Our triumphant arrival in Munich.

The beautiful farmhouse in Eck was left behind in the morning on Monday as we headed to our first of two breweries to visit before arriving in Munich.  Our first stop was Schneider Weisse, home of some amazing wheat beers, for a tour of the brewery before lunch.  The brewery came into being around 400 years ago and was subsequently purchased by the first Georg Schneider around 7 generations of Schneiders ago.  The brewery has been in the family since then and the current Georg, Georg VI, is in charge today. Georg VI is also an artist and designed the labels of the many beers here to artistically reflect their content. I have a feeling he wanted to be an artist but had to stay in the family business. I'd feel bad for him, but his family business is beer so I think we will be okay.  We tasted many wonderful beers here and were very impressed that Georg uses Cascade Hops from the U.S. in some of them. 

After a great lunch which featured a guest appearance of Georg VI who kindly stopped by to say hello, we wandered the village and its church before heading to our next destination - Weltenburger Kloster. 

The Weltenburger Kloster is a monastic brewery that dates back to 1050.  Located on the Danube, it is scenic and soaked in history. The Romans built a temple to Minerva on the hillside, which was later replaced with a chapel, and which later became a Benedictine Abbey. Today seven monks remain on the premises and the brewery is a wonderful tourist destination. We toured the church on the premises which was the most ornately decorated church I've ever seen. After being inspired, we enjoyed some monastic-brewed beer in the courtyard and soaked in the scenery before departing to Munich. 

Arriving in Munich, we had one goal. Find the Andechser am Dom and have a beer. This lovely place is affiliated with another monastic brewery which we wanted to go to but won't have the time. Instead, we went to the Marienplatz and strolled to the Andechser am Dom for a pretzel, sausages, beer, and schnapps. It was lovely. We walked through Oktoberfest revelers - some drunk, some on their way - and enjoyed every moment of it. Sometimes it just hits you, we are in Munich and it is magical. Tomorrow we will attack Oktoberfest. 

The Biergarten at Schneider Weisse. 

Those wacky Germans. 

A happy beer man on the tour. 

The tastings were much enjoyed. 

Georg VI and the beer guy. 

St. George v the dragon in the Weltenburger Kloster church. 

The church's ceiling. 

Dinner in Munich. 

From Bohemia to Bavaria

This post will be a bit shorter as we need to run to catch our bus to Munich.

On Sunday our time in Prague came to an end as we boarded a bus and headed towards Germany. On the way to Germany we made a must stop at Pilsner Urquel brewery in Pilsen, about 100 km Southeast of Prague. We were told that Pilsen in the second largest city in the Czech Republic. I have always wanted to visit the Pilsner Urquel brewery. The beer, made with Saaz hops of course, has influenced lager makers in the US for years. This brewery has continued the same triple decoction mash process for years and they malt the barley on site. However, they no longer use their cellaring caves for storage except for beer sold at the brewery restaurant. They have moved to the more common upright conical tanks which are outside the brewery. Our tour of the brewery included the newer facility and process as well as a trip through the cellars which seemed to extend for miles. The extensive amount of cooperage necessary to make the amount of beer to send around the world filled the cellars at one time. After the brewery tour we had lunch at the restaurant on the Pilsner Urquel grounds.  We had traditional czech meals, mine being a perfectly braised goulash and Kathy a venison stew.  Perfect pairing to the beer fresh at the source!

After lunch our bus took us southwest into Germany and into the Bavarian Forest.  The landscape of rolling hills and dense forest cut by small villages and farmland was beautiful.  We see pictures of these small towns with houses of red rooftops and a church steeple in the center of town, but not until we see it do we put into context the history of this land.  It is a privilege to travel through this part of Germany. We ended our day in the middle of the Bavarian countryside at Brauerie Eck.  Eck has a hotel, pub and brewery in the middle of the countryside that has been here since the 1462. Garret, the owner and brewer is direct descendant of the family that built the brewery and it has been in the family for generations.  The Eck beer is available only at the brewery and it is clear that it is part of the fabric of this community.  After a tour of this small brewery we had dinner in the restaurant surrounded by locals from the neighboring town.  I finally found Sweinehax'n, based on recommendation from my boss Bill Hanson, slow roasted pork knuckle and it was amazing proving Bill really does know all.  KB had the schnitzel and wwe both enjoyed the award winning Dunkel made by Garret who is a very talented brewery.  It should be noted that the days of the Saaz hops are behind us.  That was so Czech. Now (including Eck) the beer will feature the less spicy and more flowery Hallertau.

