Friendly disclaimer! We want to be as accurate as possible, but given these challenging times, we urge you to recheck that the venues are open when you decide to visit.
The words ‘Prague’ or ‘Czech’ may not be as famously linked to beer as is Germany. But not many know that the erstwhile Bohemian kingdom has one of the oldest associations with the drink, dating back to 859 AD. So much so that it’s known locally as ‘liquid bread’ and Czechs rank the highest in per capita consumption worldwide.
What began as domestic micro-brewing in homes and officially in monasteries as far back as the 10th century became a highly controlled and coveted vocation vied for by the royalty, nobility, and clergy. Cut to the 18th-century industrial revolution era – the Golden Age for brewing when production expanded and the world’s first pale malt or ‘golden’ beer was invented in Pilsen.
As the Czech Republic maintains its position as the world leader in beer exports, many traditional breweries have reopened their historical premises in response to renewed interest in traditional lager and craft beer. And so, here’s Unravelog’s Prague beer guide that’d help you experience a drink as diverse as its centuries-old history.
Classic Czech beer halls
Klášterní pivovar Strahov (The Strahov Monastic Brewery)
This historic in-house brewery of the Strahov monastery located close to the Prague castle offers its own specialty of beer – Sv. Norbert, along with 24 other beer varieties and amazing Czech food. The beer is named after St. Norbert, patron of this monastery, established in 1140 AD. Brewing was revived here only in the year 2000, and today the space has a restaurant, beer hall, and beer garden that opens in the summer months. They also offer brewery tours and beer tasting events.
Address: Strahovské nádvoří 10, Prague 1
Timings: Mon – Sun 10am to 10pm
Phone: +420 233 353 155
Website: www.klasterni-pivovar.cz
U Fleků brewery, restaurant, and museum
This brewery in Central Prague is known for being the only place to have been continuously making beer for the past 500 years, all thanks to its trademark 13° beer, served to this day along with traditional Czech food. The place is a network of halls built in true European beer hall-style where one can tour the microbrewery, enjoy the live accordion music, and even witness a cabaret show (with pre-bookings). A must-visit for beer connoisseurs.
From the tap: Flekovský ležák 13° – dark lager
Address: Křemencova 11, 110 00 Nové Město, Czechia
Phone: +420 224 934 019
Timings: Every day 10 am to 11 pm
Website: https://ufleku.cz/
U Černého Vola (The Black Ox Inn)
This is one of the original old-world Prague beer halls dating back to 1905, situated near Prague Castle, in a 16th century Renaissance building. The décor retains its original medieval charm, with long wooden tables, stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings, and the coat of arms of ancient royalty on the walls. It serves the famous Kozel beer fresh from the tap to its patrons, a majority of whom are Czech locals, and some tourists. The atmosphere is largely communal, and you may find yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with a local on any of the benches (seats near the tap are unofficially reserved for Czechs!) in this usually crowded place.
Knowing a few words of Czech and some of the local beer etiquette will really do wonders in appeasing the barmen and tipsy locals here!
From the tap: Velkopopovický Kozel light 12°, Velkopopovický Kozel dark 10°, Pilsner Urquell.
Address: Loretánské nám. 107/1, 118 00 Praha 1
Timings: Every day 10 am to 10 pm
Phone: +420 606 626 929
Beer bars/pubs
Kavárna U Kunštátů
This is situated in a 12th-century Romanesque building known as the House of the Lords of Kunštát and Poděbrady. Situated in a quieter and less-touristy part of the Old town, it has a huge outdoor beer garden as well as indoor seating. They have a wide selection of regional lagers like Matuška, Kocour, Ferdinand, Žatec.
One can also book a 100-minute beer tasting session, which includes the sampling of 11 varieties of both local artisanal and traditional Czech beer, trying beer delicacies and appetizers, exploring the underground area of its historic UNESCO-recognized building, and understanding beer brewing processes and the origins of beer.
