543. Friday 09/11/18: Palác Akropolis, Prague, Czech Republic

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

We’ve been once, some years ago, to Žižkov's premier (proper) venue, the Akropolis, to see a band. We must’ve largely stumbled into the gig, it wasn’t planned. Great venue, mind – an old theatre venue, nice and small with a good sound. Been there once.

Thought we’d pop in for a beer on our last day though. The bar at the Akropolis on a Friday afternoon is underwhelming but, without the pretensions hoisted onto too many other places in Prague these days, that seems like a breath of fresh air.

The Pilsner Urquell isn’t at its best. It’s a bit warm. Stephanie struggles with A) trying to send a text to my brother, which seemingly refuses to go through and B) a beer fly, against which she waves hands and urgently suggests that he/she ought to “f*ck off”.

 

527a. Tues 6/11/18: U Hrocha, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

A tiny bar - well two tiny bars, separated by a passageway - up among the embassies behind Malostranská Namesti. We tried coming here last year, but couldn’t get in. This year, we’ve come early, straight from the Museum of Oppression, housed within the base of the old statue of Stalin.

We’re in luck, kind of. TPK advises that he and SA usually sit in the window. There’s space there, he points out, for two. Not three. I invite him to remain stood up. It doesn’t go down well, so I invite the two of them to sit and I perch nearby, getting in people’s way. That’s how I remember it. There's definitely some moving around and fitting in where we can. A group of teeny kids don’t have the same problem, although they’re at odds with the older demographic and don’t hang around long.

539. Thu 8/11/18: U Medvídků, Prague

Beer: Old Gott 5.2%

Back at the Little Bears; it’s a little busier than earlier in the week, but still room to sit in the brewery bar. The couple next to us are tackling a pork knuckle – a huge great thing. It’s a joint, it becomes clear, best shared. The fella takes the lead, and does a fine job carving. Looks delicious… I’m never going to try it while I’m with veggies… anyway, we’re here for the beer.

Where’s the old boy who used to do all the brewing this year? We’ve not been in here when they’ve had a brew on. That’s undoubtedly the incorrect term, but we’ve been in here before when it’s more like a sauna – the whole place infused with the smells of brewing the beer we’re drinking. It’s lovely. We’ve rather missed that.

Instead, hidden away in the brewery section (separated from the dining area by glass partition) a couple of ladies are filling bottles individually by hand. It is, presumably, the famous strong/seasonal X33 lager. It seems a charmingly archaic labour intensive operation… and we eventually buy a couple of bottles for Christmas presents. They’re .33ltr bottles, and cost about a tenner a pop. For all its (variable) charm, this is still a pretty cynical tourist trap.

Good beer mind… the Old Gott. Goodness knows what’s in the bottles.

240. Sat 18/11/17: U Bansethů, Prague, Czech Republic

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Our Saturday crawl starts with (eventually) meeting my brother at Wenceslas Square and getting on tram no.11 to Nusle. From our stop it’s up the road to U Bansethů. It’s quite packed – all the tables have “reserved” notices on them, but we sit at one which is free for more than enough time.

This is a fine old traditional wood panelled boozer – one of the favourites of Jaroslav Hasek, author of The Good Soldier Svejk. He has a dedicated table, signposted with a big tin sign, portraits and pictures of him hanging on the wall (Hasek – not Svejk – Svejk, in cartoon form, is all over the place in Czech).

We have a couple of drinks – which is possibly doing this place an injustice, but is probably more than enough given we’ve a few more pubs left to visit. The next is next door.

   

232. Thu 16/11/17: Konvikt, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Our favourite non-Old Gott beerhall in central Prague – selling tankovna PU.

Since our visit this time last year, the Czech Republic has banned smoking in pubs and restaurants – and that’s made a big difference to places like this, which used to be very smoky. Steph is very pleased about this. I’m generally happy but remain faintly nostalgic about smoke filled pubs…

There’s ice hockey on the telly. It’s Sev 2 Avt 4. I have no idea who either team are… but Sev have just scored another.

