1626a. Wed 29/11/23: Hostinec Za Vodou, Litomyšl

Beer: Měštanský pivovar v Polička 11° 4.8%

A quick Google of places to drink in Litomyšl suggests Za Vodou might be ‘my sort of place.’ Good. I’ll try it, then look around for another place on the way, or the way back. 

Za Vodou doesn’t disappoint. It’s excellent. It looks like a closed down scout hut from the outside, and seems to have a village hall or Masonic Lodge feel once you get inside, and before you follow your instincts and open into the bar room.

As far as I can see, there’s only the one room. Lots of wood. Lots of muffled near silence. I sit underneath the telly in the corner so as not to have to look at it. Whatever’s showing is doing so nice and quietly. 

This is a big space, with very few distractions. It’s early – about 5pm – but somehow I get the feeling that the preoccupation of its clientele is in having a comfortable place in which to drink good quality beer. There’s a Germanic feel about the place, but no hint of steins or lederhosen or any of that kind of tat.

Litomyšl is beautiful. The birthplace of Bedřich Smetana. I download an album to listen to, to see if some of Litomyšl and Za Vodou’s magic might rub off, and because Bedřich is an excellent name. And because I want to keep up with the other snobs and the pretentious set.

252. Mon 20/11/17: U Pinkasů, Můstek, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Pop back into U Pinkasů after stodging out at the wonderful fast food vendors in Wenceslas Square. They’ve ripped us off before – but them huge red sausages (and sweaty bread rolls) are magnificent.

U Pinkasů is pretty good too. Like it here – it’s quite packed, but not so bad as there’s no tables available. Can’t hear any English spoken in here, which is nice but odd. This is right in the tourist centre of Prague – if anything, nearer the seedier stag party end – but they don’t appear to be falling so ingloriously to grab the tourist dollar as other places. It does have a small range of “merch”, and is clearly not the little back street boozer, but it retains a character of a traditional – better than basic – town centre pub (without resorting to Disney-ing it up with oompah and costume).

Anyway, we’ve only just discovered U Pinkasů this year. We’ve seem U Medvídků and U Fleků change (mostly, but not entirely, for the worse) over the past decade; one hopes the management of many Prague pubs will have looked at these and similar examples and decided on “reigning it in” a bit. I’ll be interested in coming back to U Pinkasů in the future.

As it is, it’s late… it’s 08:50pm. We’re going home tomorrow – and we’re back to the apartment now.

1416. Tue 15/11/22: Pivovar Řevnice, Řevnice

Beer: 11º Řevnická polotmavé, 10º Řevnická svělté

Stopped, on the way back to Prague from Beroun, and on the recommendation of Alan (from the Czech Beer Appreciation Group on Facebook), at Řevnice, where the old station building has been converted into this brewpub.

And it’s all very nice, clean, bright and tidy… not a patch on the brewpub on Beroun’s station. Maybe it’s unfair to compare the two.

Steph suggests, rather hitting the nail on the head, “it’s like being in Harpenden”. It’s very new. It seems to want to attract a middle-class foody clientele.

It opened in 2018. Maybe the light wood interior just needs a few layers of patina. Maybe, like in Beroun, they need a mangy semi-feral house cat.

But, just guessing, maybe the rough and ready beerhall aesthetic isn’t what they’re aiming at. If the middle-class punters are happy – and they’re selling more meals than beers – good luck to them.

The beer is good. It’s not as good as in Beroun – but it is more expensive – but cheaper than in Prague. Beroun = 31Kč (£1.13), Řevnice = 58Kč (£2.11), central Prague = 65Kč (£2.37). Swigs and roundabouts innit?

Again, my notes record, being here is akin to The Silver Cup in Harpenden – deciding it’s time to get back on the train to Luton/The Brickies. We get back on the train to Prague. 

Apologies to enthusiasts of/for Pivovar Řevnice and The Silver Cup (they ought to be “twinned”), this is just one idiot’s dim parochial opinion.

1647. Tue 5/12/23: Restaurace U staré pošty, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Here, just outside the station, to see AJK off. Explanation of his convoluted trek home, frankly, takes the romance right out of international train travel. He’s got a few connections to make – and a five hour wait, starting at 5am, at some Germany station or other. Much as I don’t like flying…it’s all done in a few hours.

Back in Praha the abrupt/dodgy service at U staré pošty extends, not to a warm welcome, rather a stern notification that they don’t accept credit/debit cards. Not here. We do not ask “will you accept a cheque?”, even given the delicious pun. Previous experience here has gradually engendered the idea that tourists aren’t necessarily welcome here.

As it is – not too busy – there’s a spare table in the front. The service is gruff, but fine, and one deigns to feel a little better about being here. It’s a decent pub.

Sport on the telly is indoor football. Plzen are thrashing “HEL” 5-0 in a sports hall.

Me brother bids us farewell, which is a little sad.

We’d planned to stay out and try to find a pub screening Luton Town v Arsenal later, but we’re a little soused already and (probably for the best) we don’t get to do that.

1159. Sat 13/11/21: Pardubický Pivovar, Pardubice

Beer: Pernštejn Kvasňák 5.6%, Pernštejn Porter 8.0%

The Pardubice Brewery bar is nice and clean and a little dull: plain and simple, stencilled decal motifs of local landmarks on the walls (seemingly inspired by the trendy Lokál chain in Prague). Seating is arranged in beerhall style, with long pine tables and somewhat lightweight pine chairs. There aren’t many people in this early on a Saturday afternoon; a couple of dozen maybe, no more, with effectively a long table each.

