Czech breweries getting more and more popular

While productivity may have been low, there was no argument about the quality of the beers brewed. Open fermenters, long lagering times and absence of pasteurisation produced distinctive and flavoursome beers. No other country came even vaguely close to the general high standard of Czech lager. It was impossible to find bad beer.

The larger regional breweries – Staropramen, Gambrinus, Velké Popovice and, of course, Pilsner Urquell – had national distribution. Even in a town like Prague, where there were several large local breweries, there was a good choice of beer from the whole of Czechoslovakia.

Though not as well known as those from Pilsen and Ceské Budejovice, the Prague beers were of just as high a standard until a few years ago. Unhappily, this is no longer the case and the ubiquitous Staropramen 10% and 12% pale lagers are rapidly approaching the (low) standard of 'international' pils beers brewed the world over. The traditional Prague style, as in Munich, is a dark lager and thankfully, after many years of being difficult to find, it seems to have become more available of late. It resisted the switch from top-fermenting longer than other Czech styles and only changed to using bottom-fermenting yeast at the end of the 1800's. The best example is undoubtedly that of U Fleku, a beer along the same lines as a Franconian dark kellerbier. The second best of this style, Braník 12% cerné, which for many years was the only other to be found in any of the city centre pubs, has been discontinued. A move which demonstrated Bass's level of commitment to Prague's brewing traditions. The pubs which used to sell it (and which in some cases still have signs outside advertising it) now have the much-inferior Mestan 11% dark.