beer travel – Page 19 – thebeergeek.com

July 10, 2010March 15, 2013

Braving the Prague Tourist Hordes

On our little taxi excursion from the train station, our tour guide driver on several occasions gestured in the general direction of the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. In his Czecho-Germano-English language, he indicated that’s where all the tourists were. Merideth and I smiled and nodded knowingly. We would tackle that beast the next day.

The plan for our second day in Prague was to cross the Vlata River to search out beer in the Malá Strana (Lesser Town). As our taxi driver had indicated, this part of Prague is the epicenter of the city’s tourist trade. Crossing the Charles Bridge late morning, we successfully negotiated the sea of globe trotters blindly following a person holding up an umbrella. Once across, we oriented ourselves and headed uphill in the direction of Strahov Monastery.

In the heat and humidity, I knew we weren’t going to make it in one shot. Consulting the Good Beer Guide, I found a pub roughly halfway to the monastery where we could get a break from the sauna-like weather and grab a beer. Our sanctuary was Baráčnická rychta, located on a side lane close the the Irish, German and American embassies.

Whether we were too far off the tourist trail or late-morning drinking is not fashionable, but we were the only customers. Passing on Pilsner Urquell, we both ordered a Svijanský Máz 11°, a beer from Liberec region of the Czech Republic. Beer had never tasted so good as the first sip of that golden brew.

In our second attempt at bonding with the locals by trying to learn the language, we asked our waiter how to pronounce the name of the pub. Where our waiter on the first day was more standoffish in giving Czech language lessons, today’s waiter was more helpful if not a bit confused. Unfortunately, we still don’t know how to correctly pronounce Baráčnická.

Strengthened with a few beers, we continued our upwards journey to the monastery. Founded in 1142, brewing began at the Strahov Monastery in the 13th or 14th century and lasted until 1907. The complex was renovated in the 1990s and a brewpub, Klášterní Pivovar Strahov, opened in 2000.

Entering the gates, we were greeted with the sounds of an orchestra performing in the courtyard between the church and brewpub. The brewpub was doing a brisk lunchtime business but we managed to grab a table outside where we could still hear the music.

Enjoying my beer at Klášterní pivovar Strahov

There were four beers, a wheat, amber, dark and somewhat surprising, an IPA. While Merideth started with the wheat, I had to have a Czech IPA. Really fruity, the IPA was more of a hopped-up amber than what my jaded West Coast palate considers an IPA. I still liked it. The wheat was somewhat a cross between a Hefeweizen and Kristallweizen. A bit thin and lightly carbonated, it still had pleasant hefe flavor.

Merideth also had her first and probably only experience with Czech beer cheese. Hoping for an obaztda like experience, the beer cheese looked, smelled and tasted very gamey.

Never underestimate the power of cute signage

Heading back downhill towards the castle, we managed to hit a few more pubs before we reached Charles Bridge.

The unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell wasn’t the draw for stopping in U Hrocha. It was just the icing on the cake. It was the picture of the cute hippopotamus sign balancing a beer on the end of it’s nose in the Good Beer Guide that had us wandering the neighborhood around the British Embassy. As we spotted the sign hanging over the pub entrance, I felt somewhat silly being so excited at seeing a metal hippopotamus.

There were only a few locals ‘At the Hippopotamus’. As we enjoyed our Pilsner Urquell, we played ‘spot all the hippos in the pub’.

Merideth drinking her first Bernard beer

Our final pub in the Malá Strana was U Kocoura. Three breweries were featured at this pub, including the well-known Budvar and Pilsner Urquell. The beer we stopped for was Bernard’s kvasnicové pivo, apparently a rarely seen brew in Prague.

The kvasnicové pivo was really good but after so many different golden lagers, it was becoming difficult telling one from another. On top of that, every single beer was a magical moment; the cool, golden brew offering welcome relief from the heat.

Unfortunately, our day didn’t end on a high note. We went to a brewpub for dinner. Service in Prague has a reputation for snarkiness towards tourists, something I really have no problem with. But our waitress at dinner crossed the snarky line into just plain rudeness. Prague is a city every beer geek needs to experience. But our treatment at the brewpub led us to decide that this was most likely our last trip to Czech capital. Two visits was enough for these beer travelers. With so many great beer destinations throughout the world, Merideth and I would rather go someplace with more a chance not being treated like shit.

