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 The earliest historical reference to Zatec is in the Latin chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg of 1004.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)
Beer lineup and bar at beer museum
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