We’ve been to this pub several times in recent years – it makes a nice change from U Medvícků – the beer is always good, and it’s very rarely packed.

On this particular evening, it’s only 7pm, but we’re already quite drunk.

245. Sun 19/11/17: U Medvícků, Prague

Beer: Old Gott 5.2% 

After U Fleků it’s good to get to the slightly less cynical tourist trap that is U Medvícků. That said, at least at U Fleků there’s always somewhere to sit. U Medvícků is huge, and largely empty (it’s mid-afternoon), and every table appears to be reserved. There are reserved signs all over Prague – but most give some idea of time, allowing you to sit at a table and enjoy a couple of drinks if the reservation starts in an hour or so's time. The U Medvícků reserved signs only have one word on them. We visit the pub a few times this trip – and every time we’ve been standing outside the brewery bar, drinks on the barrel.

Conversation this time around revolves around how long we’re going to last into early/mid evening at the current rate of imbibing.

220. Tues 14/11/17: Pizzerie Rustica, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Not for the first time without a guide book in the centre of Prague, the place seems bereft of the kind of dingy little bars that surround railway stations in Spain, and for that matter England.

We have one and a half hours before our train to Kutna Hora, and eventually find this basement pizzeria. It was probably a decent basic boozer in its (grim Communist) heyday – gentrified into this culturally irksome, but lovely smelling pizza joint.

The beer tastes good too. Not, Steph suggests, from the tank. Could, I suggest, she tell the difference? Possibly... not.

251. Mon 20/11/17: Mlsnej Kocour, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%
Another dull PU “green” pub, this one on Namesti Miru. We’d been looking for cheap eats – and this might have done, but every table was reserved. We eventually find somewhere, up on overly high benches, which is available for the next half hour or so…

What’s this place called? I’ve taken to taking exterior pictures; not just because pictures of pints is getting a bit boring, but as an additional visual note of what a place is called. Inside, usually, the menu is a reliable source of information. It appears this establishment is called “Homemade Lemonade”.

The beer is good. The beer is always good… is it a credible line in homesickness to subconsciously hanker for the odd dodgy pint?

My notes suggest we talk about religion. Not entirely sure… it was probably my browbeating Steph into not damning religion per se – rather that the it’s always the idiot minority blah blah blah… that’s my belief system – it sounds similar to the argument of the American gun lobby.

We don’t eat – so head back for the Wenceslas Square stodge stalls.

249 Mon 20/11/17: U Sadu, Prague

Beer: Sádek 11°

After quite a booze heavy, but reasonably early ending, evening last night we’re up and about quite early – with a resolution to leave the pubbing to quite late. We do the city centre tourist bit – trudge over the Charles Bridge, trudge back…

My brother is flying back today – and will meet us mid-afternoon in U Sadu. We seem to catch the sense of post-holiday blues, even though we have another day left to go.

He dashes off for the airport – I get another beer in, and we contemplate a visit to Namesti Miru Christmas Market.

One of the pictures features Stephanie tapping on the window in an attempt to attract my brother's attention.

241 Sat 18/11/17: Sousedský pivovar Bašta, Prague

Beer: Polotmavý Ležák 5%

The Bašta is the brewpub wing from the same fine folk who bring you the very traditional U Bansethů next door. Not that Bašta isn’t traditional – but U Bansethů serves Pilsner Urquell (exceptionally well, but plenty of places do these days), and Bašta is brewing something new and different.

We probably liked polotmavy (half dark beer) more a few years ago - before becoming Pilsner Urquell devotees… but this is a nice change. Food always looks very good too - we really should eat here one year (making a reservation has proved problematic, and/or too much bother, in the past). Unlike U Bansethů, which is a large open beerhall, Bašta has several little rooms – which, we’ve found in the past, don’t nearly accommodate the folk who want to be here. We’ve normally had to stand at the bar, trying to keep out of the way of the waiters.

