My wife and I like to spend our Birthdays visiting new cities, it has become something of a tradition. This year we celebrated mine in Prague and had a wonderful time, here are some of the highlights:
Restaurace U Šumavy
After landing in Prague I had to undergo the two hour process for the new entry/exit registration for the EU. Thanks Brexit. Eager to catch up on lost time we set to exploring as much of the old town as we could before getting dark. Fortunately I had booked a table for a late dinner at Restaurace U Šumavy, which had been recommended by a number of people. The restaurant itself has a beautiful and classic decor meanwhile the menu nails down all the expected Czech classics.
But what about the beer? I felt obliged to order a Pilsner Urquell first. However, our waiter, after hearing this was our first night, wisely insisted we try both the light and dark beers from Černokostelecký Pivovar, to go with the pork knuckle and the duck. This was such a good opener for what to expect in Prague and made for an incredibly soul nourishing experience.
Lokál U Bílé kuželky
The next morning, after a longer than expected snooze, we walked along the river eventually crossing at the Charles bridge. By midday hunger and thirst had set in and we grabbed a table at Lokál.
For beers we ordered the ever reliable Pilsner Urquell and Kozel Černý, true classics in very fresh form. I wasn’t so struck with the diacetyl of Pilsner Urquell, but rather its bitterness. I knew the beer is estimated to have around 30 IBUs, but this isn’t something I’d noticed when drinking it in the UK. For food we started with Talián, a vaguely threatening looking but tasty boiled sausage, with some hearty bread, followed by the goulash and the schnitzel.
It wasn’t exactly quiet to begin with, but we were lucky we arrived when we did as it quickly became teaming with locals and tourists alike waiting for tables.
Pivovar Strahov
We walked off lunch climbing up to Petrin tower and exploring the Strahov monastery. The monastery, with its beautiful library and gallery, is well worth visiting but conveniently also houses a brewery. Here they make a number of different styles, modern and classic. We started off with their amber and dark lagers which are both perhaps a bit richer and more bitter than other examples.
Then we moved on to try two different porters, one Baltic the other smoked and barrel aged. I was particularly impressed with the latter as it managed to balance a lot of complex flavours whilst remaining very smooth.
Pivovarský dům Benedict
For dinner we stopped by Pivovarský dům Benedict, a brewery taproom near our hotel. I was feeling particularly full from the last couple of dense meals plus the beers, but the show must go on. We each ordered a beer flight composed of four small beers each paired with a small starter: A classic pilsner with pickled cheese, a hefeweizen with a terrine, then two different IPAs, one paired with a cheese, the other sausage and sauerkraut. Out of sheer fullness I couldn’t hack another beer with my main and decided I had to try and walk off this lethargy.
Beer and Friends
The following day was jam packed. We visited Prague castle, a number of the synagogues, and took beautiful boat tours up and down the river. For dinner we reveled in the boundless novelty of Výtopna Railway Restaurant.
Fearing the end of the holiday we stopped off for a night cap at Beer and Friends, a small craft beer bar with a diverse range and good music. Here we tried a Garden Party (a fruited pastry sour from Čierny Kameň), and Originál Ležák 11 (a modern pilsner from Fracek). We sat in here for an hour decompressing, it wasn’t particularly busy but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the beers.
Václav Havel Airport Prague
Until recent years I have been known to be a nervous flyer, so (reasonably) I haven’t been the strongest supporter of airport beers. Despite this, I was keen to make the very last hour of our trip count and wanted to experience some different Czech pours before leaving.
First up the Řezané, which was paired with a probably not so traditional pretzel and sausage. I had anticipated the layering of dark beer on top of light as something of a novelty, but I really found this to add character and complexity in a way neither of these beers had individually. Bitter, sweet, fluffy, it went down a treat. If such a thing as a monotony for decent Czech beer exists, I can see this being something of a remedy.
Now, the Mlíko, physically harder to neck than I had first thought, but brilliantly bright and refreshing. I should mention the light beer was Pilsner Urquell and the dark Kozel Černý. Whilst I can imagine the Řezané could potentially be used to salvage two mediocre beers, a Mlíko feels entirely dependent on the beer being excellent to begin with. The intense aroma and bite of the beer excels through this form and perfectly capped off the trip.
Babette’s Yeast 
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