Bernard
Yesterday afternoon I got a bit of a monk on after trailing up and down Regent Street when I wasn't really in the mood for shopping. Taking pity on me, my supremely understanding girlfriend humoured me when I asked if we could stop at a bowling alley for a drink on the way back. But of course Bloomsbury Lanes is more than just a bowling alley, and I had no interest in a game of American-flavoured skittles. As any fule kno, they sell quality beer at the bar. After five pints of Bernard - a superior Czech beer that's rare even in Prague - I felt much, much better.
Although you won't see Bernard on draught in many of Prague's pubs, they do the sell the unfiltered - and consequently slightly cloudy - kvasnicové version in U Kocoura in the Malastrana. I took down a couple of those jars last weekend.
26 comments:
Not being averse to bowling per se - and with a burning desire to up my decent lager knowledge - will have to give that a go.
Ta for the tip.
The kvasnicové in U Kocoura is great stuff. Wish I could get some here.
This place is worth a visit if you fancy a Czech beer and find yourself in the area. It's a large house that has been turned into a Czech cultural centre/bar and restaurant. It's not fantastic but may appeal to those who like to seek out drinking curios...
Prolly 30 crowns in Prague - how much in Bloomsbury...
Come now, let's not talk about prices, tankard. I think I'd like to ban discussion of beer prices on this blog.
MJ Moth, I wrote about the Czech and Slovak Club here. When I first moved back to London from Prague I lived just around the corner, as it happens. I've only been a few times because, although I think it's an interesting place, it's a bit wierd.
shame the Bloomsbury Bowling Alley stops selling draught in the evening (like a lot of bars/clubs), presumably to maximise takings and avoid glass collection/washing etc.
they have some Meantime stuff too, and that Schlenkerla Rauchbier which is fun.
the good beer's only on one floor though, the other (the 'Kingpin Suite') is done out more like a cocktail bar, and only has bottles of Asahi or something i think
Presumably it cost around as much as you thought it was worth and no more than you were willing to pay?
Blimey, could I go a Bernard now....
I'm a fan of Bernard beers and luckily my local is the one place I know of that sells several different varieties on draught.
Does anywhere in the UK sell Bernard Dark on draught? It's probably one of the best dark lagers I've tasted. Myself and Longo encountered itback in 2007 in Prague.
Yes -- we had it at Pivo in York. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere in London, too, but can't remember where.
The bottled version is unpasteurised and tastes incredible, too.
My local-the Hare & Hounds in Holcombe Brook, Bury also sells Bernard Dark on draught along with two others. Pivo has an advantage as the owners are the UK importers of Bernard! BTW if you like Pivo, or just foreign beer generally, the guys from Pivo are opening a bar in Sheffield in December that promises to have 200 bottled beers and 20 on draught.
Will be visiting York soon (I hope) so will check (or should that be Czech) Pivo out. Jamie Hawksworth - the importer of Bernard and owner of Pivo - sold me a few cases of Krusovice Cerne when I first came back home from Prague.
Jeff, you are obviously hanging out in the wrong areas of Prague! My old flat was just off Vaclavske Namesti and there were at least 4 pubs with Bernard on tap within a 10 minute walk.
Surely you mean unpasteurised as opposed to krausened?
Velky Al, I consider Vaclavske Namesti to be the wrong part of Prague to hang around! That's where the stag parties convene and the Gypsy prossies grab a hold of one's goolies! The Malastrana is more my scene ... and also home to the hotels I like to stay in (Aria, Three Storks...)
Agreed - Bernard Dark is probably the best dark lager I have had the fortune of tasting. I think it just pips Kozel for the title.
As for All Star Lanes - It's only downfall is its proximity to The London Pub
Bailey's right - York's my home town and Pivo sells it, as does KoKo but not as a permanent ale as they alternate with Gulden Draak. The Habit bar on Goodramgate also sells Bernard.
Tim, All Star Lanes is a different place to Bloomsbury Bowls. But then Bloomsbury Bowls is even closer to the London Pub...
Michael Smarte, I'm pretty sure the Bernard in Kocoura is krausened. It looks, smells and tastes that way, the barman there said it was and Evan Rail's Good Beer Guide to the Czech Republic says it is. I haven't consulted the Oracle at Delphi yet, but other than that I think I've covered all the bases.
They do sterile filter the beer though
Ah yes, the almost non-existent stag parties these days! Business in that field is down by something like 70% since its heyday 4 years ago - they mostly go up to Riga these days.
When you live on the Masarykovo Nadrazi side of Vaclavske Namesti, Zizkov and Karlin form a lot of your drinking culture, which is of course where most of Prague's best pubs actually are - especially for beer from the Czech Republic's better brewers.
Of course being so central you are also within easy walking distance of places like U Fleku and U Medvidku, which may be touristy, but are worth the trip for the simply superior beer. Naturally you can't forget the small pubs in the back streets of Stare Mesto where the tourists (and the kind of expats who never bother to integrate with the host culture) never venture.
Mala Strana does have some nice pubs, this being Prague we are talking about. But again most of the really good ones are off the tourist tracks and in some cases a total bitch to find sober.
"Agreed - Bernard Dark is probably the best dark lager I have had the fortune of tasting. I think it just pips Kozel for the title."
Well, Timmy, if you consider Kozel to be a decent beer then you truly know fuck-all. Industrial, caramelly piss-water... you're just having a laugh, right?
Comparing Kozel to Bernard is like comparing Moravka to Fosters!
Isn't Kozel the cheap stuff that Wetherspoons used to sell? Terrible, as I recall.
I well remember when Kozel was a lovely beer, in the pre SABMiller days, such a sad loss.
@Gazza - If thats your opinion so be, but just because something is 'mass' produced doesnt make it shithouse by default. Yes it does have caramel malt in the grist, but 'piss water'? pull your head in.
But then you are the guy that thinks oxidation is essential for a well conditioned beer. You probably like eating cardboard as well.
Post a Comment