This time round we manage to find a table for three – and sit enjoying our beer – until news starts coming through from John back at Kenilworth Road. Not only are we missing the Town beating Cambridge 7-0, but Olly Lee scored from his own half. We eventually see footage of that – but do feel we’ve missed out somewhat. Sod’s law though, innit?

The post-crawl consensus is that we should have stayed longer in Bašta. It’s a great place – but I had my back to the room, missing all the action… there wasn’t any action, of course, but one does like to see what is/isn’t going on.

230 Thu 16/11/17: U Pinkasů, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

For me, apart from checking how the Bohemians (football team) got on at the weekend, being an ardent Czechophile involves downloading the week daily English language podcast from Prague Radio. I get to hear quite a bit about Andrej Babiš and his ANO party, the exhibitions I’ll be missing in Prague – and occasional series about life in the Czech Republic. One short series was about pubs, and U Pinkasů was featured: the first Prague pub to sell Pilsner Urquell in the capital.

It sounded like a tourist trap (like U Fleků and U Medvícků, also featured in the series) but I was surprised, given that it hadn’t made it into the pages of our guidebooks.

The pub is deep in tourist territory, but tucked away near the Můstek end of Wenceslas Square. It is a large sprawling pub – but the individual rooms therein are quite small and intimate. It’s quite nice. It also seems largely populated by locals – ours being the only voices in the English language lousing up the ambience.

Service (upstairs at least) was traditionally rubbish – but we eventually found a way to get served. The first bar we visit is wood lined and warm to the point of soporific; we finish one and then take a wander to the cellar bar, which is much cooler.

There’s a small cabinet selling UP merch’, but this doesn’t seem a “ram it down your throat” tourist operation like some other places. I quite like it... and we return a few times more.

250 Mon 20/11/17: Prague Beer Museum, Prague

Beer: Bernard nefiltrovaný ležák 12°, Bernard tmavý ležák 12°

We’ve just been to the Namesti Miru Christmas Market (the first of the festive season in Prague). I’ve bought my niece a pencil case - with a cat on it - and spent considerably more on a belt for myself; selfish, but then I am designated wicked uncle.

Steph has a second wind – so we’re out for a bit instead of going back to the apartment. The PBM seems an odd institution. Far more pub than museum – but stocking loads of different Czech beers. We’ve not had a Bernard this trip, so I have one here. Very nice too.

The bar is too dark, and a little bit dingy, and the incessant blues soundtrack is a bit much. That all said, it’s nice and quiet – Monday night empty.

I have the dark Bernard for the second pint – my erstwhile favourite – which I now find too sweet. That said, and although I wouldn’t want too many in one sitting, it’s nice enough. Apologies, this all seems like déjà vu: I appear to be reacquainted with Bernard dark every few months – and every time my notes appear surprised that I still like it (in moderation).

246 Sun 19/11/17: Konvict, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

A hop over the way from U Medvícků to Konvikt – where you’ll always get a seat. Is this beer unfiltered Urquell too? Surely Urquell fails to be urquell (original) if they keep expanding the range. My notes labour this point, again… again, the beer is very nice.

Easyjet flights up to next Autumn are out – so talk is of where we’ll go in 2018 (and what variations of Spain and Czech we can think up).

233 Fri 171117 Jelínkova Plzeňská Pivnice, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

The 17th November is a Czech Bank Holiday to mark the “struggle for freedom and democracy”, harking back to the events (under different totalitarian regimes) in 1939 and 1989. The centre of Prague is busy, noisy. Roads are closed and students seem extremely politically minded: all of which seems very healthy. We buy some little Czech flag ribbons (worn like we wear poppies in November) and eventually find our way into this small Pilsner Urquell bar. It’s an excellent place, packed to the rafters with no more than two dozen punters. We manage to find a seat, but are required to share a table. That’s fine – until the blokes we’re sharing with decide it’s time to screen frightfully amusing (and invasively noisy) videos on their phones.