Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bit-
ter.” St John wasn't wrong: at up to 170 degrees proof, it's dangerous stuff and virtually
undrinkable neat. To make it vaguely palatable, you need to set light to an absinthe-soaked
spoonful of sugar, and then mix the caramelized mess with the absinthe.
A SHORT HISTORY OF BEER
Sugar cubes and Semtex aside, the Czechs' greatest claim to fame is that they invented the
world's original
Pilsner beer
. As every Bohemian pub regular knows, by the late 1830s,
the German-speaking inhabitants of Plzeň (Pilsen), 90km west of Prague, were disgruntled
with the local beer, a top-fermented, dark, cloudy brew of dubious quality. In disgust, they
founded the Bürgerliche Brauhaus, and employed a Bavarian brewer, Josef Groll, who, on
October 5, 1842, produced the world's first lager, a bottom-fermented beer stored in cool
caves. The pale Moravian malt, the Saaz hops and the local soft water produced a clear,
golden beer that caused a sensation. At the same time, cheap, mass-produced glass ap-
peared on the market, which showed off the new beer's colour and clarity beautifully. The
new rail network meant that the drink could be transported all over central Europe, and
Pilsner-style beers became all the rage.
BrewingmethodsremainedtraditionaluntilthefallofCommunism,afterwhichthelarger
breweries almost all opted for modernization: pasteurization, de-oxidization, rapid matura-
tion and carbon dioxide injections - which resulted in longer shelf-life, less taste and more
fizz. The republic's smaller breweries were either swallowed up or went to the wall. By
the mid-1990s, there were just sixty Czech breweries left, with the biggest (except Budvar
- still owned by the Czech state) owned by multinationals. However, in the last decade a
new breed of
microbreweries
has sprung up, eschewing modern technology and produ-
cing some of the tastiest, most individual brews you'll ever encounter.
HRADČANY
Klášternípivovar(Monasterybrewery)
Strahovské nádvoří 1 233 353 155,
klasterni-
pivovar.cz
;
tram #22 to Pohořelec;
map
.
Tourist-friendly monastic brewery, offering their
own pricey light and dark St Norbert beers and Czech pub food.
Daily 10am-10pm.
U černého vola (The Black Ox)
Loretánské náměstí 1
ucernehovola.cz
; tram #22 to
light beer Velkopopovický kozel in huge quantities to thirsty local workers, plus a few basic
pub snacks.
Daily 10am-10pm.
