Day 2 of Prowling Prague for Beer

It’s day 2 in Prague. My wife and I walk the city some more and then take a cruise on the Vlata River. After we complete the “touristy” goals for the day, we head out again in search of beer and opportunities to make new friends. After all, beer is the universal language of most cultures and can instantly bridge cultural gaps and lead to new friendships.

U Zlateho tygra (The Golden Tiger)

This historic bar / restaurant is popular with locals. The Golden Tiger is open from 3 to 11 every day. We arrived about 15 minutes before 3 and a line formed behind us while we waited for the bar to open. Once opened, The Golden Tiger was filled within about 10 minutes.

To provide some perspective on the stature of this bar, Czech President Havel even brought Bill Clinton to this bar for some beer diplomacy.

The Golden Tiger only serves one beer – Pilsner Urquell.

And The Golden Tiger is a certified server of Pilsner Urquell, so the beer is fresh, on draft and delicious. If you haven’t consumed Pilsner Urquell fresh and on draft, then you really haven’t had Pilsner Urquell.

Seating is community oriented so you are bound to meet someone. We met a nice Polish couple from Krakow that were just in Prague for the day (Prague is about a 4 hour drive from Krakow) and quickly established new friends.

When served your first beer, the waiter puts a small slip of paper at your table with a mark. Each time you get a new beer, another mark is added. You basically don’t need to ask for another beer because as soon as your glass is empty another one seems to appear. How do you stop this flow of beers? Fold the paper in half.

The Golden Tiger is a fantastic place to visit but I suggest you get there early. Don’t be surprised if you make some new friends.

Augustine Hotel and the Refectory Bar

The Augustine is now a posh Marriott hotel property. This seven building estate is home to a 13th century monastery and brewery. At the Augustine, guests can sip beer made from a 1352 recipe originally created and brewed by Augustine monks, eat culinary delights that often include beer and head to the spa for a St. Thomas Beer Body Ritual. The hotel was ranked by USA Today as one of the 6 greatest hotels for beer lovers.

The interior and grounds of this hotel are stunning.

We decided to treat ourselves by going to the hotel’s bar – called The Refectory. The bar is every bit as stunning as the rest of the hotel.

At the bar I ordered St. Thomas beer. This beer is brewed exclusively for the hotel.

St. Thomas beer was first produced by monks in the St. Thomas brewery in 1352, after they were granted brewing rights by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV. Following these rights, monks immediately constructed their brewery with three wooden tanks to produce dark, non-filtered and non-pasteurized beer. The original recipe also included usage of some herbs, namely sweet flag.

The beer rapidly became a success and was sold all over the left bank of the Vltava river. In the 16th century the brewery became the exclusive beer supplier to Prague Castle.

The production of St. Thomas beer continued for almost six centuries until 1951 following the rise of communism. The monks were expelled and the communist state took over the buildings.

With the fall of communism in the 1990’s, the monks returned but the buildings were in disrepair. In exchange for renovation of the church, the monks agreed to rent part of the grounds to the hotel. When the hotel opened in 2009, the monks handed over the recipe for St. Thomas beer to the hotel. Now the beer is contract-brewed by Matuska mini-brewery for the hotel.

Today St. Thomas beer is a non-pasteurized dark lager. Medium in body, the beer offers delicious flavors of caramel and coffee with a slightly dry finish and medium bitterness.

This is an excellent beer steeped in history and flavor.

The old brewery and beer cellar at the hotel are now used for tours and special events. When in Prague, treat yourself with an evening trip to the hotel, explore the grounds and enjoy some St. Thomas beer.