Thankfully, we had one more day in Prague so our last memory wasn’t of this brewpub. Day three was more of a day of relaxation than tramp around the city in search of beer. We had a nice lunch with Evan Rail, author of the Good Beer Guide. And we returned to U Fleků our final evening to get that much needed video footage. Amongst a bunch of Germans and Spaniards, we had a fun evening drinking beer and acting like goofy tourists. And, yet again, successfully turning down the shots of Becherovka.

July 8, 2010March 15, 2013

Returning to Prague

I’ll admit we were reluctant to return to Prague. One of the beer meccas of the world, our first and only visit to the Czech Republic capital was back in 2001. Since that visit, we have been to the Czech Republic only one other time. In our first beer adventures with a video camera in 2007, we traveled to České Budějovice to tour the Budvar brewery.

We find the Czech Republic a difficult country in which to travel, a place we just don’t feel comfortable. Neither Merideth nor I can get a simple grasp of the Czech language beyond ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Since we gave Berlin a second chance on this trip, we decided to give Prague the same consideration.

Arriving by train from Dresden, things didn’t start with a confidence boost. We were supposed to be picked up at the train station by our hotel but there was a mix up. On to plan B, we hopped in a cab and proceeded to get the “tourist tour” around the chaotic, traffic jammed city with driver commentary in a hybrid Czech-English-German language. We were so very happy to finally reach our hotel.

Our hotel, U Medvídků, was not just any hotel. It was a Budvar tap serving five kinds of Budvar. But more importantly, it was a brewery. Brewing first began in the building in 1466, ending in 1898. The current brewery, set up in the original malt house, brewed it’s first batch of beer in 2004. What was unique about the Czech Republic’s smallest brewery was the traditional methods employed such as open fermentation and lagering in wooden barrels.

Checking in, we were handed a little bag of malt with a coupon that was good for a beer in the brewery’s tap room. After our interesting cab ride, a beer was definitely needed, so we quickly went up to our room to drop our bags off. Then we negotiated the maze of dining rooms that was the Budvar taphouse and found the brewery towards the back of the building.

The beer we received in exchange for our coupon was Oldgott Barrique, an amber-ish 5.2% lager. It had a caramel sweetness to it. I liked it, Merideth not so much.

Our complimentary beer downed and tattered nerves repaired, we were ready to take on Prague. Armed with a copy of the Good Beer Guide to Prague and the Czech Republic, we ventured out on to the streets of Staré Město, Old Town.

Crossing into Nové Město(New Town), it was only a short walk to Novoměstský pivovar, New Town’s first brewpub, established in 1993. We were somewhat confused as we approached the entrance. It appeared the two groups ahead of us were turned away. Very hungry at this point, Merideth and I threw caution to the wind and approached the two gentleman who appeared to be on host duty. Using simple English and two fingers to indicate, yes, there were two of us, we were escorted to the Gothic Room.

At Novoměstský pivovar, we were reintroduced to the basics of Czech brewing. There are two standard beers, světlý (light) and tmavý (dark). We both began with the světlý. The crisp, unfiltered lager was much more what we expected from Czech beer than the Oldgott Barrique. Merideth was much happier.

Since these were the first beers we paid for, we were also reminded of the main reason to embark upon beer travel in the Czech Republic, great beer at inexpensive prices. Half liters at Novoměstský pivovar were 38Kč. That is about $1.90.

Over lunch, we worked on our poor Czech language skills. We tried to enlist the help of our waiter but he seemed quite disinterested in helping out two Czech-challenged Americans.

After lunch, Merideth was ready to confront her white whale, U Fleků. Prior to our visit in 2001, Merideth read all the bad reviews for U Fleků. Most of the negative comments revolved around the shots of Becherovka, 76 proof herbal bitters, which the wait staff persistently peddles to the customers. Some people thought they were free only to be shocked when they received their bill.

Sufficiently freaked out, Merideth proclaimed before the first visit, “We are only getting beer! No food, no shots, only beer!” We obviously survived our first visit, successfully turning down the shots of Becherovka. In fact, we had a great time. We did leave wondering what gave people the idea that the shots were free.

