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Drinking the unthinkable

The changing tastes of young Czechs and other discoveries

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
January 31st, 2007 issue

RENÉ JAKL/THE PRAGUE POST
Not an unusual sight in Prague by any means, but Czechs are beginning to order foreign beers more and more.
For years, Fredrik Aurell and his crew at Fraktal would field the inevitable “What do you have on tap?” question from first-time patrons with a standard response: “We’d say ‘Krušovice,’ and, in many cases, they would just leave,” Aurell says. Recently, however, the Bubeneč dive switched to more popular brands — Pilsner Urquell and its subsidiary brews Gambrinus and Kozel — and experienced an almost immediate boost in sales.
Petr Sudický, sipping the national obsession at Cheers one recent evening, understands the dynamics of brand loyalty. “They’re drinking one beer all their lives,” he observes of the typical denizen of Czech pubs. “They know the beer thoroughly; it’s ingrained in their mind. Why drink a different beer?”
There’s another trait common to local beer drinkers, a kind of zealous affinity — patriotism, if you will — toward beers brewed in the Czech Republic. As sociologist Jiří Vinopil reported in a study for the Public Opinion Research Center, “Czechs are convinced that beer is the Czech national drink and that the Czech beer is the best in the world.” Indeed, according to a survey conducted by the center, 75 percent of respondents agreed with the latter statement.
The other 25 percent presumably reconsidered after a bout with Krušovice.
“Czechs are very conservative in terms of beer and its taste,” says Tomáš Erlich of the consumer advocacy group Sdružení přátel piva (Union of Friends of Beer). “They are used to drinking lagers because this is the type of beer traditionally made in the Czech Republic, and they refuse those types made by a different process.”
But there are indications that this heady sense of patriotism is beginning to erode. Sudický, for instance, was downing large mugs of Hoegaarden, a Belgian ale. Area bartenders see acceptance of imports as part of a developing generation gap. “The younger Czechs, they order Stella,” says Peter Collings, a bartender at De Brug, referring to another Belgian label, Stella Artois. “They want to try new things.”
Data included in Vinopil’s study supports similar anecdotal evidence and observations from bartenders. Only a third of Czechs surveyed consider the encroachment of foreign brands in negative terms. The rest either favor broader choice or just shrug off imports as an inevitable part of globalization.
“I think young adults prefer imports because they want to be different from their parents,” Erlich says. “To be honest, I prefer wheat beers, which means I am totally dependent on imports.”
This interest in foreign beers, however, is still the purview of a youthful and relatively sophisticated subculture. Market share for imports remains miniscule, and international breweries find it easier to buy into Czech brands than push their own stuff on local drinkers. They are also fighting a historical imperative. Under Austro-Hungarian rule, Czech culture was kept alive in pubs, and beer became associated with national pride — a symbol that persisted as wave after wave of tourists and expats arrived in the wake of the 1989 revolution.
“Foreigners first gave us this [beer patriotism],” Erlich explains. “Czechs gradually got this feeling that they are the center of the beer universe and everything is revolving around us.”
Which brings up another question … but then, questions associated with beer patriotism and whether Czech beer is the world’s best are best settled with a few rounds of liquid discussion.
The redcoats are coming
The annual all-you-can eat arthropod fest at Corinthia Towers Hotel takes place Friday, March 9, at 7:30. If the sci-fi title (Invasion of the Lobsters) or mildly threatening slogan (“Eat them before they eat you”) don’t grab your attention, maybe the price will. Indulge in as much as you can consume for 1,950 Kč ($90.50) — if you book by Jan. 31. Starting Feb. 1, the price jumps 25 Kč per day. Whatever you end up paying, the amount includes wine and nonalcoholic beverages. Call 261 191 103 to reserve a space.
Thai one on
Every once in awhile, Oliva, the very good but underappreciated New Town Mediterranean haunt, temporarily changes course. The first weekend in February, the kitchen is offering upscale Thai dishes. So instead of pasta Feb. 2 and 3, expect to select from a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, salty and hot, expressed in fish soup with lemongrass, duck braised in red curry, or butterfish in orange curry. Black-rice ice cream sounds particularly intriguing. Call 222 520 288 for details and reservations.
Final (slurred) words
A few weeks ago, I watched one of Hapu’s bartenders craft brightly colored nonalcoholic cocktails for some youngsters stuck at the kid’s table while their parents whooped it up. He took the same amount of care — perhaps more — layering pureed fresh fruit, juice and other ingredients for the kids as he always does for their parents. Deserving of applause.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (31/01/2007):

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