Czech Beer Worth Trying When You Visit Prague

on February 3, 2020

INTRO

In this article I would like to present you with less known Czech beer that is way tastier than the usual mainstream brands. Moreover, you’ll learn about breweries that make it, their owners and pubs where you can drink it. I also want to give credit to pivnici.cz as these guys go around tasting beer and do all the work. I will provide you with an English version of what they found is the best and most exciting Czech beer at the moment.

SIBEERIA 

The brewery: let’s start with my girlfriend’s favorite Prague microbrewery – Sibeeria. It has its own pub which serves 32 freshly tapped beers. If that isn’t cool I don’t know what is.

Who runs it: it’s run by – well, beer geeks. People who drink and think about beer all day.

The beer: our suggestion is Sibeeria Coco Chanel – top fermented dark porter made of roasted wheat that tastes of coconut, chocolate, caramel, vanilla and dried fruit.

Who taps it: the place’s name is Beer Geek and it’s near Jiriho z Podebrad metro stationjust outside the city center.

STRAHOV MONASTERY

The brewery: everyone knows Guinness stout. But how about a chocolate stout? You can try it in Strahov Monastery in Prague.

Who runs it: these modern age monks surely know how to get the job done.

The beer: Saint Norbert Chocolate Stout is a strong (5,9%) top fermented stout with distinct dark chocolate tones. An interesting fact is it ages in cherry-wood barrels.

Who taps it: you can find Strahov Monastery close to the Prague castle just behind Petrin gardens which offer stunning views of Prague. So you can have a nice walk and most importantly, taste a great beer.

MATUSKA

The brewery: Matuska, a family-run brewery that proved to make some great Czech beer.

Who runs it: Matuska family! They pride themselves in cooking unfiltered and unpasteurized beer and besides that, adding a lot of yeast to refill your vitamin B.

The beer: I’d recommend any, but worth mentioning is for example their Weizenbock. It’s a kind of beer that comes from Germany and they make it from roasted malt, therefore it has golden color.

Who taps it:  pubs all around Prague have Matuska, for example T-Anker; an awesome beer garden which is on top of the Kotva Department store with great views!

FALKON

The brewery: has a name after a bird – Falkon is therefore a flying company that rents a brewery to cook a batch of beer, then flies away. It comes from Zatec, a town that produces world-known Zatecky hops used for the likes of Stella Artois and Pilsner Urquell.

Who runs it: a young enthusiast who first started cooking beer in his parents’ flat at the age of 13.

The beer: in some cases, however, names of craft beers get surreal. Take MILF by Falkon as an example. It’s an American Amber Ale which has mahogany color and tastes of passion fruit.

Who taps it: you can try it in the “Illegal” pub located conveniently near the Wenceslas’s Square in Prague.

RAVEN

The brewery – Raven, founded in Plzen only a few years ago – in 2015.

Who runs it: main brewer Fil comes from Australia and the rest of his crew calls him a madman because he simply likes to experiment and invents all these “crazy ideas”.

The beer: thanks to Fil, Raven offers wide variety of unusual beers like cream porter or “Illegal coffee stout”.

Who taps it: good old Illegal pub, in Ve Smeckach Street.

CHROUST

The brewery: have you ever heard of rye IPA? Me neither. Although Chroust – a new rising star on the Prague beer scene – makes it!

Who runs it: started by a young beer-loving couple, they faced two choices – either end up with liver cirrhosis or start a brewery. Luckily, the latter became true and now we can try all kinds of interesting beer.

The beer: rye IPA – malty and fruity top fermented beer with rye tones.

Who taps it: you can taste it for example in Napalme pub near Palmovka metro station. It’s a bit further away from the city center, but good for those who feel adventurous.

Finally… Mainstream Czech Beer Worth Trying

So there you have it. The list of exciting Czech beer you can try when you visit Prague. You might argue that mostly dark & top-fermented beer is not a good representation of typical Czech thing. But our beer used to be just like that before the invention of Pilsner in 19th century. Speaking of Pilsner Urquell, it’s the one mainstream brand you should NOT avoid. I wrote an article about it from the viewpoint of Mr Bohumil Hrabal – an interesting Prague personality. You will also find out where the best Pilsner beer in Prague is! So read more….

by Christian Szabo | Sep 14, 2018 |