We returned to U Fleků on this trip for two reasons. First, we needed to get the Hofbrauhaus of Prague on video for beergeek.TV. Getting the boisterous multitudes merrily drinking beer was a must for our Prague episode. Secondly, their one beer, a dark lager, is pretty darn good and worth a return visit in itself.

Arriving mid afternoon, Merideth and I were guided away from the beer garden and pointed to a corner table in the main hall. We quickly each had half liter of the blackish brew.

Right on the heels of our beer waiter was the waiter with the tray of Becherovka. Not sure how he knew to speak English to us, but he first said, “It’s like medicine.” As we were declining the offer, he quickly followed up with the “It’s tradition” sales tactic. We again politely declined and he moved on to the German teens who just had walked in. The waiter was more successful with them.

Unfortunately, there was no action at that time of day so video would have to wait for an evening visit. We finished our beers and moved on.

Merideth getting ready to tackle U Zlatého tygra

Having successfully turned down the Becherovka at U Fleků, Merideth and I were feeling pretty confident. It was time to tackle U Zlatého tygra, the Golden Tiger. Evan Rail refers to it in the Good Beer Guide as “the grandfather, forefather and godfather of all Prague pubs.” Known for the best unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell in Prague, it also has a tourist unfriendly reputation where most tables are reserved for locals. Taking the good with the bad, we had to go there.

Because of the reserved table situation, the Good Beer Guide advised to get there as close to opening time (3pm) as possible. We arrived about half past the hour and the smoky bar was maybe half full. Looking for a table, we saw that most had reserved signs on them. But Merideth noticed that the reserve times were hours away. We grabbed a reserved table in the corner that had a good view of all the action. The waiter came over and placed two dimpled mugs of Pilsner Urquell in front of us.

Feeling comfortable at our reserved table, I pulled out the Scrabble board and Merideth and I indulged in our favorite pub pastime. The staff was aloof, not friendly but efficient. Our waiter even brought me a new mug of beer when he saw me finish my first one. (He did this for me only. Merideth had to ask for her second beer. Must be a ‘guy thing’). We spent the next couple of hours playing scrabble and drinking great beer. Given the frazzled start to our day in Prague, U Zlatého tygra was a great way to finish it.

July 8, 2010March 15, 2013

A Short Visit to Switzerland

After almost a week of pounding the pavement of various German cities, we needed a nature break. Southeast of Dresden is Sächsische Schweiz, (Saxon Switzerland), a national park along the Elbe River. Known for its rock formations, the park is popular with everyone from your average tourist to avid rock climbers.

Typical rock formations in Sächsische Schweiz

Despite the projected 95 degree heat, we forged ahead with our plan to get some exercise. Hopping on the S-Bahn with hordes of other tourists at Dresden’s Hauptbahnhof, the ride to Sächsische Schweiz was a short 40 minutes. Getting off the train at Kurort Rathen, the final part of our journey was a ferry crossing to the opposite bank of the narrow Elbe River.

At this point, I somewhat doubted our decision. Not only was the hot late morning sun beating down on us, but the hordes seemed to have multiplied on the ferry.

However, once off the ferry, we quickly separated ourselves from the pack, located the trail and headed up. As our hikes in Europe go, this one was pretty mellow. We were shaded from the scorching sun and we weren’t in the back country. It was more of an uphill walk comparable to the walk to Andechs, just a bit steeper.

Being Germany, we knew we were going to be rewarded with beers for our efforts. Sure enough, when we reached the top, we found a little beer garden amongst the complex of buildings. Sitting down for a rest, we enjoyed a couple of Hefeweizens and a Bratwurst from a nearby stand.

Then we headed back down the trail from where we came. It wasn’t like our hikes in the other Switzerland; in fact it looked nothing like Switzerland. But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. And there was beer.

The view looking towards the Czech Republic

Obviously, there had to be a plan to visit a brewery somehow in this journey. Hopping back on the S-Bahn towards Dresden, we got off three stops up the line in Pirna. The brewery was located on the opposite side of the city from the train stop.

In a way, the several kilometer walk to the brewery was more difficult than our hike. Crossing a bridge over the Elbe River, we passed through the city center and then headed up a hill. While it was not as steep as our hike, we had no protection from the midday sun. And we weren’t quite sure where it was. I was very relieved to see the sign that said Brauhaus Pirna zum Giesser was only 300 meters away.

