Prague is a centuries-old cradle of culture and civilization. It is an historical crossroads of Europe, a growing hub of economic activity following the end of communism, a marvel of medieval architecture, a dynamic capital with abundant human resources. Prague, my friends, is a beer lover’s paradise.
Traveling all the way from Japan to Prague to tour the breweries is perhaps more than a little decadent and zeitaku (extravagant), but such a high concentration of breweries is found in few other world cities. And in walking—occasionally stumbling—from each to each down the ancient cobblestone streets, you can take in a fairly good part of Prague in the process. What shame is there in such a tour?

I’m sure there is a better way to go about the planning than this, but I copied down the addresses of breweries in Prague from a brewery guidebook I borrowed from a friend. Online searches will often yield more detailed information. Otherwise, patrons of bars and breweries tend to be friendly, and are good sources of information about where to visit and what to drink next.

At a hotel that I randomly picked on arriving in the city, I got the concierge to mark my list of breweries on one of the free tourist maps available all over the city. Prague is labyrinthine and unless you have an amazing sense of direction or are wont to wander, as I sometimes do, you will need a map. Prague is not so big that someone in decent shape can’t traverse most of the central area on foot, but trams and subways are available if needed. The language? Good luck. “Pivovar,” the only Czech I know, is the word for “brewery.” But most young Czechs in Prague speak decent English.

One of the more traditional and centrally located breweries is U Fleků. The famous brewery traces its origins to the end of the 15th century and houses several dimly lit beer halls that can accommodate a total of 1200 guests. They serve one beer, a delicious dark lager that appears on your table in a frothy mug as you sit down. Waiters regularly cruise the hall with a tray of mugs so just grab their attention when you want another. They will try, very persistently, to serve you absinthe as well. Although Prague is also known for “jazz and absinthe,” my advice: stay away from the rocket fuel. U Fleků also had an old man going from table to table playing accordion for tips—he did a fairly good version of “Sakura” when I told him I had come from Japan. A university grad I met at another bar complained that U Fleků is a holdover from a bygone era and that it is more concerned with profiting from tourists than making a good beer, but it had a lively atmosphere full of laughter and I left like most guests: satisfied.

Several blocks away lies the slightly more upscale Pivovarsky Dům, which is fairly well known for its eight varieties of beer available in an attractive sampler. Pale lager, dark lager, weizen, sour cherry beer, coffee beer, banana beer, nettle beer plus a monthly special. Honestly, there are more than a few gimmick beers here and not all of them were drinkable. I was surprised to see a table full of locals drinking down the curiously flavored green nettle beer. The food, however, was excellent—fish and meat with delicious sauces and flavors that complimented their more traditional lagers. And I must admit that I have a weakness for coffee brews. They didn’t fail with theirs.

The highlight of the journey was, without a doubt, the Strahov Monastery brewery perched on a quiet hilltop overlooking Prague. Several bridges cross the Vltava River from city center, providing access to the foot of the hills. Most tourists cross the landmark St. Charles Bridge and make their way up to Prague Castle. I chose to stroll through the grassy hillside park, taking in the fresh air and marveling at the mist-shrouded city with its array of ornate rooftops. The ancient streets downtown definitely possess Old World charm, but it wasn’t until I was above all the buildings that it really struck me I was in a gorgeous city of medieval antiquity. Though the beers of the previous day were a good start, I had, in a sense, finally arrived.

Strahov serves both great food and great beer. The former ranged from the traditional—pork, chicken and fish dishes—to more popular items like pizzas. The beer menu featured several selections, though my favorites were a well-balanced, slightly bitter amber lager and a dark lager with roasted malt and a mild, caramel finish. While there, I had the opportunity to meet Martin Matuska, the brewer, and get a tour of the facilities thanks to an introduction from Suzuki Shinya, of Yokohama Brewery, who briefly trained there. He and his staff were quite friendly and obviously very proud of their brewery. I was surprised by the small size of the operation given its prestigious location and fame. It only makes about 100 kiloliters a year, putting it at the small end of microbrewers in Japan. But quality, not quantity, is their goal—and that makes for a good craft beer.

The disappointments of the trip, actually, were the large commercial breweries. While I admire the efficiency of their operations and the consistency of flavor that they manage to achieve while producing enough to export around Europe, I found the beers somewhat lacking in complexity and the places themselves to be a little impersonal in atmosphere. Pilsner Urquell may be the king of Czech beers and it deserves a lot of credit for popularizing this style well beyond the republic’s borders, but it’s available everywhere. Budweiser, too, is ubiquitous. To give them some credit, it differed dramatically from its American counterpart; it was actually good on draft!

There are of course many breweries scattered around the outskirts of Prague and even some buried deep in the run-down countryside. I at least visited the Cerná Hora brewery, having learned about it in an advertisement on one of the tourist maps. These remote places, however, can be difficult to get to. While car rentals may be easy and affordable, somebody has to drive and the roads are winding and confusing. Buses are a possibility, too, but I discovered that almost nobody speaks anything other than Czech and German in the countryside; good luck asking for help if you get lost. Maybe it’s better to just stay in the city and use your extra time to visit Prague Castle or the old Jewish ghetto. Or recover from a hang-over, as I did one day.

If you can’t make it all the way to Prague, well, be thankful that a number of craft breweries in Japan are making excellent pilsners. Some notable producers recommended by discriminating drinkers include Yokohama, Otaru, Echigo, Tazawako, Coedo and August (made at Fukushima Michio brewery for the August Beer Company in Tokyo). I’m sure there are more out there out. You either already know them, or will just have to discover them for yourself. Enjoy!

text & photos: Ry Beville

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.