The Style of Czech Beers
Do you know where pilsen, the most common beer type in Turkey, comes from? In the 19th century, Plzeň, within the borders of Czech Republic, touched on the beer production techniques. The new type of beer was much brighter and lighter-colored compared to the old ones. It was also foamier. It was chic enough to be served in crystal glasses, in a country that is famous for its crystals (Bohemian crystals). Later, many countries produced this creative beer in mass-production. Nowadays, the Czechs are one of the leading nations in beer consumption. This being the case, there is a rich beer culture in their capital city. Many historical beerhouses serve in the center of Prague, in the Old Town.
Dishes are Better than the Beer
U Tri Ruzi is one of those historical beerhouses. They have been serving the Czech nation for many many years by making their own beer. When you first walk in, you see a copper distiller. Almost 20 types of beer are brewed in this beerhouse, and although their ale beers are not as good as the ones in Belgium and England, they can be tried. This is a city where water is more expensive than beer. A glass of beer is usually 1-1.5$, the better ones are around 2-3$ .
What amazes me is the interesting flavors that come out of a beerhouse kitchen. From my experience, you usually get french fries in a beerhouse with the beer, some chips and a good quality sauce, if you’re lucky enough. It seems like it’s a crime to eat potatoes with beer in Prague. You either eat food or cheese. I chose two ostentatious meals from U Tri Ruzi’s menu: Roasted duck and roasted rabbit. You may ask, “What do a duck and a rabbit do in a beerhouse?” That’s exactly what I thought at first, and ordered the meals out of curiosity. The taste of those meals was a slap-like answer. Roasted duck comes with a sweet plum sauce, on a red cabbage dish. It is served with dough balls that are made of unleavened dough with potatoes in it. While eating this dish, you get to eat a dish that contains all the winter ingredients of the Czech cuisine. This country consumes vegetables like radish, cabbage, pumpkin, and chooses pork, duck, and game meat. With their dishes, they replace rice with pastry, especially the dough balls they call “Knedlík”. The quality of the duck is really good. It is surprising to eat such a duck in this tavern-like place. The top of the meat is golden roasted with the sauce but the inside is cottonous soft.
The rabbit meat is served with spinach sauteed with a bit of cream and onion. It isn’t as good as chicken and duck, but still much better than what I expected to see in this place. I think rabbit is like chicken, when it is not presented with good sauces, it does not have an interesting taste. I tried dark special beer with both of those dishes, it suited the taste of the duck better.
Try More Boutique Places
If you’d like to try the best samples of the Czech beer, places like U tri Ruzi or U Medvidku are not for you. Those might be the oldest beerhouse in Prague but there is also a visible touristic erosion in such places. This is place where you can enjoy beer&meal with an authentic setting, close to the city center. It would be unfair to expect more than that. If you’re a beer lover, there are much better places in Prague with high quality craft beer. Choosing such a place would make your palate happier but I don’t know if you can find this tasty duck in those places.
Evaluation: 7.5/10
Address:Husova 232/10, 110 00 Prag, Czech Republic
Telephone: +420 601 588 281
