Czechia has a deserved reputation for its excellent beer—pilsner to be exact—which flows all around the city, from the pedal-powered beer buses that pass you in the street to the spas where you can sit in tubs of the stuff, glass at hand. But rather than seeing beer merely as something to be swilled, it’s important to recognize pilsner as a defining part of Czech culture, treated as seriously as the French take wine, that comes with its own set of customs and rituals.
The pub, or hospada, is the social hub where you’ll find regular drinkers, known as stamgast, flipping out an empty beer coaster when they need a refill (putting the coaster on top of your glass signifies you’ve had enough); cries of “Na zdravi!” greet each round. Order a snyt, and you’ll receive a glass that’s two-thirds creamy foam; ask for a mlíko and it will be nearly all foam.
In Prague, beer and history are entwined, nowhere more so than the rococo Strahov Monastery Brewery atop Petrin Hill, which has been making beer since the 12th century and runs tours, and U Fleku, a Hogwarts-like brewery-and-bar in a series of medieval vaulted halls. For a contemporary drinking hole, head to DVA Kohouti in the Karlin district, where craft ales and classic brews are listed on a cinema-style billboard above dungaree-clad bartenders.
Those wishing to continue on a hoppy pilgrimage should head out of Prague to Ceske Budejovice and the Budweiser Budvar brewery, for an in-depth tour of its beer-making traditions, ending up in the tasting room with the chance to pour your own foaming pint.