Address: Řetězová 3, Prague 1 – Old Town
Timings: Mon – Sun 4 pm to 11 pm
Phone: +420 601 353 776
Website: www.ukunstatu.cz
Prague Beer Museum
This is a popular pub chain that was set up with the aim to bring in more local varieties of traditional Czech beer from around the country to the capital city. Today they offer 30 types of craft beer on tap from the best small, medium and large microbreweries (such as Matuška, Kout na Šumavě, Břevnovský Benedict, Žatec Baronka, Bizon, Bernard Bohemian, and so on) in the Czech Republic. The in-house specialty is the PBM Real Deal ale, crafted exclusively for their outlets.
Their second branch in Náměstí Míru has modern interiors, a non-smoking section, and a variety of food.
From the tap: 30 types of craft beer, listed on the website.
Address: Americká 43, Prague 2 – Vinohrady
Timings: Mon – Sun 12 pm to 3 am
Phone: +420 774 994 698
Website: www.praguebeermuseum.com
Beer restaurants
Lokál Dlouhá
This traditional but modern pub is hugely popular among both tourists and locals for its friendly service, carefully handled beer, and delicious Czech food. Favourites include the beef tartare (one of the city’s best), Prague hams with creamy horseradish, Talián, Přeštice, liver sausages, Debrecen, and much more.
The beer varieties on offer include Pilsner and Kozel on draught, and its journey from the tank to the table is shortened as much as possible. The interiors follow the simple 1970s style, with long wooden benches and a stainless steel tank bar. Their experienced team learns your preference of serving style for beer: “čochtan” (‘neat’), “hladinka” (‘creme’), “šnyt” (‘slice’), or “mlíko” (‘sweet’) (in ascending order of foaminess). They have a special changing menu every day for lunch and dinner, and that always features traditional, homemade meals with ingredients sourced from the best regional suppliers. Though it is a large space and has several branches, it is almost always booked and requires reservations.
Address: Dlouhá 33, Prague 1 – Old Town
Phone: +420 734 283 874
Timings: Mon – Sun 11 am to 10 pm
Website: https://lokal-dlouha.ambi.cz/en/
Kolkovna Olympia restaurant
This is the original restaurant chain owned by the famous brewery Pilsner Urquell that brews the world-famous Pilsner Urquell beer. Opened in 2003 in a renovated building dating back to 1903, the restaurant offers original, unpasteurised Pilsner beer among others, and various traditional meat dishes. These include beef cheeks in wine, neck of wild boar, pig knuckle, beef sirloin, sausages in beer, duck or goose, beer-flavoured sausage, game sausage, and more.
From the tap: Pilsner Urquell, Velkopopovický Kozel – dark, Fénix, Master 13° (semi-dark), Radegast Birell (alcohol-free)
Address: Vítězná 7, Prague 1 – Lesser Town
Timings: Mon – Sun 11 am to midnight
Phone: +420 251 511 080
Website: www.kolkovna.cz
Beer experiences
Original Beer Spa
A country with the world’s highest beer consumption would quite predictably also indulge in beer spas and place much importance on its health benefits. And among the numerous beer spas in Prague, this is one of the traditional best. Here, one is seated in 1000-litre wooden Oak vats or hot tubs, filled not with beer but its ingredients – crushed hops, powdered malt, powdered brewer’s yeast. The silicate content in the hops and the high vitamin B and enzymes in the yeast is believed to be stimulating, mentally and physically. It also aids in skin regeneration.
There is of course an unlimited supply of beer (Krušovice) available to drink. Post this, one can relax on a bed of wheat straw by a fireplace while snacking on beer bread. A beer hop sauna service is also available.
From the tap: Krušovice 10° – light, dark
Address: Rybná 3, Near Municipal House, Prague
Phone: +420 212 812 301
Timings: Mon – Sun 10 am to 10 pm
Website: https://www.beerspa.com/
Prague’s old-world delights encompass historical facades that range from palaces and churches to museums. If you have more time in hand to reminisce the city’s rich past, check out the itinerary about how to unravel Prague in 4 days.
Nathalie Aron (Voyage Fox)
ShuPri
ShuPri