Břevnovský Benedict 12°
The aroma is what draws you into Benedict while setting this beer apart from its peers—sweet, floral notes like nettles and chamomile. In the flavor, those floral notes join a more classic spicy and firm bitterness, cushioned by a sweetish, satisfying malt body that shouldn’t be this hard to stop drinking.
ABV: 5% IBUs: 40 Loc: Prague
Únětické Pivo 10° Nefiltrované
In Prague, it pays to watch for the little green sign that means draft beer from Únětický Pivovar. This lighter lager is unfiltered; the touch of diacetyl becomes comforting once you acquire the taste. Slender malt richness joins ample bitterness, and a dry finish resets the palate. The 12° is every bit as good.
ABV: 4% Loc: Únětice, Czech Republic
Pilsner Urquell
This gigantic brewery with global presence and a key role in beer history really does triple decoct its flagship and then lager some in wooden vessels. It happens to be a fantastic beer—physically gorgeous, deep gold, lighter than it tastes, with no-nonsense bitterness and an almost tobacco-like spicy hop presence, barely softened by light residual sweetness.
ABV: 4.4% IBUs: 40 Loc: Plzeň, Czech Republic
Matuška Dvanáctka
Any beers from Matuška are worth trying; locally, they’re better known for hop-forward pale ales and IPAs. This more classically formed pale lager uses traditional methods but has a lean-and-clean profile that’s closer to American tastes. It also brings extra oomph in the form of genuine bitterness and satisfying heft. Wonderful via side-pull.
ABV: 5.1% IBUs: 40 Loc: Broumy, Czech Republic
Live Oak Pilz
As Czech as you can get in Texas—spicy, bitterish, and smooth. Many U.S. brewers add Saaz hops and say “Bohemian” or “Czech-style,” but few of those beers taste this convincing or are half as addictive. Maybe it’s the decoctions, the Moravian malt, the horizontal lagering—or maybe it’s just the attention to detail by brewers who love to drink this beer as much as we do.
ABV: 4.7% IBUs: 36 Loc: Austin