České Budějovice & Budweiser Budvar

A tour of the Budweiser Budvar brewery on Sunday 23 November 2026 was a highlight of our brief stay in České Budějovice. The brewery is situated over 2km north of the city centre and we arrived on one of the local trolleybus services after checking in to our accommodation, having travelled south from Prague by train that morning.

The visitor centre, next to the corner office building, has a wide hallway with displays, a small bar area and steps up to a store and ticket desk. 

After paying for our prebooked tour tickets we would soon put on hi-vis tabards and join a small group for an afternoon tour.

Before leaving the visitor centre, our friendly English-speaking guide gave an introductory talk in a room with a classic motor brewer's dray loaded with wooden beer barrels.

Outside we passed large water tanks that store the brewery's water pumped up from artesian wells 300 metres below ground and stacks of pallets with cartons of bottled beer waiting for collection.

Further along the large brewery site, we entered the building housing the brewery and climbed many stairs to reach a viewing balcony that overlooks the magnificent copper coated vessels.

Back at ground level, we entered an older building with flagstone flooring which is kept cold (2° C) all year round for the beer to ferment and mature in an array of horizontal lagering tanks.  A tray of glasses was filled direct from a tank so that we could enjoy the taste of fresh unfiltered Budweiser Budvar Original. The bar counter had bottles filled with malted barley and hops that were passed around the group.

Originally, wooden tanks were used for maturation like one on display which we passed before crossing a bridge over the brewery's railway siding to reach the bottling plant which includes a section for tunnel pasteurisation. None of the three bottling lines was working on a Sunday.

For a more comprehensive description of the brewery tour, Ed Wray's 2023 post for Ed's Beer Site blog is recommended.

České Budějovice 

České Budějovice has been selected as one of three European Capitals of Culture for 2028. 

Přemysl Otakar II. Square (Czech: Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II.), at the heart of the city, is the second largest square-shaped plaza in the Czechia. The historic Samson fountain in the centre of the square is partly obscured by the temporary Christmas market structures in the photo above taken on the Sunday we arrived.

The recently renovated station (above) is over 1 km from the city centre. In 2025 we were unable to find details of bus stops or timings within the city using our usual smartphone App but an independently sourced trolley bus map posted by Transit Diagrams on Reddit and the local transport website - DPMCB - proved useful for getting from the station to our accommodation etc.. 

Free bus transport is provided for people aged 70+ with a national identity document.

Establishments serving beer in České Budějovice

Tim at Hostinec U Černého koníčka

During our short stay we entered six bars / restaurants and enjoyed beers in five of them. A brief mention of each is given below in order of distance from the Samson fountain - closest first.

Pivnice Zvon

On the east side of Přemysl Otakar II. Square, near Palác Včela, Pivnice Zvon is part of Grand Hotel Zvon.

At 9pm on Monday night, Pivnice Zvon was very busy but we managed to find a table for two near the bar. Copper tanks of Pilsner Urquell beer were nearby.

A 47cl glass of tank beer with the standard Hladinka pour (standard three fingers of foam) cost 76 Kč.

The smaller measure of 27cl (63 Kč) is offered in two additional pouring styles - Šnyt (two parts beer, three parts foam and one part empty glass) and Mlíko (a glass full of wet foam with a bit of beer at the bottom). Kozel Černý is the dark lager that is also available here.

Tim's treat for our last evening meal in Czechia was rib eye steak with green pepper sauce, roast potatoes and fried onions (428 Kč).

Singer Pub

The Singer Pub at Česká 55 opens at 5pm daily and is popular with young people. 

The long room with a vaulted ceiling is dimly lit by several scary light fittings and there is a games room at the back.

Some tables are old fashioned Singer treadle sewing machine stands.

There is a tall list of drinks above the left side of the long bar opposite the courtyard entrance to the Singer pub. 

This was a good opportunity to drink Budweiser Budvar Original brewed 2km away! A 50cl measure cost 64 Kč (approx £2.35).

Restaurace Potrefená husa

A visit to the České Budějovice branch of the Prague-based Potrefená husa chain provided us with a meal quite late on Sunday evening with friendly service.

From the limited beer menu we enjoyed Staropramen Unfiltered brewed with 'wheat malt and finest hops that meet a touch of coriander'. The 0.38cl glass cost 64 Kč (approx £2.35). Tim chose a dish from the 'Traditional meals' section of the menu - Beef with cranberries, cream sauce and bread dumplings. Music playing here included Todd Rundgren and Fleetwood Mac.

Restaurace Naše Farma

We stayed in an apartment at Residence U Černé věže, U Černé věže 17 and Restaurace Naše Farma, is accessed from Pasáž U Věže, a gated pedestrian side passage for this building. We paid a brief visit to the restaurant for a lunch of soup, bread and beer two days after our arrival, before heading to the station for the train to Prague. 

The beer mats show BISON Hluboká u Borovan. There is a Safari resort at Hluboká u Borovan, 20 km away, with animals including bisons and a Bistro Naše Farma under the same ownership. The Untappd App features a Bison micro brewery with beers served here: Bison Světlý (Pilsner) and Polotmavý (Amber / red lager 5.3% ABV) but no address is given. There is a page on the Safari resort website with the heading Pivo BISON polotmavý speciál with a photo showing three 0.5 litre bottles of this beer with the bison image from the beermat on a brown label and the question 'Have you tried our pasteurized semi-dark special Bison?' but it is not clear whether it is brewed there or under contract.