It’s all fine – the beer, though, is very good.

From what we’ve read, the Porter is regarded as something of a classic in these parts. It’s pretty strong stuff. For our second round we order two more non-filtered lagers and one glass of the Porter to share.

Again, our tentative forays into pidgin Czech fail us (as it tends to do outside Prague’s one-beer tourist traps). We get two Porters instead. It’s bloody lovely stuff mind – rich, velvety, chocolaty… It tastes a bit bloody strong but most of all it reminds me of Everard’s Nutcracker in its “thick as a Christmas cake” pomp of… probably twenty-five years ago.

We contemplate another but – NO – it’s too early to get that soused that quickly.

We attempt to fight our natural binge drinking Brit instincts. Take it slow. Watch the ice-hockey on the box. Sweden 4-2 Russia – come along you Swedes!

1645. Mon 4/12/23: U Sadu, Žižkov, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

The new seasonal menu is out. It’s Christmas themed, though not in the way we know it. We sit on the first proper table in the middle (upstairs main/tourist bar). I order 200g Pečený bůček Luciferem na chilli a medu mačkane brambory s restouvanou cibulkou (roasted pork belly with chilli, honey mashed potatoes and sauteed onions). I’m very enthusiastic over these little seasonal menus. The devil is part of local festive folklore. Lucifer gets to hang about with (a Czech rather a Coca-Cola) Father Christmas and an angel at this time of year – we see them in St Wenceslas Square.

Me brother and SA have fried cheese, again. Their mealtime excitement is dented accordingly.

My meal is splendid. Excellent, even. The chilli is unexpectedly hot, but if one dabbles with the devil in the menu detail, what should one expect?

Rounds off the evening, all that food. Delicious.

1647a. Tue 5/12/23: Restaurace U staré pošty, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Last beer, for me, on this trip. I need somewhere near the station. TPK and SA were barred from entry into Pošty by a sour-faced barman on their way into Prague, some days earlier. The same sour-face lets me in, no problem, although the way he advises us the establishment doesn’t accept cards indicates he has anger issues.

Oh well.

This is my last beer before I face the overnight train to Karlsruhe. On the way over, I had to change a couple of times. I was advised, earlier in the day, that this won’t be necessary. I’m not counting on it, but at least the snow hasn’t brought everything to a complete, grinding halt.

544. Fri 9/11/18: Lokál Hamburk, Karlín, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Our second visit to the Karlín Lokál locale – this time on an early Friday evening (rather than a Monday). Oddly, it’s far quieter this time round. I suggest, at the time, that Czech students might bugger off back home at the weekends… I suppose they might, it’s a small country after all.

The Lokál bars seem uniformly manned by beard’n’tatts hipster types. Nothing wrong with that, other than it’s a demographic conspicuous by its absence in Prague – apart from as employed by this chain. I remain quite impressed/intrigued by Lokál. They may be pushing pubs I prefer into anachronism, they’re certainly doing that to the main Pilsner Urquell chain, which Lokál have made look decidedly naff; but it may be that longer established independent boozers might have to try a bit harder in future. In the meantime, these places are bright and cheerful and (for the time being) refreshingly different.

The place starts filling up the longer we’re in there – specifically with a group of Americans, who seem affable enough, but whose conversation (loud, in English and impossible not to latch onto) hurries our exit.

1644b. Mon 4/12/23: U Sadu, Žižkov, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Ah; that unmistakable, comforting smell of deep fried brown food. We’re back in Sadu.

I’ve started collecting some materials for my hare and tortoise project next year. It’s going to be an absolute blast. Both animals exist here, and neither gets much of a break. Hare features on the menu (see last post from Sadu), while little plastic tortoises (or, more likely, turtles) are used to encourage steady hands and better aiming in the gents’ pissoirs. Not sure who comes out worse.

Have fried cheese. It goes on forever. After tvarůžky and halloumi in Olomouc, this is real deal. I usually try and get this meal early doors when visiting Czech – it seems fitting to end (or more or less end) this trip with a couple of bricks of good old chewy, fried cheese.

1405. Sat 12/11/22: U Bláhovky, Brno

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Best pub in the world, according to me; following our last/first visit half a decade or so ago. It was busier then. It gets silly busy in this place. It’s very popular and not very big. The crowds inside and out at 5pm yesterday were huge. We went elsewhere – but we’re back on Saturday, not long after noon.

It’s quite quiet. Too quiet? On this showing, on lack of convivial hubbub alone, it’s absolutely fine, but not now “best pub” brilliant.

We find a table easily, but it’s not the vantage point we had last time – overlooking the bar and marvelling at the barman pouring beer after beer for the crowd. It was mesmerising. Today it’s just us, and another table – and the strange deep voiced lady outside, who keeps coming in and is drinking lots of beer and spirits. A group of six tourists come in and announce (in English, I don’t think they’re English though) they need a table – and they’ll be eating too. Barman informs them that, no, the tables are all reserved and he cannot accommodate them. This is a place, out of the centre, that attracts tourists – but doesn’t need their custom. I’m on barman’s side, mind, in this instance… there was something glib and presumptuous about the tourist horde.

Beer bloody lovely.

Toilets bloody awful.

It is too quiet. We are missing the sense of theatre this time… but I don’t care too much. U Bláhovky is a fantastic little place.

We have a few. Barman rounds the bill up significantly when it comes to our paying – ripping us off for at least the price of a beer (which, at 62Kč, £2.26 a half litre – is at the top end of what you pay for PU in this town in the first place). Steph reckons he’s been more than a little cheeky, but we’re tourists, we probably deserve it by association.