New Prague Brewpub

[evanrail]

In case anyone is in or coming to Prague soon, we've got a new brewpub that just opened in December: Pivovar Bašta. It's only a couple of weeks old, so it's not in any guidebook yet.

Pivovar Bašta is located in the slightly rough neighborhood of Praha 4-Nusle, directly across from the nuselská radnice (Nusle Town Hall). The easiest way to get there is probably to catch an 18 tram at metro station Karlovo Náměstí (B line) and take it to the stop Nuselská Radnice, which should take less than 12 minutes. The pub is located right near the tram stop.

I posted an account of a tasting trip to Pivovar Bašta here:

http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/01/05/a-new-prague-brewpub-pivovar-basta/

Based on my visits, I'd say it's going to be great. Additionally, I was told yesterday that they now have the světlá 12° on tap. But like the two beers mentioned in the article above, this brew is said to be more amber in color than the typical světlý ležák ("light" or golden lager, the classic Pilsner style).

There's another brewpub that is supposed to open in Prague this month; I'll post more once I get the details.

[Pivo Prosim]

Thanks for the heads up Evan. I can't wait to stop by some time.

By the way, while in Plzen during the holidays I discovered a place called Koutland which serves the whole range of beers by Pivovar Kout na Sumave. Ever been there? I thought they were quite good, especially the kvasnicove. It's always wonderful to find a place with such an exceptional lineup. And it was all easily affordable ranging from 22 (or so) to 39 kc for the 18 dark.

This included:
10, 12 svetle
12 kvasnicove
14 tmave
18 tmavy

Cheers,

PP

[evanrail]

Oh yeah, Fil mentioned Koutland at the Christmas Beer Markets. I haven't been there yet, but I'm planning to get out there soon to post about it on Beer Culture.

Kout's 18° dark sounds like it's similar to the 18° dark from Master. An interesting style!

[beerking]

Thanks a bunch, Evan. Your post went up the day a friend of mine left for the Czech Republic, and I forwarded it to him.

His reply:

"we are at Basta now. Thank you so much for a great tip. The polotmavy is delicious. The brewer is cleaning up and the place smells of spent. No English spoken here, very local. They have 100-150 liter system, the size of AJ Delange's. Very nice. I owe you."

I can't wait until my chance to try the place!

[chazwicke]

Here is a new guidebook:


New Pilsner Urquell guidebook ranks top establishments
[30-01-2008] By Jan Velinger

Listen 16kb/s ~ 32kb/s

It’s something of a Czech tradition: fans of Czech beer Plzeňský Prazdroj (Pilsner Urquell) debating which pubs have the best Pilsner on tap. Now the debate may see a little “closure”. On Monday the famous brewer launched a flashy new guidebook ranking the best Pilsner-serving establishments. Interestingly, the book is based on rankings not by professional critics but by regular pub-goers.


Pilsner Urquell is a beer that has long enjoyed a strong reputation and needs little introduction; but ask a group of fans which pub offers the best “Plzeň” on tap, get ready for a debate. No longer: the answers are now “official”. On Monday, Pilsner Urquell launched a brand new pub guide, rating the top Pilsner-serving pubs in the country for 2008. The guide is based on an amazing 77,000 entries from pub-goers who know their establishments through and through. The glossy publication, featuring colour photos an easy-to-skim index, and additional bonuses, was boiled down from around 1,000 establishments, to the crème de la crème: the Top 100. At this week’s launch I spoke to the senior trade brewer at Pilsner Urquell, Václav Berka:

Václav Berka

“This a great day for us because we are celebrating the first edition of our new pub guide. The guide can be seen as support for our customers, ranking the best pubs serving our beer.”

The high-profile launch this week took place at Prague’s 18th century Písecká brána (Pisek Gate), and invited guests included VIPs from the gastronomy and service industries. Celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment were also invited, including well-known guitarist Ladislav Brabec – a man known to go a long way to get a decent pint.

“I was in Antarctica three times and on my third journey I was on my small yacht, a fifteen-metre yacht, and I stopped at the southern-most city of Chile – and the world – called Port Williams. You can’t go there by car, you can go by plane, but the usual way is by boat. There was an amazing pub I found there, which for me was the best. And, I was very surprised to find that they had Pilsner Urquell! It was perfect!”


Also christening the pub guide was another aficionado, Olympic gold medallist in cross country-skiing Kateřina Neumannová:

“I think that beer is also a favourite among top athletes: of course it is important not to drink too much! I love beer and I am very proud that Czech beer ranks among the favourites.”

U Zlatého tygra, photo: CzechTourism

By now you must be wondering which pubs ranked highest in Pilsner Urquell’s guidebook: included in the Top 10 were a number of long-time favourites, including U Rudofina or U Zlatého Tygra in the Czech capital; the later was a regular hang-out spot for the late great Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. The best tasting Pilsner overall went to Jelínkova plzeňská hospoda, a tiny, bare-bones, hole-in-the-wall pub in the Czech capital, famous for the quality of its pipes for years. But the overall No. 1 ranking for overall quality, including beer, food, and customer services, went to Hostinec u Bláhovky, a pub not in Prague but in the country’s second largest city, Brno. Pilsner Urquell’s pub guide, in Czech, will be available for free at the 100 establishments listed in the book; it will also be included as a free gift with some Pilsner Urquell purchases.

[Sladek]

Cool, Evan Rail is here! While I lived in Prague I depended on your Prague Post writings for good beer destinations. You should recognize my avatar.
I'll be there in 3 days!

[evanrail]

Yes, I'm here. Nice picture. It reminds that I haven't been to Pivovarský dům in a while. I spend most of my time at Pivovarský klub now.

I'd recommend trying Bašta while you're here -- that polotmavý is impressive.

Oh, and I forgot to add that they also have the světlý ležák on tap now, which a lot of people like (I personally prefer the amber, but that's just me). Within another week they should have the wheat beer available as well.

(And I also forgot to mention we're giving away a shirt from Bašta as well as one from Budvar and a bunch of other prizes from Czech brewers in the Beer Culture reader contest. Everyone's welcome to enter.)

[Sladek]

Yes, I'm here. Nice picture. It reminds that I haven't been to Pivovarský dům in a while. I spend most of my time at Pivovarský klub now.I think I've heard of this - in Karlin, Krizikova 17?

[evanrail]

That's it, yes. Right at Metro Florenc, across from Karlínské divadlo. Good beers, great bottles, fun beer tastings about once a month.

[Pivo Prosim]

That's it, yes. Right at Metro Florenc, across from Karlínské divadlo. Good beers, great bottles, fun beer tastings about once a month.

Evan, I've been going to Pivo Klub since it opened and have never been made aware of these monthly beer tastings. Could you please tell me more about them. Thanks. Keep up the good work!