometimes can be annoying. The prices are a bit higher but if you want to sit in a historic building with good beer and Bohemian cuisine put “U Fleků” on your to do list. Another classic place with a history of own brewery is “U medvídků” – medvídek means “small bear”. The place was founded in 1466 by Jan Medvídek. At this place you can find a perfect glass of another well known beer Budweiser but also great selection of their own beers. You can find there light lager 1466, the semi-dark 13 percent Oldgott and X Beer 33 – the strongest lager beer in the world according to the level of alcohol. If you would like to experiment you can also brew your own beer with the assistance of experienced brewers. And the last but not least classic beer place in Prague city centre is “U zlatého tygra”, which is probably most famous for a writer Boumil Hrabal, who was a frequent guest there. At this place you can still find a lot of locals who are enjoying the Pilsner Urquell beer and legendary meal – pork neck with bread and mustard. And the best thing is that this place was even good for presidents. In January 1994 the Czech president Václav Havel was drinking beer and dining with U.S. president Bill Clinton, Ambassador to the UN Madeleine Albright and already mentioned writer Bohumil Hrabal.
CRAFTED BEER IN PRAGUE
Nowadays you can find in Czechia more than 350 microbreweries and Pragues Beer places are offering a lot of beers from their production and we are not only talking about lagers. So what are the places where you can find great products from microbreweries. Here is where we go when we want to taste the quality of these local microbreweries – remember that some of the places can be away from the city centre. BeerGeek is a place where you can look for beer gems in two ways. You can have a pint in the BeerGeek bar from one of the 32 taps. The beers are changed regularly and are served fresh. Here you can also try their own brewed beer which is sold under the brand BeerLab Brewery. The interior is furnished in the philosophy of “craft”, because everything in the bar: tap system, furniture, souvenirs, menu… is made by their friends. Another way how to try great beer thanks to BeerGeek is to visit their “Pivotéka BeerGeek”, which is selling bottled beers and you can find there more than 500 different types. “Zlý časy” (Bad times) is a place where even for its name you will have great time. They serve beer from Czechia on 48 taps. The selection is supplemented by bottled beer from all around the world. The atmosphere is great and you will definitely find a lot of locals here who are there for great beer everyday. Another place T-Anker is hidden on the rooftop of one of the shopping centres right in the old town. Except of oasis of calm you can find there great beer menu served from 9 taps, where one of them is T-Anker light lager with a unique flavor.
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