One of the wonders of drinking in the Czech Republic is that you can get unpasteurized and unfiltered version of the well known beers, which really shows the difference between beer handled lovingly and beer being mass produced for a global market. Of course this is beer that does not travel well. There are similarities, like British cask ale and the wonderful Rodenbach Foederbier, where they had to figure out a distribution chain to keep it fresh and avoid the yeast running amok.
One place in Prague to enjoy the yeast beer or the kroužkovaný ležák is the Budvarka Dejvice. It is in Evan Rail’s book, and it was just five minutes walk from my hotel, close to the Dejvická Metro station in the area behind the castle.
This is a neighbourhood place, with the regulars sipping their beers. The place looks fairly new. There is a bar in front and it looked more restaurant-like in the back. The atmosphere is a bit gloomy, perhaps, but the service is swift and attentive.
The yeast lager? Grain, breakfast cereals. Chewy maltiness. Soft, and round, and then the bitterness is left on the tongue crying out for another sip. I tried their dark lager, too, but this was no match. Malty, almost dessert-like sweetness. Not bad, but not outstanding like their flagship.
I wanted a snack, so I ordered stinking potatoes from the menu. These were deep fried, then gratinated with blue cheese. OK, but I’d like to develop this dish a bit further.
This place used to be a down at heel neighbourhood hospoda with good cheap pints and more than decent food. It was also called Budvarka. A couple of years ago the did it up and the result was this rather unatmospheric pub aimed at a younger, more modern crowd.
About Budvar Dark, it’s curious that you found it so sweet, since Budvar has been advertising it as rather bitter. Haven’t had it for some time though, and I don’t remember very well how it tasted then.
BTW, and another thing about Czech darks in general when tapped. The are usually not sold as much as the golden lagers, and thus, tend to spend longer than ideal in an open barrel. This can result in the beer being dull when you order it. Better to drink them bottled, I would say.
Not sure about the potatoes but oh how I’d love to try that unpasteurised lager.
Knut, I was just there in May and loved the place! Although, I was supposed to meet with Evan for the Czech Beer Festival but got sidelined with a throat and sinus illness the next day.
The unpasteurized stuff was amazing though. I was a huge fan of that place, but our group was only there for a day and a half, so I missed most of the city, unfortunately. Still, all the delicious, reasonably priced beer you can get at that place.
By the way, were are you/were you staying?
I stayed at the Hotel Diplomat, just five minutes walk from there.
That’s the very same place I stayed! Great accommodations actually. Although, there’s a certain attractive hotel desk clerk there who might remember me for all the wrong reasons…
Still, Budvarka was great being so close by, and very classy, I might add. Good to know we’ve got the same taste in hotels!