Today we are heading to Munich via Schneider, and Kloster Beltenburg.

We have been blessed by amazing weather, sunny and mid-60's every day. Autumn in Germany - who knew?  

Pilsner Urquel Brewery

Arlen in the old Brewhouse

Kathy in the new Brewhouse

Old cellars at Pilsner Urquel

Open fermentation for tourists and locals only

Best Czech tour guide EVER!

Cellar rats

Loving our Pilsner Urquel fresh from the source

Village next to Eck farmhouse brewery

Bavaria is awesome!

Garret, owner and brewer

Sweinehax'n with kraut and potato dumplings for Bill

The last day in Prague.

Saturday was St. Wenceslaus day here in Prague. I'm sure you were all celebrating good king Wenceslaus in your own way and don't need any explanation as to the holiday. But for the few of you who need a refresher, Wenceslaus I was the duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, purportedly in a plot by his own brother, Boleslav the Cruel. Here's the thing, if your brother is named "the Cruel," you will probably want to keep sharp objects away from him. 

After his death Wenceslaus I was elevated to sainthood, posthumously declared king, and seen as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is the subject of Good King Wenceslas, a Saint Stephen's Day carol written over 900 years later, in 1853, that remains popular to this day and which most people know one or two lines of before they resort to humming. 

The day involved more than solemnly remembering King Wenceslas because there was a castle to storm. We walked to the castle via the famous and picturesque Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava river and dates back to 1357. 

Along the sides of this pedestrian-only bridge are 30 statues in the baroque style. It's simply beautiful to walk along the bridge and look back into town, look down over the river and the boats and swans thereon or look up to the castle that looms overhead. 

The bridge is not just baroque architecture; it also features a modern trend called love locks. What are love locks? Well, when a couple love each other very, very, much, they fix padlocks on fences, gates, and in this case, a bridge. They put their names or initials on the padlocks and throw away the key. As such, they are locked together through time without the embarrassing permanence of a tattoo. It is at this point of the story that I have been asked to clarify that no one involved with this blog put a love lock on the bridge. 

The castle itself was awe inspiring. It is the largest ancient castle in the world and dates back to the year 870. The Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices in the castle and it was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. Today it is the seat of the head of state of the new Czech Republic. You can't deny how inspiring it is and how it would have sent a message of power to those viewing the castle from below. Most castles are built to send a message of strength and this imposing building looking down on the city is no exception. 

The castle completely encloses the gothic Saint Vitus Cathedral which we didn't get to visit because we arrived before it opened. We were, however, able to climb the tower in the cathedral. All 287 steps of it to the very top and it's panoramic views of Prague. I have a fear of heights yet I find it necessary to climb every tower I come across. My legs shook the entire time but I knew I'd regret not doing it. 

After our visit to the castle grounds we departed via the gardens which would be spectacular in the spring and summer but which are settling in for the winter. Still, it was a beautiful walk back off the grounds and back to town for lunch. 

We ate and drank at a Prague gastro pub where we enjoyed the best meal of the trip. Then we went to a local microbrewery where we shared a sampler tray. I didn't care for the banana beer or the nettle beer, but the coffee beer was great. The evening was spent with our tour friends as we soaked up our last night in Prague and prepared ourselves for our journey to Germany. Tomorrow we bid adieu to Prague and we head to Plzen to taste the original pilsner then to Eck in north-eastern Bavaria. 

Random observations: 

The big thing to buy here in Prague is glass - cut crystal or blown glass. You can get the stuff everywhere. 

Smoking is allowed in the bars here. It's given me a new appreciation for the clean indoor air act. 

I have been here for 3 days now and have yet to eat gelato.

Zatec and the Saaz hops

Our second day in the Czech Republic took us on a day trip to Zatec, a town of about 20,000 located about 45 miles northwest of Prague. The earliest historical reference to Zatec is in the Latin chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg of 1004.  Žatec became famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz noble hops used by several breweries around the world. In Washington State and in Oregon the Czech saaz hops are imported by several of my favorite breweries for their lagers including the HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery), Elysian, and Anacortes.  Due to the unique flavor profile, the high demand and the small growing region, Saaz hops are very expensive even for the local breweries that use them.  

