Pivní Filosof - Beer Philosopher

Yesterday I spent the whole day in Pilsen, on assignment. Part of that assignment was a visit to Na Spilce , the restaurant at the Pilsner Urquell brewery, where I would have to eat and drink on someone else's account (I know, hard work, but someone has to do it). The place was quite full, or rather, all the tables that were not reserved were taken* so I had to wait a little. Eventually, one freed and right after I'd been given the menu, a man came and asked if he could sit. We started the usual small talk (full place, lunch break, etc.) and he didn't need more than a few words to notice that I'm a foreigner, which is followed by the almost mandatory question “odkud jsi/jste” (where are you from?). I've lost count of how many times my nationality has been an ice-breaker, and this one was no exception. Soon we were talking about what brought me here to the Czech Rep. (the beer and the women, of course), what I was doing there at that pub and our jobs. When I t...

Right when the Czech Beer Festival is coming to an end, there will be in Prague three beer festivals at three successive weekends. The first one starts this Friday, Pivo na Naplavce . It looks quite good – a nice venue on the embankment on the right bank of the Vltava, and fairly interesting list of breweries – until you notice the hidden admission fee. They say entrance is free, but only provided you don't want to drink anything. Beers will not served in plastic cups, nor in any container you might bring, but only in the festival's 0.3l glass mugs, which. The one with a logo will set you back a whopping 200CZK, or you can pay 60CZK for a marketingly handicapped one, and 20CZK more if you want the festival's catalogue and beermat, or something like that. Even though I don't mind drinking from plastic cups (in fact, I sometimes even prefer it for the sake of convenience), I can understand and accept a non-plastic policy, and not only for the reasons given by the ...

As someone convinced that drinking, and not tasting, is how you can really appreciate a beer, I don't get excited any more when beer events announce they will have hundreds of different brands. In fact, I find it to some extent rather redundant. It's not a criticism, it's just a personal feeling. How many beers can I drink in one day without ending up legless (and useless the day after)? 10, 15, 20 perhaps, if I stretch my limits, take my time with each beer, and drink carefully (though not moderately)? Any figure much higher than that will be, as far as I'm concerned a bit of a waste of time, and maybe even a nuisance. What beers should I drink? Should I gamble on new ones, or play safe and stick to stuff I'm familiar with? Which are the beers I should start with, and which should I leave for end of the day, when my senses will be tired and myself probably quite pissed? And what should I drink next, that thing my mate is drinking that is quite good, or something...

I've got nothing better to write about today (well, I do, but I can't be arsed), so you'll have to put up with some comments on the news. It's been more than two months already since Carslberg bought a majority stake in Pivovar Žatec , and frankly, I believe it could be a good thing in the long run. Pivovar Žatec is to me one of the most disappointing Czech breweries. They have everything to be great: smallish, independent (so far), traditional and located right in the heart of one of the most famous and renown hop growing regions in the world, and yet, their beers, though not bad, taste almost like something a multinational would put together. The reason for this might because the brewery was the property of a company incorporated in Cyprus and, for what I've heard, the owners are very frugal with the fucks they give about the beers. Maybe someone in Denmark will figure out a way to capitalise the brewery's and brand's potential? Whatever happens, le...