This is a city that has had a craft beer explosion in recent years. When I last visited in 2010 I picked up a countrywide brewery map, which showed just 6 breweries located in the capital.
Ratebeer now lists something in the region of 45, and I wouldn't bet on that being up-to-date. In addition there's also multi-tap bars galore. We weren't going to be short on choice.
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| Obligatory bit of Prague sightseeing, before beer explorations commence. |
I've elected not to waffle on about every bar and brewpub we visited, instead focusing on a number below that we enjoyed and which I'd recommend.
So without further ado...
So without further ado...
The One at the Monastery
Klášterni Pivovar Strahov (Strahovské nádvoří 301 - web)
We started slap-bang in the midst of the tourist masses, climbing the narrow streets up to the castle. Heading past the main tourist hotspots and along Loretanska, we reached the Strahov Monastery, which handily has a brewery at the side of it.
A little after midday, I figured we may beat the crowds, but all we could get was the outdoor seating, with all tables in the room with the brew-kit occupied by early-birds.
As well as the two regular brews here, they also have seasonal specials and on this occasion it was a magnificent 'Sv. Norbert Christmas Dopplebock' - a great first beer of our trip.
Lod' Pivovar (Dvořákovo nábřeží, Kotviště číslo 19 - web)
From the monastery we headed back down to the river, then followed this to Štefánikův Bridge, next to which is a very photogenic brewery...
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| Lod' Brewpub |
Because I was super-enthusiastic about a brewery on a boat.
Five of their own beers on offer, from which I picked the fine 'Monarchie 13', but it's the wonderful setting that really make this place special and well worth visiting.
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| Boat based brewing. |
Vinohradsky Pivovar ( Korunní 2506/106 - web)
This could also be subtitled the 'One that I Got us Lost on the Way To'...Yep, the streets west of the historic centre all looked a bit the same and we needed to be rescued by Google maps to find our way to this brewpub.
Vinohradsky Pivovar has been in operation since 2013, although the same building once housed an older brewery dating back to 1894.
With it's curved, cellar-like ceiling and spartan decor, it's a pretty minimalist space.
The brewery is visible through port-hole windows.
I'd come across their 12° pils in a restaurant near the castle, so for a change at the brewpub I decided to pick the bottled 6.7% 'Stout 17', which was a thoroughly enjoyable tipple.
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| Minimalist. Picture borrowed from the Vinohradsky Pivovar website - cos it's better than mine. |
The One with the Brilliant Dog
Malý/Velký (Mikovcova 605/4 - web)
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| Malý/Velký Beer Choice. |
It's tucked away along a hallway from the street, then down some steps into the basement.
This is a superb craft beer bar, run by brewer Jakub Veselý, who has previously worked for Továrna and Bernard. He is now in charge of Falkon Brewery, with two of their beers on the tap list.
I veered away from Czechia into Estonia to try the 'Jõuluöö' - an 8% ABV oak aged porter from Põhjala. Malý/Velký also try to always feature a couple of sour beers, so I opted next for Falkon's 'Sourberry: Rosehip and Spruce Tips', a lovely palate cleanser having had a couple of strong dark beers beforehand.
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| "C'mon, it's Christmas Eve - the sooner you go, the sooner I can go home and curl up in front of the fire." |
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| Lots of Choice. |
"Do you want to open a tab?" asked the barman.
"Oh yes! We'll be here a while," declared Mrs PropUptheBar, having perused the beer list on the screens above the bar and worked out the half dozen or more that she wanted to try.
And indeed it was a cracking selection.
I began with the very drinkable '10$ Milkshake' - a mellow 7.5% ABV Double IPA brewed by Chroust.
But I rarely miss a chilli beer... The 'Don Habanero Chilli IPA' by Pivovar Permon was delicious with flavoursome fruity chilli's followed by a satisfying heat. Great stuff! And to round off our visit, an 11.5% Imperial Stout , 'Albrecht Morion 25' from Zámecký Pivovar Frýdlant.
The Craft House is comfortable, relaxed and will almost certainly have several things on the beer list that take your fancy - highly recommended.
Beer Geek Bar (Vinohradská 62 - web)
Jointly top-rated on Ratebeer, with a score of 97/100.
Down in the basement, with a modern decor and hipster vibe, Beer Geek Bar promises a "30 tap beer adventure". Which would probably mean settling in the for whole evening to do it justice, rather than my usual hectic bar-crawl schedule.
Half of the beer list is dedicated to some top notch international breweries, although I tend to veer away from these when there is the option to stick to the locals.
Hence I picked a Rodinný Pivovar Zichovec 'Nadilka 20' to go with the tasty quesadilla's (they're also chicken wing specialists, if chicken wings are your thing).
Illegal Beer (Ve Smečkách 16 - web)
Okay, I'm not completely sold on the prohibition theme, but Illegal Beer was an enjoyable, relaxed bar with several fine beers on offer.
It's a tiny two-roomed bar, with the bar counter and a couple of stools in the first room and a handful of tables in the second. Sparsely decorated, with bare bulbs lighting the tables, simplicity rules here.
There were six beers on tap, plus bottles in the fridge.
But those six taps covered a wide range of styles from Czech micro's, giving me the chance to have a sour: the Chroust 'Plum & Sour Cherry Smoothie Sour', followed by a Russian Imperial Stout: the 8.5% ABV Pivovar Clock - 'Sarah'.
Alongside this there are some very simple snacks, from which we sampled some locally produced vegan pate.
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| Beer and snack - prohibition style. |
Erm... I've run out of subtitles...
Nu Beer Bar was remarkably similar to the Craft Beer Bar, to the point where I did a double-take and questioned if we'd been here before.
As you head in the door there is a bar with 22 taps to pick from, with a further two rooms of tables to the right. Unlike a couple of the other multi-tap bars we visited, the selection here focuses on Czech breweries.
This was another bar with plenty to choose from at reasonable prices, with a cracking alt-rock soundtrack.
As you head in the door there is a bar with 22 taps to pick from, with a further two rooms of tables to the right. Unlike a couple of the other multi-tap bars we visited, the selection here focuses on Czech breweries.
This was another bar with plenty to choose from at reasonable prices, with a cracking alt-rock soundtrack.
And One Final Brewpub for Good Measure
Pivovar Victor ( Husitská 72 - web)
We started out visit to the Czech capital with a brewpub, so I figured we'd end it in the same way.
This is in the Žižkov district, just east of the main train station. We visited a fair number of brewpubs in Prague that I felt were pretty mediocre, but this proved a bit of winner on our final night. It had tall ceilings with elaborate lights and grand drapes over the windows. Quirky decorations and the brewing coppers at the end of the room made for an eclectic design.
We had a bite to eat here and sampled the decent beers, served up in dimpled mugs.
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| Brew kit at Pivovar Victor. |
As I said at the top of this post, Prague has a lot of choice.
The nine bars and brewpubs above are just scratching the surface and are in no way intended to be a 'best of' list.
I'll just be happy if someone comes across this on their web search and gets a couple of ideas, before discovering a wealth of other places that I missed this time round.
The nine bars and brewpubs above are just scratching the surface and are in no way intended to be a 'best of' list.
I'll just be happy if someone comes across this on their web search and gets a couple of ideas, before discovering a wealth of other places that I missed this time round.
Cheers! Na Zdravi!
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