Merideth enjoying a Pils after a walk in the sun

Finding a table in the shade, Merideth and I quickly ordered beers from our waitress. Having not found a beer menu in the 30 seconds we had been sitting down, we both just instinctively ordered a Pils. Good guess on our part. The golden brew tasted amazing after the long, hot walk.

Finally finding the Getränkekarte, Brauhaus Pirna zum Giesser had an eclectic stable of beers. Unfortunately, the ones I really wanted to try were the seasonals. We had just missed the Maibock and were too early for the Rauchbier. After the Pils, I also tried the Pirnaer Stadtbier, an amber and Weltmeisterbier, their light, summery World Cup beer.

It was our last full day in Germany on the trip. As we enjoyed our late lunch and beers, we reflected on our many beer adventures. The next day, we would be in Prague.

July 6, 2010March 15, 2013

Dresden

Our stop in Dresden really didn’t have much to do with beer. For years, I have been fascinated by the city and its resurrection from the fire-bombing by Allied planes February 1945. It is estimated that 25,000 civilians died in the raids and subsequent firestorm.

My recent interest stemmed from our first visit to Munich in 2001. We were at our very first dinner in Germany and Merideth and I were struggling with the Bavarian dialect menu. Nothing seemed to be in our Germany dictionary.

There was an elderly couple sitting close to us. After about 10 minutes of looking at the menu then looking at the dictionary then looking back at the menu, the man finally asked in perfect English, “Can we help with the menu?” We gladly accepted and he and his wife spent the next few minutes translating the menu for us item by item.

In subsequent conversation, we learned that he was a Dresdener and that he was in the firebombing. Having a degree in History and an interest in the Second World War, it was very special to get to talk to this elderly man.

Nine years later, we finally made Dresden part of our Germany itinerary.

A symbol of Dresden’s resurrection is the 18th century Frauenkirche. It seemingly survived the raids only to collapse into a heap of rubble the last day. It remained a heap of rubble for almost 50 years. Reconstruction began in 1993 and was finally completed in the 2000. Using the original plans, the church was rebuilt with the existing stones where possible.

Our hotel was across from the Frauenkirche. Arriving late afternoon, we quickly checked in and then headed out to walk the Altstadt’s cobbled streets. It was one of the most beautiful we had ever seen in Germany. From the impressive buildings to the blindingly gold statues, we wandered around in awe.

The Frauenkirche rose impressively out of the central square. The checkerboard pattern of new and salvaged stones had us pondering how did the builders know where to put them.

Enjoying an Augustiner Edelstoff aus dem Holzfass in Dresden

Merideth and I were quite parched from the walk around the Altstadt in the hot and humid weather. Located the the opposite side of the Frauenkirche from our hotel was Augustiner an der Frauenkirche. Normally, we wouldn’t be drinking Munich beer in Dresden but we learned from our friend Paul that they poured a beer from the barrel. That’s too good an opportunity to pass up.

While Merideth ordered her cherished Helles, I went with Edelstoff aus dem Holzfass. An “Export” lager, the Edelstoff was a bit warm from being out in the heat. The temperature gave it a ‘real ale meets lager’ mouth feel, but the brew was still crisp and refreshing. The next day, I was fortunate enough to have another one. This time from a freshly tapped keg. The beer’s temperature was much more what I would expect from a German lager. Both were excellent, but the colder version paired better with the hot and humid weather.

There are several breweries in Dresden. We needed to cross to the opposite bank of the Elbe River to seek out the first. Looking at my printed out map, I was unsure of whether we could walk there in a timely manner, but we set out on foot anyways. After about twenty minutes of walking, it looked like we were barely halfway there. Reaching a tram stop, we climbed on the next tram headed in our direction. We were dropped off right in front of Brauhaus am Waldschlössen.

The history of the Waldschlössen (little forest manor) dates back to 1790 with brewing commencing in the 1830s. The current brewery reopened in 1997. Quite an impressive building, Brauhaus am Waldschlössen sat on top of a hill with Dresden’s largest beer garden overlooking the Elbe River Valley.

The heat of the day was finally breaking and the evening turned quite pleasant. Merideth and I grabbed an unshaded table on the edge of the beer garden.

