I will write this article in English with the help of the Deepl.com translator.
Twice a year I visit a medical specialist in Říčany near Prague, in the Czech Republic, in the centre of Europe. Říčany is a small town with about 17,000 inhabitants, but they have had a brewery there since 2015.
I know exactly where the brewery is. I can get my bearings from the chimney next to the brewery restaurant. But I've never taken the time to go there.
Only today. The doctor was called away because of an emergency. I was delayed for two hours. My schedule was already completely off anyway. So I decided to have lunch at the brewery restaurant.
The restaurant was open from 11am. I arrived five minutes after it opened. I was the first and for a long time the only guest.
What will I eat and what will I drink? With a view to a future article for #beersaturday, I asked if they had a drinks and food menu in English. They didn't. They said it was unnecessary in an age where everyone has a translator on their phone. Just take a photo and run the program. Actually, that's true. So I'll translate.
The first photo shows a 10° light draught beer. It is named after Mikes the cat, a popular Czech fairy tale character.
I ordered this beer as an aperitif and with a meal. I have to admit that I was surprised by how drinkable and literally delicious the beer was.
The beer had a distinctive golden colour, a strong aromatic malt aroma and a rich head that lasted quite a long time. I prefer very bitter beers. And this beer suited me with its bitterness.
While I waited for the soup, I looked at parts of the brewing technology. I was surprised that I couldn't smell anything at all. The waiter explained that the last time beer was brewed here was a fortnight ago. Now it was waiting to be drunk. Only then would it be brewed again. And he said it would smell a lot.
The boar soup satisfied me. The beer in the glass was almost gone.
I waited for the main course and surveyed the room. Clearly, Halloween is coming up. It's not a traditional Czech holiday. But it's probably already been domesticated here for commercial reasons. The first guests are arriving.
This is what we call a Dutch steak. It is minced meat with cheese coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs fried in oil. As a side dish, mashed potatoes and cucumbers. The Dutch wouldn't believe it.
I'll order another beer. I can't overdo it. It's not yet noon, and I still want to do something today.
I can have a premium lager "Valda" 12°. Or the dark special "Baba Jaga" 13°, or the bitter amber IPA "Dorota" 15°, or the cherry special "Pecka" 12°. How do I decide? There's a tasting board with all the beers mentioned.
I like bitter beers, but after a meal I'll have something sweet, something coffee or chocolate. Dark beer!
And I didn't do it right. The beer wasn't on tap. The bartender went down to the basement and got it for me straight from the tank. It was a little colder than it should have been. I should have waited, but I couldn't stand it. And so I couldn't enjoy the characteristics of the beer perfectly.
I'm a conservative beer drinker. Light beer is supposed to be bitter and dark beer is supposed to be sweet. That dark beer was pretty bitter. The coffee and spice flavors and aromas were there as well. I'm not saying the beer was bad at all. But I'll try a different one next time.
My next visit to the Říčany brewery restaurant will take place in April 2025.
