In all my travels, I haven’t come across a city that loves their Beer as much as Prazan. The people of Prague consume the highest amount of Beer than any other country (This particular fact was the first piece of information given by my proud Beer loving guide). One constant for this country has been Beer and their love for drinking Beer. Yes, be prepared to read the word Beer in my blog repeatedly. Prague is the second, largest atheist country in the world and the only religion they follow now is BEEEEER. Cool isn’t?
Fun Fact: Did you know, beer was called the god’s drink in those days. Continue reading to find the answer.
If you haven’t tried Beer or PIVO as it’s commonly called in Prague, you truly have not experienced the city or soaked in the culture. Beer can be experienced in many interesting ways in Czech. You can follow the path of normalcy and go to a Pub and order a dark lager if you are into classics like me. I especially loved this type of beer than the pale ones. Alternatively, if you are visiting the city with a big group of rowdy friends who share your affinity towards Beer, then ride the Beer bikes which can be found in the old town and don’t shy away from singing some tunes when you are riding down the windy roads. None of these options interest you, worry not, we still haven’t run out of ideas. For a romantic getaway I would suggest the Beer spa’s. Unfortunately, I personally couldn’t try them. None of these caught your interest, I have one final suggestion. There are more than 30+ breweries and beer halls that can be found in and around the city which serve different varieties of beer. Some of the beer halls are new and the others have a deep rooted history. It’s not only Beer that you can taste, but also experience the culture alongside with the best aerial views of the city.
Fun Fact: Budweiser Budvar is famous for its pale lager beer and is the second largest exporter of beer abroad. The beer produced by the Czech is special because of the usage of the artesian water wells, Moravian barley and the Saaz hops.
Phew, I’m tired of typing the word “Beer”. One last teeny tiny drops of wisdom I want to share. List of my personal fav pubs in this Beer town. U Spirku, this place has an interesting interior and live music. We did not order food here. The place seemed to be quite empty and looked like it’s not a very popular one. The only reason I’m mentioning is because of the Beer. I had the best dark lager that I ever held in my hands here called the Kralovske Cerne. It’s famous for its delicate hop bitterness and distinctive caramel taste. Believe it or not they also had a green beer on offer. As predicted it tasted like cold medicine. I would recommend you to have the beer and move on to another restaurant for your dinner.
The second pub you ought to try is the U Pivrnce in the old town. The place had an eclectic vibe. All the walls are adorned with hilarious drawings in the form of cartoons. The place is owned by a cartoonist himself. I tried their Cider and their cloudy pale beer by choice. I loved the cider not the beer much. We also partook the traditional pickled Camembert cheese which happened to be a good accompaniment. Lively, great music, absolutely tasty cider beer and superb service summarizes this restaurant.
The Answer to the question, why Beer was called a God’s drink? It was believed that Beer was pure and not contaminated like water.
The third pub on my list is The Pub, Pilsner Unique Bar. It offers self service beer taps which lets you pour your own beer. You control the entire experience, do you hate the beer head? Worry not, go light on the small lever next to the tap and viola enjoy your clear pale beer. There’s almost no vegetarian options food wise except for sweet potato fries so we headed to a restaurant that’s few buildings away called the Five rivers. I have visited around 70-80 different cities throughout the world and it’s this restaurant serves the best Indian food that woooowed me. Paneer Jalfrezi was heaven, they did not tone down the play of masala’s and let the spices shine through. Channa masala was cooked to perfection and was bliss on our picante deserted palate. Rotis were soft and well cooked, but the star of the show was the Aloo stuffed Kulcha. I’m drooling reminiscing the food as I write this Blog. Don’t you dare forget visiting this restaurant when in Prague. They offer both vegetarian and non vegetarian Indian cuisine.
Before you visit the #1 country which drinks more beer per capita than any other world in the country, familiarize yourselves with some Beer etiquette.
1. Use the coasters, they are not a decorative accessory.
2. Pilsner is the most loved beer in the country and the Czech is home to the original Budweiser. Though US claims to be the creators of the Budweiser.
3. You will find people who like their foam head for its sweetness in these parts of the country.
4. If you wonder what the numbers and degrees mean on your beer. It is the sugar content in the beer after brewing.
5. It’s always fun to learn some critical words in the local language and I felt Cheers is one such word. Na Zdravi is the term they use and make sure that you meet the person’s eye while clinking the glasses when saying it. My tour guide told me that failing to do so, you will be cursed with 7 years of bad sex.
6. Reservations are recommended as beer halls are places for socialization and often they are filled to capacity.
I hope these etiquettes help you navigate the popular beer halls and breweries without committing a faux pas.
PIVO is the heart and soul of Prague
MsSuSays 