U tri ruzi, Husova 10/232, 110 00, Praha 1. phone: #+420-601-588-281   website: www.u3r.cz/en/husova
Hours: Monday - Thursday, Sunday 11–23 | Friday - Saturday 11–24

Experience before you go . . .

"We'll need to get a bigger map", words from my beer drinking buddy Brad as I sent him pictures from my Hoppin Brewery Tour of U tri ruzi located in Prague, Czech Republic. The trip was in the making for over 2 years. My wife Kat and three of her sibs with spouses, totaling eight, planned a 7-day river cruise on Amawaterways starting in Vilshofen, Germany and motoring down the Danube to Budapest, Hungary. We started the trip by flying into Prague for three days before boarding the ship. Jet lag was working on all of us because of the 7 hour time difference. They say sleep on the plane, so unless you're sitting in the $7,500 fully reclining, quilted blanky first class seat, good sleep is out of the question. They also say stay awake the first full day which is pretty tough. So we all had different versions of the Walking Dead the first day or two in Prague, but what a fascinating city.....the architecture, the people, the food! Our hotel was the Intercontinental, very close to the Jewish Quarters and only 2-3 blocks from the Old Town Square. Cobblestone streets everywhere you walked. With map in hand a good day was having 1-2 destinations and getting lost in between. We had a guided tour of the castle complex which dates back to the 9th century. It's the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle attracts 1.8 million visitors per year and is the largest ancient castle in the world.

The second morning I went directly to the concierge (fancy name for the guy at the front desk who knows a lot about the area) and asked about breweries. I handed him a HBT card and added a quick elevator speech and his eyes got wide and he said, "You've got to go U tri ruzi". Not understanding his pronunciation, I had him mark it on the map and he said it was a 15-20 minute walk. Wanting breakfast at the time and realizing it was a little early for a beer, we decide we would visit U tri ruzi later that day.

A side note story which is fun and made the whole trip more memorable. When I approached Mr. Concierge and mentioned breweries and having a loud voice like I do, a curious head turned with the mention of a brewery. This curious turning head was Greg, National Account Manager for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. located in Chico, California. What a hoot!! Greg and I started a conversation later talking all things beer. Greg has been in the industry in various brewery positions for over 25 years. He was there with his Dad Bob, and they were going on the same river cruise. Throughout the trip, all eight in our group got to know them both and really enjoyed their company. Greg even invited me to be his guest and come tour Sierra Nevada.....how cool is that. Definitely a future Hoppin Brewery Tour!

Later the next morning we decided to walk to U tri ruzi. Navigating European cities is always a challenge so of course we took a wrong turn or two but we eventually arrived. Now try to wrap your head around this....this brewery has been making beer since 1405. Definitely the oldest brewery the Hoppin Brewery Tour has been to (beating the Hofbrauhaus by 187 years!). The year 1405, obviously the last 613 years there has been an update here, change of management there....but in the end that's a long time to be brewing beer. We did the front sign selfie shuffle and hit the door. Inside the place was fabulous, dark wood, smell of beer and good food. Tomas greeted us from behind the bar, HBT card ready and a quick mission statement and Bing, Bang, Boom the Hoppin' Brewery Tour strikes again and this time in Prague, Czech Republic.

We order a Tmavy special/ Dark Lager, bottom-fermented dark beer prepared by five kinds of malts and well known Sazz hops, strong chocolate and delicate hop flavor. Some of the others beers on tap are the Vienna Red, Summer Ale, Lager Special and a Witbier. As I walked around the brewery checking it out, I notice a wall mural that I come to find out is really a piece of art. Painted by Jiri Bernard and Pavel Jakl it depicts the history of brewing in the Czech lands. U tri ruzi is a monastic brewery of the Dominican Order because of their best methods standards, highest quality ingredients and traditional craftsmanship. They also offer Czech cuisine and because of chef Martin Prochazka recently received a Michelin Star for its excellent food.

Basically when you get right down to it, U tri ruzi is the real deal and will probably be here for another 613 years. When in Prague, check this brewery out!

Until next time and remember.........

Go get'cha one!!