I’m hoping today’s post will be refreshingly short. The reason for this is I’ll be tucking into a refreshing can of Pilsner Urquell. This beer, originating from the Czech Republic, (or Czechia) is in my view the unassailable king of mass-produced beer. It’s also one of the two things that come to mind when talking about the Czech Republic. Beer and Castles.

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic lives up to this reputation. It’s a near-mythical medieval maze filled with beautiful cobbled squares, castles and wonderful bars serving delicious beers. In fact, Prague is so well preserved because it was the only major city in Europe that wasn’t extensively bombed during World War II.

Prague was mostly spared as Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany before the war started. Later in the war when the Red Army pushed west, it was more practical to advance through Poland than mountainous Czechoslovakia.

After enduring 42 years behind the Iron Curtain the Czech Republic’s transformation from state socialism to capitalism is mostly considered a success. Nowadays the Czech Republic’s biggest export is cars, namely Skodas. They’ve gone in my life from being the butt of jokes to being desirable, solidly engineered cars.

I’ve visited the Czech Republic twice in my life. First when I was backpacking around Europe after graduating. On this visit, I learned it is actually possible to fall asleep in a nightclub. I also inexplicably bumped into an old friend I hadn’t seen for over six years in a bar who then let us shelter from the rain in his apartment the next day before catching our night-train to Budapest.

The second time I visited Czechia was a few years ago with a group of beer-loving friends. Stan’s Dad happens to be the brewery manager, so was able to arrange a private tour of the Pilsner Urquell factory and tunnels. It’s the equivalent of Disneyland for beer lovers. Strangely enough, my memory of that evening is a little fuzzy.