Page 198 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

196  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

What to Drink in Prague

Czech beers are famous around the world, but
nowhere are they drunk with such appreciation
as in Prague. The Czechs take their beer (pivo)
seriously and are very proud of it. Pilsner and
its various relations originate in Bohemia.
It is generally agreed that the best Pilsners
are produced in Bohemia – and all the top
producers are not far from Prague. Beers can
be bought in bottles and, best of all, on draught.
Canned beer is made mostly for export, and no
connoisseur would ever drink it. The Czech
Republic also produces small quantities of wine,
both red and white, mainly in Southern Moravia.
Little of it is bottled for export. Mineral water can
be found in most restaurants; Mattoni and Dobrá
voda (meaning good water) are the two most Gambrinus, legendary King of Beer, and trademark
widely available brands.
of a popular brand of Pilsner
Pilsner and Budweiser
The best-known Czech beer is Pilsner Urquell. Clear and
golden, with a strong flavour of hops, Pilsner is made
by the lager method: bottom-fermented and slowly
matured at low temperatures. The word “Pilsner” (now
a generic term for similar lagers brewed
all over the world) is derived from
Plzeň (in German, Pilsen), a town
80 km (50 miles) southwest
of Prague, where this type of
beer was first made in 1842.
The brew ery that developed the
beer still makes it under the name
Plzeňský prazdroj (original source),
better known abroad as Pilsner Budweiser logo
Urquell. A slightly sweeter
beer, Budweiser Budvar is
brewed 150 km (100 miles)
south of Prague in the town
of České Budějovice (in
German, Budweis). The
American Budweiser’s first
brewer adopted the name
after a visit to Bohemia in
Traditional copper brew-kettles in Plzeň the 19th century. Pilsner Urquell logo

Types of Czech Beer
Originally, Czech beers were divided into draft, lager and special beers,
according to the concentration of malt they contained (known as
original gravity). However, in 1997, a new system was introduced
that is more in line with EU practices. Czech beer now falls into one
of four main groups according to colour – light (světlé), semi-dark
(polotmavé), dark (tmavé) and cut (rězané). Within these groups are
a further 11 sub-groups categorized by measures of alcohol, sugar,
wheat and yeast content, as well as the method of final adjustment
of the beer. Confusingly, pubs still use the old system of
categorization by original gravity.
Kozel beer label

196-197_EW_Prague.indd 196 22/03/2017 12:30
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Practical (transport) template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.1)
Date 5th November 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm