Prowling around Prague
City breaks for the beer enthusiast have never been easier, and you couldn’t do better than Prague. But
where’s the best place to find a good beer? Lubomír Sedlák reports
Neither of the two biggest and most famous Czech breweries Plzensky Prazdroj (part of SABMiller) and Budejovicky Budvar (still state-owned) is located in Prague. The first, as most Beers of the World readers probably know, can be found in the west Bohemian city of Plzen (better known abroad under its German name Pilsen), the second in Ceské Budejovice (Budweis), in the southern part of the country.
This fact does not, however, mean that you cannot gulp down as many pints of Pilsner Urquell or the genuine Budweiser in the nation’s capital itself.
The first obvious choice is a pub called U Zlatého Tygra (‘The Golden Tiger’) because local connoisseurs will confirm that here, care for the lager from Pilsen is above-average, if not actually superb. A pint costs 32 Czech crowns, which is slightly more than one euro, and it is definitely value for money.
The ‘Tiger’ is reputable not only for what is drunk there but who has in the past visited the place. Its most distinguished customer had been Bohumil Hrabal, considered to be the greatest living Czech writer until he died 10 years ago, apparently by committing suicide.
When United States president Bill Clinton visited Prague in the 1990s, his Czech counterpart Václav Havel took him to this pub to meet Hrabal in person over a pilsner. The three sat right opposite the entrance door and a photograph commemorating the event is hanging above the table in question.
Since U Zlatého Tygra is quite small, some tables are reserved solely.....
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By Lubomir Sedlak
Section : Beer Journeys
Page number : 58