Waldschlössen’s Zwickelbier and Hefeweizen

Merideth was in luck as Monday was Hax’ntag. For less than 9 Euro, Merideth got a pretty good sized pork knuckle which also included a half liter beer. She paired her Haxe with the Hefeweizen. My beer choice was the excellent Zwickelbier which I paired with a two 75 Euro cent pickles.

We enjoyed the view of the river and the distant Dresden skyline as we devoured our haxe and pickles and drank our beers. Another day, another beer garden, another great memory from Germany.

July 2, 2010March 15, 2013

Anything Gose

I’m pretty good at coming up with brilliant ideas. Recently, one of my best ideas was in planning our train trip from Berlin to Dresden. I noticed that one of the intermediate stations was Leipzig, which I remembered was home to one of the few Gose breweries in the world. Realizing that this was a good beer travel opportunity, I planned for us to get off the train in Leipzig, visit the two breweries in the city and get back on the train to continue our journey to Dresden. After confirming that Leipzig Hauptbahnhof had luggage storage, the train tickets were purchased.

But even great ideas can have flaws. We got off the train in Leipzig and quickly found the luggage storage lockers. Opening the door to one of the available lockers, I slipped my bag in only to have it be several inches too long. Panic set in as I realized that I wasn’t going to be drinking Gose that day.

While, I was panicking, Merideth was thinking. She realized that if we tilted our bags at an angle, they would fit. It took a few minutes of wrestling each bag, but they were eventually safely stored. Soon after that, we were walking the streets of Leipzig in search of our first brewery.

The construction around Bayerischer Bahnhof

Bayerischer Bahnhof, one of the few Gose breweries in the world, was a 20 minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof. Approaching the brewery, I had my second panic attack within an hour. Bayerischer Platz was a fenced in construction zone. “What if the brewery is closed?” I thought to myself. To my relief, we found the entrance, and they were open.

Bayerischer Bahnhof is an expansive facility. The huge rectangular building is flanked on one side by a tree shaded beer garden. The brewery sits in the middle of the restaurant that seems to go on forever. The first customers of the day, Merideth and I found a table outside.

Originating in the town of Goslar, a Gose is a top fermented wheat beer flavored with corinader and salt. Fresh from my Berliner Weiße trauma, I was a bit worried about having a similar beer experience. My confidence suffered the added blow seeing on the menu that the Gose could also be flavored with raspberry or woodruff syrup. Merideth also had the option of getting the “Lady-Friendly”, Gose flavored with cherry liquor. Passing on all the girly versions, Merideth and I both ordered “Original Leipziger Gose”.

Our waitress brought over the beers and the big moment had arrived. From the first sip, I loved the brew. The slightly tart beer was wonderfully refreshing, especially on yet another beautiful summer day in Germany. A hint of coriander, which became more prominent as the beer warmed up, gave the beer a kick of spiciness.

By my second or third Gose, I was patting myself on the back for the brilliant plan. Merideth and I enjoyed a nice, semi-leisurely lunch in the beer garden. I even moved on to try another one of Bayerischer Bahnhof brews, a wonderful Schwarzbier.

Leipzig’s other brewery, Brauhaus an der Thomaskirche was located in the center of the Altstadt. As the name implies, the brewpub is next to the Thomaskirche, the 15th century church that holds the tomb of Johann Sebastian Bach. Not being complete beer heathens, Merideth and I went to the church to see the final resting place of the great composer and former choirmaster of the Thomaskirche. We even got the added treat of choir practice, soothing background music to our five minutes of culture. With our normal tourist duty completed we retreated across the street to the brewpub’s beer garden.

The Pils at Brauhaus an der Thomaskirche

To the background music of the laughter and screams of the town’s children playing in the fountain in front of the brewpub, Merideth and I contemplated the Brauhaus beer menu. With a lineup closer to the more standard German variety, they did not brew a Gose. While I started with the Pils, Merideth went for the banana-y Weißbier. I finished up with the Schwarzbier. While not as good as the one I drank earlier in the day, it was still quite nice.

Our time at Brauhaus an der Thomaskirche was short and sweet. We quickly drank our beers and then headed back to the Hauptbahnhof to catch our train to Dresden. We spent less than four hours in Leipzig but it was a great four hours.