The Home of Foam and Pilsner
Brew Your Own readers and Publisher Brad Ring recently spent a week exploring the deep beer culture of the Czech Republic. From visiting the birthplace of the Pilsner beer style in Pilsen to the excitement of hop harvest in Žatec, it was a full week of truly special beer experiences.
Along the way we had the chance to meet with friendly local brewers and ask plenty of questions while enjoying their beers. There’s really nothing better than trying tank samples in both the vast caverns of Budějovice Budvar and the much smaller cellar of craft brewery Zlatá Kráva while the brewer casually answers any-and-all brewing questions surrounded by homebrewers who love talking beer.
One of the most unique aspects of Czech beer is pouring their famous lagers using a side-pull faucet controlling the foam-to-beer ratio and creating completely different drinking experiences of the same beer. The BYO group took a fun and hands-on side-pull pouring workshop taught by Mira Nekolny, last year’s winner of the best professional beer server in the country.
Žatec is one of the world’s most famous hop growing regions. The group got to experience the fun and frenzy of their hop harvest including an annual hop harvest festival in the town center with local breweries pouring beer and everyone decorating themselves with fresh hop bines. They also had a memorable tour of the Czech Republic’s largest hop producer, watching mountains of the region’s signature variety Saaz get picked, processed, and kilned.
The BYO group toured the two big powerhouse Czech breweries. Budějovice Budvar is owned by the Czech Republic government and is home to the original Budweiser brand — sorry, St. Louis, you are a distant second. This Budweiser is a classic Czech lager packed with flavor with no resemblance to that other Bud. Pilsner Urquell is where the Pilsner beer style was first brewed on October 5, 1842. The huge brewhouse and unfiltered beer samples from barrels deep in the cellar were amazing but the highlight was a private tour of Pilsner Urquell’s new onsite craft brewery Elektrárna and sampling a wide range of styles from barrel-aged stouts to pale ales.
The group also toured small breweries — some very new and others hundreds of years old. Prague’s U Fleků has been brewing since 1499 (!) and their classic brewhouse turns out a world-class dark lager. Pivovar Obora was founded a bit more recently, in 2015 adding a brewery to their dairy farm. They grow their own hops and barley and are a true farm brewery in every sense crafting a range of great beers.
The week was a special chance to enjoy classic beer styles fresh and right at the source. We even slept overnight at several breweries, including one with a beer tap in each hotel room. All that beer had plenty of hearty Czech food paired alongside during the week providing ample fuel for taking a scenic hike to the next brewery stop. And it was a week made all the more special by sharing it with fellow homebrewers passionate about beer and exploring the incredible cities, countryside, and culture of the Czech Republic.
Our next BYO brewery trip with space available is New Zealand during their hop harvest March 5–12, 2026 with tours of local craft breweries, hop farms, and a malthouse. Details on this upcoming trip can be found at byo.com/trip. We hope you can join us on a future beer adventure. Na zdraví!