In Zatec we toured the Zatec brewery.  The Zatec brewery - built in 1801 - is situated inside the Zatec castle walls, overlooking the town and hop fields. The brewery suffered for lack of investment during the Communist years until by 2000 the brew was hardly available even locally, much to the detriment of the Zatec economy. In year 2001 Rolf Munding purchased the brewery from a local business man and began a program of investment which has rejuvenated the brewery and improved the prospects for the beer, brewery and the people of Zatec, both as beer drinkers and brewers. 

After the tour and samples at the brewery we wandered further into Zatec for lunch at a small brewpub, Pivovar Orloje. The lunch was excellent, the beer was unfiltered and fresh and the group we are with is full of stories and happy.

The bus trip back to Prague offered a chance for a much needed nap.  When we returned we went for a walk at sunset along the river and took in more views of Prague.  Words still cannot describe how amazing this city is. On our way back to our hotel we popped into the Prague Beer Museum (Is this heaven? No, it's Prague) for dinner. With over 30 local beers on tap it was difficult to choose, but we managed to deal with a sampler tray. 

Out adventure continues today with more walking around Prague with destinations being the Charles Bridge and the castle pictured at sunset below.  We will share their significance in our next post. 

The small brewpub in Zatec

Beer prices are $1.50-$2.00 in US dollars. 

A bale of the Saaz hops (smelled wonderful)

Sign says it all!

Castle in Prague

Princess from the castle found at beer museum

Court jester from castle found at beer museum

Beer lineup and bar at beer museum

Welcome to Bohemia

With virtually zero sleep after 10 hours in the air and a layover in Frankfurt we rallied for an afternoon walking tour of Prague. Superlatives can't describe the beauty of the old architecture and we quickly gained an appreciation for history when looking at an old city gate (100 f' tall) built in the 14th century.  I believe our comment was, "Wow, that was built before Columbus was born."  

The city of Prague is the capitol of the Czech Republic and we became aware of this when passed by the Presidential motorcade and his palace guard escort.  The city  is split by the Vlatva river and has a population of about 1.3 million.  In it's 1,100 year history economy and politics have ebbed and flowed.  Today's economy is primarily driven by tourism and its restaurant industry of which there are over 2,000 choices in this city.

After walking through the oldest parts of the city and the old market square we found ourselves at the U zelene'ho stromu brewery.  This brewery's made beer in the 19th century but stopped during communist occupation and after 1989 reopened as a Pilsner Urquel tied-house.  Our second brewery stop was brewery U Medvi'dku.  The building was named for one of its first owners, Mr. Jan Nedvi'dek, who founded the brewery in 1466.  In the 1950's the premises was taken away from its owners, without compensation, by the socialist government.  In 1989 after communism the building was returned to the inheritors of the original owners and began brewing beer again in 2004.  The brewery is small, 2bbl with 4bbl open wood fermentation.  The beer was fresh and the saaz hop aroma was amazing.  The owner and brewer heard from the waitstaff that we we overly impressed by the beer and came to give us a VIP tour of the facility.  We will go back Saturday before we leave Prague.

Our day ended with a tour of U Fleku brewery founded in 1499.  With the exception of the period of the communist government the brewery had made the same dark lager for it's entire history.  After the tour we had a dinner of roasted pork, potato dumplings, sour kraut and the house beer.

With little sleep from our 10 hour plane ride followed by the walking tour and a few beers we collapsed.  This morning (Friday) we are heading on a bus to Zatec for the day.  We will visit the Zatec brewery which is housed in an an old castle and boasts of hundreds of yards of beer cellars.

Prague is beautiful and we are blessed to have the opportunity to experience it.

More later - stay tuned.

Old city gate built in the 13th century

City square in old Prague

Gothic church outside square

U Fleku brewery founded in 1499

Kathy having lunch on the Square

Pilsner Urquel

Open fermentation at Brewer U Medvidku

Owner of U Medvidku

Amazing architecture in beautiful Prague

Seattle Tacoma INTERNATIONAL Airport

Our European adventure begins. Mimosa and Bloody Mary before boarding our Luthansa flight to Frankfurt. We layover there for 90 minutes before a quick one hour flight to Prague.  We will update this blog as often as we find wi-fi or as we have a break from exploring historical cities, eating amazing food and indulging in local beer.  When we update we will share the link on Facebook and try to send an email to our friends and family.  Follow us on what we anticipate will be a most excellent journey. We can't wait to tell our story.