Lew Bryson wrote:

> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>
>>Any recommendations for destinations in the Czech republic for a beer
>>tourist? I have been to Prague before and know where to find good beer
>>in the city.
>>Any other options outside Prague?
>>I have previously visited Pilsen just for a couple of hours. I managed
>>a quick beer but was not able to explore fully.
>>I *love* the dark lagers from Kozel and Herold. Where is the "home
>>turf" for these breweries?
>
> Spent some time in Budvar

Did not. You spent some time in Ceske Budejovice, and probably drank
the town dry of Budvar (from Budejovicky Pivovar). At least I hope you
did.

> and Ceske Krumlov back in April. Budvar has a dark
> lager that is delicious, and I really thought the draft Budvar 12 was the
> best widely available pils-type in the country. But...I was just awe-struck
> by the beauty of Ceske Krumlov.

Yes indeed. For a relative newbie who hasn't been out of Prague yet,
they aren't at all bad as destinations go.

Pilsen is worth visiting if you have time to tour the Urquell brewery,
but there isn't much else there. Nice little old town, couple of good
places for beer, and that's about it. Oh, and a nice little brewery
museum, too.

The country's number two city, Brno, has its charms and its own beer,
Starobrno (of course), very nice when freshly drawn into half-liter
mugs.

Kozel - actually, Velkopopovicky Kozel - is brewed in the brewery's
namesake town of Velké Popovice, not far from Prague. The brewery
dates from the late-mid 19th century, and is now part of Plzensky
Prazdroj, which is Pilsner Urquell's Czech-language name. (PU is in
turn part of the SABMiller global megabrewer.) Herold is from
Brzeznice, a small town 60 kilometers south of Prague.

There are numerous other interesting smaller, independent brewers in
the Czech Republic, some of which are in danger of disappearing as
globalization continues its sweep and the bigger guys push out the
little ones. If you can find the likes of Zlatopramen, Rychtar,
Primator (brewer of the strongest beer in the CR), and Cerna Hora,
you'll be doing well.
--
dgs