Shopping around town

At the end of Spreading the Gospel I complained that at supermarkets it was easier to find rubbish like Stella or Heineken than any of the many and very good regional Czech beers.

That thing kept going around my head, so much so that I decided to go out and see how true that was. So I started roaming the streets of Prague determined to go into every shop and supermarket that sells beer I cam across (which is a lot).

In the meantime, Evan Rail posted an about the same topic in his blog. There he speaks about Pivní Galerie and Pivovarský Klub as great places where to find an unmatched variety of beers in Prague. Though the truth is that, when it comes to take away bottles, their prices are rather high, quite higher than what can be paid at a supermarket. It must also be considered that many people don't have the possibility of going all the way there just to buy a couple of bottles to drink with dinner, that is specially so for Galerie, that only opens during the week.

Due to moral and quality control reasons I don't like shopping at supermarket chains. But I am pragmatic and above all, I want to support with my money those breweries that deserve it. So let's get started with the centre.

Billa in Celncie offers Primátor EPA, Polotomavé 13%, Weissbier and a couple more of the special brews from Pivovar Náchod, and also Bernard Svatečný Ležák. The prices, 13Kč for a Weissbier.

Across the square, in front of Kotva, Albert has, or at least they did a few weeks ago, Primátor EPA and Weissbier, at pretty much the same prices as Billa. There were only a few bottles of each that day, and I don't know if the renovated the stock. Curiously, the Albert branch located in the bowels of that monstruosity called Palladium Praha, right opposite, was selling just the usual faces (some of them pretty ugly). Actually, the same can be said about the rest of the branches of Albert in the centre.

Tesco in Nardoní, apart from the already mentioned Primátor Bernard Svatečný Ležák y Černé also stocks a gem Regent Světlý Ležák for the spectacular price of 12Kč!

Leaving Prague 1, but staying with the British origin supermarket chain, you can find on the shelves of Tesco Express Bělehradská Primátor Polotmavé 13% y Weissbier, and Bernard Svatečný Ležák, Černé y Jantár, which I hadn't seen at any other supermarket. A tram stop later, in the same Bělehradská, I had a very pleasant surprise at the Z-Market there located when I saw on their shelves that not only they stocked Bernard Svatečný Ležák and Černé but also Ferdinand Světlý Ležák 7 Kuli. Great!

There is more to be found in Bělehradská. Right by the tram stop Nuselské Schody is a Delvita (one of the few left, and for sure soon to become Billa). There you will be able to buy pretty much all the line of Primátor, some from Bernard and canned Nymburk Golden Lager. Oh! And don't be fooled by a beer called Vratislav, as it is no other than Staropramen in disguise.

Back to Vinohrady, though further from the centre, around Flora metro station to be more precise. The Albert outlet located in the shopping centre of the same name stocks the whole line of Klášter, and at a fantastic price, 9,90Kč for Ležák. You won't find Klášter at any of the other Albert around, but you will find Bernard Svatečný Ležák and maybe even Černé.

Down Vinohradská, about 300m from Flora, at the number 125 you will find a little gem. A bottle shop that sells the whole line of Chodovar at excellent prices, including their very good Skalní Ležák for 19Kč.

Billa in Dejvice suprised me when I saw that they stocked most of the line from Primátor and Bernard. But maybe the best place to buy beers in the area is found at about 150m from there, it's a small shop in Narodní Obrani, almost at the corner with Rooseveltova. It's called just Napoje and you can find there all the line of Svijany, several Rohozec, a couple of Bernard y Platan and more recently Políčka and Herold. Everything at brilliant prices. In fact, that is the place where I buy my everyday beers.

I've also heard that Billa in Prosek sells some beers from Svijany, but I haven't made it there to check it or to see what else they offer.

This post is not finished yet. There will be a link to it on the right hand column and I will update it as I find new places. Needless to say, the help from my readers will be very appreciated.

So if you live, work or are staying nearby any of these places there is no more excuse to keep on taking home the same stuff and not to try something new and, in my opinion, better.

Update 28/9/2008
Just one day after I published and I already have to update this.
First, some Anonymus commented that Tesco Eden carries the whole line of Primátor, together with some Bernards.
Second, remember what I said above about Billa Dejvice? Well, pretty much forget about it. I went there the other day to buy a couple of Primátor Weizen for the weekend and there was no trace of it, neither of the Polotmavé 13% or Double 24%, the only ones left were Exklusiv 16% and Rytíř 21% not bad, but it was better. What did really surprise me though, was seeing cases of Bakalář there were výčepní světlé, Premium and tmavý ležák, not the best stuff, but A LOT better than imported Eurolagers. Let's hope they will re-stock those missing Prmátor.

Update 3/10/2008
It seems that Hypernova is commited to Svijany. According to some Anonynus, they also stock the beers from the fine brewery of North Bohemia at their outlet in Nové Butovice.
I also stopped by the new Kaufland near Palmovka and saw a few bottles of Primátor, the special ones, including Weizen (they seem to be everywhere, that's great!) Bernard, including Svateční Ležák (which also seems pretty easy to find) and a couple of beers from the other brewery in České Budějovice, Samson and Budweiser Burgerbräu, again, not the cream of the crop, but certainly preferrable to most imported stuff you can see there.
And speaking about imported, but this time a decent one. The same anonymust that tipped about Svijany in Butovice mentions that Interspar in Zlíčin carries the Belgian Duvel.

Update 25/10/2008
I haven't updated this list for awhile, but it's not because I had forgotten. Here you have a couple more places.
Billa en Korunní sells most of the line from Primátor together with several from Bernard.
Along with the above metnioned, Tesco in Nový Smíchov (Anděl) offers most of the line from Svijany and Regent Světlý Ležák and Výčepní, all of them at much better prices that the more popular and mediocre brands. I wonder if someday they will make me happy and also stock Regent Tmavý.
Continuing with Tesco, the new Expres branch, just opened opposite the Hradčanská metro station sells Primátor Polotmavé 13% and Weissbier.
And the best for last, since it's about a small shop. I actually prefer doing my shopping at small shops, but generally the choice of beers at them leaves tonnes to be desired. At the corner of Kamenická and Letohradská, in Letná, you can find a couple of beers from the Svijany line and the whole lot from Pernštejn, Pivovar Pardubice, which, I must admit, I don't like too much, except for their brilliant Pardubický Porter that can be bought for 23CZK. Thanks Evan for the tip.

Update 9/11
More from Hypernova Nové Butovice (WOW! I can't believe I already know two people that go there) According to the comment of quack-duck. Apart from Svijany, they are also stocking the whole lot from Klášter and some from Ferdinand, 10°, Světlý and Tmavý Ležák, that is good news, whish they also sold Sedm Kuli. If Budweiser Bürgerbräu and Samson are your thing, you can find them there, too, along with some stuff from Primátor, will their fantastic Stout be available, too? I hope so.
For those of you who live in the fine neighbourhood of Petřini, or for some reason, happen to end up there, Supermarket Norma will offer you Klášter 11°, Lobkowicz Vévoda and Žatec tmavý ležák, previously known as Lučan, and a pretty fine dark beer for the price (9CZK).

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