Prague Beer Guide

Czechs drink more beer per head than any other nation on earth — about 140 litres each per year. Prague is where most of that happens. Here is the short, useful version of why Czech beer is what it is, what to order and where to drink it.

Why Czech beer matters

The pale, golden, crystal-clear lager you find in every supermarket in the world was invented in Bohemia. In 1842 a young Bavarian brewer named Josef Groll, working in the town of Plzeň, combined three local ingredients — soft Plzeň water, Bohemian-grown malted barley, and the saaz hops of Žatec — into something new. It was the first "pilsner". Within 30 years brewers across Europe were imitating it; today around 90% of the world's beer is descended from that 1842 batch.

How to order

• Pivo — beer. Jedno pivo, prosím = "one beer, please".
• Velké = large (500ml). Malé = small (300ml). The default is large.
• Světlé = pale lager. Tmavé = dark lager. Polotmavé = half-dark / amber.
• 10° / 12° — Czech beer is sold by its stupně (degrees Plato), the malt extract measure. A 10° beer is a light ~4% lager; a 12° beer is the proper ~5% strength. Strong beers go 13°, 14° and above.
• Empty glass? In many Czech pubs the waiter will bring you another beer unless you put a beer mat on top of your glass.

The big four mass-market lagers

• Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský prazdroj) — the original. Beautifully bitter, herbal, malty.
• Staropramen — Prague's local brewery (in Smíchov). Softer, less bitter than Urquell.
• Budweiser Budvar (Budějovický Budvar) — from České Budějovice. Crisper and slightly drier.
• Kozel — fruitier, sweeter; the dark Kozel černý is one of the best dark lagers anywhere.

Tank beer — the local upgrade

"Tankové pivo" is unpasteurised beer delivered from the brewery in refrigerated stainless-steel tanks and tapped directly from those tanks behind the bar. No bottle, no pasteurisation, much fresher aroma and a softer body. Drink Pilsner Urquell on tank at Lokál Dlouhááá for the canonical Czech experience.

Microbreweries and craft

The Czech craft scene has matured rapidly. Skip these and you'll only know lager; explore them and you'll find rye beers, double IPAs, sours and some of central Europe's most adventurous brewing.

• Pivovar Strahov (Strahov Monastery) — beer brewed continuously since the 14th century, with several seasonal specials worth the climb up the hill.
• U Fleků (Nové Město) — Prague's most famous pub, brewing one dark lager since 1499. Tourist-priced but iconic.
• Pivovarský Klub (Karlín / Žižkov border) — six rotating taps from Czech microbreweries.
• Vinohradský pivovar (Vinohrady) — revived neighbourhood brewery with its own restaurant.
• BeerGeek (Vinohrady & Anděl) — Prague's craft-beer destination; 32 taps of constantly-rotating Czech and international beers.
• Únětický pivovar — a 30-minute trip out to Únětice village, where this revived farm-brewery makes the cleanest lagers in the country.

The best beer gardens

Letná Beer Garden (Letenské sady)

The view here is the postcard angle on Prague — Charles Bridge, the Old Town spires, the river bend, all framed by chestnut trees. Open in warm weather only (roughly April to October). Cheap beer, plastic cups, no reservations. Arrive an hour before sunset.

Riegrovy Sady (Vinohrady)

Larger, leafier, more atmospheric. The official beer garden has long communal tables, a giant screen for football matches and a permanent open-air kitchen. The walk through Riegrovy Sady itself, at sunset, with a beer in hand, is one of Prague's quietly perfect experiences.

Parukářka (Žižkov)

On top of a small hill in Žižkov, this is where the locals go when they don't want to share a beer garden with tourists. A wooden shack serves beer to plastic chairs scattered across a meadow that looks at the Žižkov TV Tower from below.

Klamovka, Stromovka, Petřín

Three smaller park-side beer gardens for variety. Klamovka (Smíchov) is family-friendly. Stromovka (Holešovice) has the prettiest setting. Petřín's beer garden sits halfway up the hill with views back over the city.

Beer spas

A peculiarly Czech tourist invention that has become genuinely popular. You soak in a wooden tub filled with warm water, hops, yeast and brewing extracts — supposedly very good for skin and circulation — while pulling pints of cold beer from a tap on the side of the tub. The "real" beer-spa experience also includes a straw bed afterwards and a 90-minute booking. Try Beer Spa Beerland (Old Town) or Original Beer Spa Bernard (Žižkov).

Frequently Asked Questions