Day one started in U Medvidku or, if you prefer, The Little Bears, in Na Perstene. This is fairly unspoilt, despite being popular with tourists, and an added attraction was its location – about 100 metres from the apartment. Both light and dark Budvar 12 degrees were sampled. At 26 Kr this was very good value, given the location and popularity of the hostelry.

On to the famous U Fleku. Most informed visitors to Prague say that although the building is very interesting and worth seeing, it is wholly geared up to tourists and expensive. A 0.4 litre glass of the only beer they sell – dark, made on the premises, and 14 degrees – is 59 Kr (over Ł1.60 a pint). Quite tasty but not exceptionally so. During the summer, U Fleku is crowded with tourists but on a cold, mid-March, day only a handful of customers were to be seen.

After deciding that one drink was enough we called for the bill. "Five hundred and fifty" the waiter said without blinking an eye. When this was queried he confirmed that the price per glass was 59 Kr. He then took a calculator from his pocket, punched the keys and got a total of, from memory, 460 Kr. This was still more than what it should have been but we paid and left - without leaving a tip. Our opinion is that by all means enter, and have a look at the rambling and historic building, but check your bill carefully if you eat or drink.

Next was U Bubenicku, a short walk away in Myslikova. Inside there is one L-shaped room with a slightly raised area surrounded by some distressed pine railings. There are two beers – 12 degree pale Pilsener Urquell (26.5 Kr) and dark 10 degree Kozel at 21 Kr. We also had dinner - typical Czech food, good-sized portions, hearty, tasty, and reasonably priced. The bill for 14 half-litres of beer and seven meals came to 1550 Kr - less than Ł40!

By 8pm we had made our way to Pivovarsky Dum, a relatively new home-brew pub in Jencla. Most of us sampled the pale and dark – both unfiltered and unpasteurised - at 33 Kr. One brave soul had the sour cheery beer (disappointing) and one a mixed. We also tried the beer cheese – rather smelly but tasty. This elicited some ribald comments and gives me a good reason not to elaborate further.

An hour later we were in U Pravdu (The Truth) around the block in Zitna. There is a courtyard at the end of the corridor that contains two large trees but this is closed in the winter. There are two pleasant rooms one either side of the corridor and in the left hand one Gambrinus 12 degree pale and dark at 29 Kr were consumed.

Around 10.30 we found our way back to The Little Bears. The standard closing time for pubs in Prague is 11pm but the Little Bears has a separate bar that stays open to 3am. However, by one o'clock the fairly early start and the journey had taken its toll and all returned to the apartment.

We met earlier the next at 10 and I persuaded four of the group that U Rotundy was worth a visit whilst the others did a little shopping. This place is an astonishing time warp and it is amazing it is still open when so many similar pubs have been closed. Inside there is a small bar counter and standing-up drinking area. To the right there are two small high-ceilinged rooms connected by an open doorway. It is gloomy, fairly smoky, basic, but friendly, and I imagine that tourists are very rare. The menu is in Czech only and the staff have about six words of English between them.

It is busy from opening time to closing time. Many of the customers are workers and these pop in for a beer and either a large plate of sausages and six slices of dumpling (54 Kr) or goulash and dumplings (59Kr). Only one beer is available, Staropramen 10 degrees at 19 Kr a half litre. If you are in Prague then do go there before it, too, disappears.

We then made our way to U Pinkasů which is just off the Narodni end of Wencelas Square, where we met up with the happy shoppers. This has a strong local following despite 12 degree Pilsener Urquell being 33 Kr.

After a beer it was time to visit another home brew pub, Novomestsky Pivovar in Vodicková, not far away. They brew both a pale and dark 11 degree beer and is quite good value at 30 Kr for a half litre. The place seems to be geared up for tourists and young Czechs but at 12.30 it was fairly civilised.

Five of us had soup for lunch and two goulash. One of the plates of goulash was garnished with what appeared to be a Scotch Bonnet chilli pepper. One Warrior said that he liked chillis and popped it in his mouth, chewed a couple of times, and then swallowed. A few seconds later he was swallowing again, this time most of a full glass of beer. When he was able to speak again, he confirmed that it was, indeed, a Scotch Bonnet chilli; one of the hottest peppers in the world!

At the entrance to the pub – in an arcade – take-away prices are shown. We were interested to see that a 30 litre keg could be had for 600 Kr. This works out at around 10p a pint. We thought the chance of being allowed to check in a keg as cabin baggage was somewhat unlikely so didn't purchase any!

On both previous days we had tried to have a drink at U Zlatého Tygra in Husova. Both times we were turned away because all the seats were taken. Even so, I don't think my explanation that it was necessary to queue to get a seat at opening time (3pm) was really believed by the others.

Anyway, we arrived outside twenty minutes early. No-one else was there and two members of our band said "sod this, we are not hanging about in the cold, let’s go to the bar opposite". Off they went, and paid 50 Kr for a beer! As soon as they left a Czech joined the queue. In the next few minutes more and more appeared, and by 3 o'clock when the doors opened, there were around 35 eager customers stamping about trying to keep warm.

In we rushed, followed by the others. All tables were reserved but we were allowed to sit at one where the reservation was for 6.30. There is really only one bar although there is a very small annex at one end that holds about seven people. The bar has tables and seats for about 70 people and by six minutes past the hour, it was full.

There is only one drink, half litres of 12 degree Pilsener Urquell pale at 30 Kr. Customers, mostly locals, go there to drink beer and talk animatedly with friends. It is the pub where Václav Havel (ex-President of the Czech Republic) took Bill Clinton (ex-President of somewhere else) for a drink, simply because it was the former Czech President’s favourite pub in Prague. Most unfortunate, as Americans still tend to come in, point to the photo on the wall, shout, and take flash-lit photographs. This happened whilst we were there.

There is one barman filling up the glasses and another distributing them to the thirsty customers. By 3.15 some were on their second drink, there was a huge buzz about the place, and noise levels were high. We stayed for about 90 minutes and had several beers. A great place, a must in my opinion, but remember what it is; an unspoilt local, and behave accordingly. Sorry about the lecture, but if you go there, and remember to queue, you will see what I mean.

The next visit was Branicky Pivnice. This is almost next door to the home brew pub we had been to earlier. Another throwback in time. One small bar, with both a standing up area and a few seats. Very busy at 5pm, and all the customers were locals apart from us. Three draught beers – Branik pale 10 degrees, Branik pale 12 degrees at 19.50 Kr and an unusual Staropramen  12 degrees at 19.5 Kr for 0.4 litre.

After a couple of beers each we made our way to U Pravdu where we had a very good meal and some beer. I made my way home at 9pm (it had been a long day). The others returned to the Little Bears and thence, at intervals, back to the apartment. Two made a late and, I understand, somewhat noisy, return at 3pm.

It was hard to realise that Thursday was our last day in Prague. We started with another visit to U Rotundy. Beer and four different platefuls of sausages (cheap and tasty) were consumed. Six of us walked across Charles Bridge and up the hill to The Black Ox for more beer and more sausage before starting the journey home.

Everyone liked Prague. The reaction to Czech beer was mixed. Some of the group found it too cold, one or two rather tasteless. My personal opinion is that it certainly isn't the best beer in the world, but it is very palatable, and about the right temperature for its type. It tastes even better in summer. At first sight, measures look to be well short of the half litre but it is traditional to have a large head on the beer and over sized glasses are used. It is possible to pay Ł2 a pint, or more, in Prague, but if you do you will almost certainly be drinking at soulless tourist haunts and missing so much. Try some of the traditional places mentioned above before they disappear.

Ron Allison
March '06