When visiting the Czech Republic, you must have a #beer! Beer is the Czech national drink often referred to as a "liquid gold". Czechs have been brewing their beers for centuries. They are said to consume more beer per capita than anywhere else in the world. It is a birthplace of #Pilsner, but the variety of beers produced in Czechia is much more beyond that.
1. A Chapter from History of the Czech Brewing
The oldest written documentation indicates that monks from Břevnov Monastery started to brew the beer right after the foundation of the Monastery in 993 AD. Beer used to be actually a traditional fasting drink.
Monks used to establish breweries to brew the beer that was full of nutrients and carbohydrates. What's more, according to the Czech historian Jindriska Eliasova children used to drink beer in the Middle Ages too.
Compared to a poor quality of potable water, the beer was sterilized drink, much better for consumption.
Nowadays, Czech Beer (České pivo) is Protected Geographical Indication Mark and refers to a variety of beers produced throughout the whole Czech Republic.
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The Magic of Brewing the Gold & What to Expect from the Czech Beer Culture
2. What Exactly Is The Czech Beer Culture
I do not know whether the Czechs still consume the most beer per capita in the world, however, they drink beer a lot. Some surveys estimate that country drinks on average more than 140 litres of beer per person each year.
Some even say that beer is cheaper than water there. Basically, drinking beer is so essential in the lives of Czechs like breathing the air. That is why, it simply cannot be too expensive!
The best beer is obviously a tap beer in the pubs and restaurants. That's what all Czechs tell you when you ask them. To drink bottled beer or what's worse canned beer or plastic bottle beer is only a matter of state of emergency.
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When having a beer in a pub, you usually ask for a big one (0,5 liter) or a small one (0,3 liter). Pilsner type of beer (light #lager) makes up 90% of the whole production. However, I recommend you to experiment a little bit and choose from a variety of other types - from dark lager, half-dark lager, wheat beer, yeast beer, porter beer to unfiltered beer and experimental beers.
I usually drink rezane (řezané pivo), which is a 50 - 50 mixture (usually) of light and dark lager, literary translated as a "cut beer".
The Czech beer is strictly made out of local malt and local hops. Czech hops are grown mainly in the North West of Bohemia (Žatec, Úštěk) and in Moravia around Tršice.
If you are interested in experiencing the hops harvest, do not hesitate and sign up. The Czech Hops producers hire for spring and summer jobs. It has been a long tradition for new-coming university students to harvest the hops just before the beginning of the first year of their studies.
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3. What Is on the Czech Beer Menu
There is a brewery in nearly every town in the Czech Republic. Apart from large breweries such as Pilsner Urquell (Plzeň), Staropramen (Praha) or Budweiser Budvar (České Budějovice), other top selling brands are Krušovice, Starobrno, Kozel, Březňák, Bernard or Svijany.
A number of micro breweries have been established in recent years too, and they produce their beer in a smaller scale for mostly local consumption. They offer great beers, help the local economy and bring new dimension to this old craft in terms of brewing techniques, flavours, reintroducing yeast and wheat beers.
You will find that a Czech pub is never too far while exploring the Czech Republic and each pub can have a different kind of beer. Imagine, how many you can taste!
All breweries offer tours with beer tasting with lots of information about the history of beer making and beer making techniques. If you are a beer lover, this is a must.
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4. The Best Way How to Connect Outdoor Activities with Beer
The best way to explore and taste a variety of Czech beers is to visit beer trails. A recent surge of new breweries has given an additional value to hiking and exploring the historical and cultural sites in the Czech Republic.
Beer trails connect different breweries and offer a different experience for everyone, whether seeking an outdoor adventure or sightseeing.
Travel method in between breweries can be cycling, walking or driving depending on distances. However, as there is a zero tolerance for alcohol while driving, cycling or canoeing in the Czech Republic, it is always useful to stay overnight, walk or have a designated driver for each day.
Hiking in the heart of the #Krkonose National Park while exploring Krkonose Beer Trail sounds like fun to me, indeed. The trail opens at the beginning of summer season and closes the last day of September. If you collect stamps from all the breweries on your way, you will get a price!
South Bohemian Beer Trails sound as appealing as the Krkonose Beer Trail. However, this time the breweries are not walking distance. South Bohemia is a region of ponds with remarkable natural beauty and long tradition of brewing the beer. Only its capital České Budějovice has two big breweries (Budweiser Budvar and Samson Brewery) and four other microbreweries.
České Budějovice | photo credit: pixabay.com
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