The Session: where it all started for me

Today, bloggers around the world are participating in the Session, a monthly event where we all write on a common, beer-related theme. Boak and Bailey are hosts for May.

Czechs honestly believe that their beer is the best in the world. They drink more of the stuff than any other nation, with 160 litres a year being consumed for every man, woman and child.

In traditional Czech pubs, the job of tapman is often reserved for the owner, his task a revered art. Waiters carry the precious cargo to those bunkered in around long tables. People of all ages and backgrounds join together as they drain mugs of foaming pivo. Beer is truly an essential for most Czechs. Indeed, working men still drink it for breakfast, a practice that used to be common here but died out many decades ago.

Of course, Czech culture is changing and diversifying as the country moves confidently forward. The brewing and pub industry might contract, but it won't go away. Beer is ingrained in the national psyche. It's almost impossible to spend time in the country and not be affected by it. That's how it was for me when I lived in Prague for six months between 2003 and 2004. I came back home a true beer lover and I've never looked back.

So is Czech beer really the best in the world? When you're in Prague, yes it is.