When you think of Czech beer, Pilsner is the first thing that comes to mind, but join this craft beer tasting in Prague, and you’ll discover there’s a whole world out there.
The first time I came to Prague, I knew nothing about the city, except it was big on beer. Czechs consume the most beer per capita in Europe, and that’s no surprise as it’s often cheaper than water! It’s one of the reasons I ended up here, that, and the astonishing architecture, of course.
I’ve been an avid craft beer drinker since 2015. I did a brewery tour in Lisbon, visited the best craft beer bars in town, and queued up at every single beer festival. So, when Nick and I moved to Prague, I knew I wanted to try the local craft beer. Lucky for us, our first apartment was right in front of a tiny craft beer bar — what are the odds?
The Ale Bar became our first introduction to Czech craft beer. It’s there we had our taste of Matuška and Clock, but that was what just the beginning. A few weeks later, we discovered the Craft Beer Spot and began buying bottles of Zichovec and Raven to take away. By the time I booked a craft beer tasting in Prague with Bohemian Brews, I was already familiar with most of the Czech beer brands, which felt pretty good.
Finding a Craft Beer Tasting in Prague
I came across Bohemian Brews while searching for craft beer tasting experiences in Prague. It was one of the first websites that showed up, and after reading through their page and reviews, I was convinced they were the real deal. They offer several experiences, from beer tastings to tours of microbreweries.
I picked their beer tasting at the Lya Beer Café and waited patiently for a confirmation. Sarah, the general manager, emailed me back straight away, and we settled on a date.
Born in Ohio, Sarah became a beer fanatic when she moved to Žižkov, a neighborhood in Prague packed with beer bars. Soon she started creating beer tours and tastings, which is how I ended up chatting with her.
Beer Tasting at the Lya Beer Café
The Lya Beer Café is one of the many bars located in Krymská, a popular nightlife area in Prague. I guess it’s the equivalent to Bairro Alto in Lisbon, except you can actually go inside the bars.
It was a cold day in January when we stepped inside the bar. Sarah was there to welcome us, and then she introduced us to Adam, who ended up leading the tasting. Both of them are certified beer judges, which means we were in good hands either way.
We picked a table in the corner and sat down waiting for the first beer. Adam came back with three full glasses and two envelopes with our beer tasting kit.
Czech Craft Beer Tasting Introduction
During our tasting experience, Adam introduced us to a variety of Czech craft beer styles and gave us eight samples to try. We began with the ubiquitous Pilsner, but this one came from Hostomice, a small town a few miles south from Prague. Then, we moved on to the IPAs from Černý Potoka and Clock and ended with a delicious dark lager from Zichovec.
Our task was to comment and jot down everything we thought about the beer, from its aroma to its look and flavor. As it turns out, there are a lot more words to describe beer than sour and hoppy. Good thing our beer coasters came with clues of what to say. When is the last time you had a “phenolic beer”? What about one with an “estery” aroma? In case you’re wondering, the first one refers to a medicinal-like scent, and the latter refers to a fruity or flowery aroma.
Eight beers in, and we were pretty tipsy. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I was impressed with the Raven Lime & Salt, a Sour Ale, which smelled just like apple crumble.
Having finished our Czech beer tasting, we decided to stay a little longer and try another beer on tap. I went for the Northern Monk Salted Caramel Star, a sweet black porter hailing from Leeds, just a few miles away from Nick’s hometown in the UK. And since we were getting hungry, I couldn’t help ordering some of the cookies I saw on the counter — an unlikely but delicious pairing.
For dinner, we ended up going to the Becketts Irish Pub for a burger and shared a massive apple crumble. I wondered where I got that idea…
Useful Info
- How to get to the Lya Beer Café? From the center of Prague, you can get the tram 22 or hop on the metro (line A) to Jiřího z Poděbrad and then walk from there. You can buy transport tickets on your phone with the PID Lítačka app.
- Where to book the tasting? Bohemian Brews
- What do you get? Eight beer samples, a tasting kit, and a friendly beer judge as your guide. The beer tasting cost 590 CZK per person, which is around €22.