Cafe Široko

We passed Cafe Široko at Široká 19 at 12.30pm returning from a visit to the South Bohemian musuem. 

The emphasis is on coffee here and beer is also served. We didn't stay for a beer after understanding that a lunchtime meal was not available. 

There was time for a quick photo of the bar area inside and subsequent research reveals that beers served here are from Pivovar Hulvát and Pivovar Kamenice.

Hostinec U Černého koníčka

Hostinec U Černého koníčka (The Black Horse) at 15 Žižkova třída, a residential street on the trolley bus route between the station and the city, was quiet on the Sunday evening of our arrival. 

Arriving at 6.15pm, we chose the table with the beer tap although it is not connected (earlier photo). This gave a view of the bar and the entrance area designed to avoid heat escaping through an open front door. Ice hockey without sound was on the corner TV. The white walled room was quite brightly lit with simple wooden furniture.

The first Pivo Platan beer enjoyed here was Jedenáctka (4.6% ABV, 0.5l 60Kč) served from the tank and later unfiltered Kvasnicový (4.5% ABV, 0.5l 60Kč) 'a living lager containing brewer’s yeast' served in a straight glass. The daily printed menu sheet was on the table but unfortunately meals were no longer available. It was nice to be able to order and collect beers from the bar and no problem to meet the requirement to pay with cash. 

Several framed old postcards, historic printed matter, a railway carriage destination board and a clock were displayed on the walls mostly relating to the location of Pivo Platan in nearby Protivín.

Hostinec Na Spojce

Furthest from the city and beyond the Pivovar Samson brewery, Hostinec Na Spojce was our favourite bar of this trip. We reached it by trolley bus arriving at 7pm on the Monday evening.

Only a couple of tables were occupied and we chose a table in the far corner of the well lit room with a blazing log burner to provide heating. 

A range of beers from Pivovar Samson is available on draught. From left to right in the bar image above the beers are Samson 10° (green label), Samson 11° (red), Samson 12° (gold), Pito non-alcoholic (blue), unknown? and Samson 11° Dark (brown).

The beers above are Samson 11° and Samson 12°. Unfortunately no meals were available this evening so we returned to the city by trolley bus and found food at Pivnice Zvon. The white ceramic saucers with a ridged top surface were an interesting feature. 

After enquiring about buying one to take home as a souvenir, our kind hostess disappeared and returned with one wrapped in tissue paper, and it now sees regular service in our household. 

Footnotes

Four sides of the square with Samson fountain - display at South Bohemian Museum

České Budějovice has a compact city centre and did not appear to have many tourists. By visiting different establishments it's possible to try beers from several small local breweries in addition to local Budweiser Budvar and beers with national distribution like Pilsner Urquell, Kozel and Staropramen. 

A visit to the South Bohemian Museum in the city is recommended. The museum shop has guides in Czech, German and English versions including a Beer and Breweries guide (may not be latest edition).

Departures and arrivals screens at České Budějovice station

České Budějovice is easy to reach by train from Prague and is a good base for a visit to the attractive medieval city of Český Krumlov by train. A separate post on this blog features Český Krumlov.

Thanks to Jack Anderton of The European Bar Guide who has extensively researched bars throughout Czechia including České Budějovice.  

Czech Beer Day 19.6.2019

I was lucky to be among the beer writers and drinks trade people invited to the Czech Beer Day at the Embassy of the Czech Republic on Wednesday 19 June, 2019.

A welcome greeting from CzechTrade's Eva Provot was appreciated. The useful programme started with a printed welcome 'Na zdravi!' from: Libor Sečka, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic. A feature by CzechTrade's Martin Macourek explained the differences between Real Bohemian Lager and normal beer that include 'double mashing and double fermentation' and that maturation takes place much longer than normal lager.

Details of available beers available were listed including those from the eight breweries in the newly formed Czech Beer Alliance.

The CBA website includes further details about the breweries and Bohemian brewing history.

Later I would meet Martyn Railton, MD of Euroboozer, an import and distribution company that works alongside the Czech Beer Alliance and is also featured in the programme.

The Czech Beer Day is held on the private lawn behind the embassy which is also overlooked, from the east side, by the embassy of the Slovak Republic (on the right of the photo above).

Although Jeff Evans was unable to attend today he advised me in advance that the beer from Budvar would be reliably good. 

At the Budvar bar I was served by Josh who regularly visits Budweiser Budvar in the southern city of České Budějovice from his Budvar UK Bristol base. Josh says there are regular direct trains from Prague costing £5. He recommends visiting the state-owned brewery in colder months when the temperature difference between the outside air and the Budvar storage cellars is less than in the summer.

Josh also mentioned that the Original (5% ABV) lager, which I was drinking, is matured for 90 days in the cellars. I noticed that you need a strong arm to lift a full 50cl heavy glass of Budvar! Budvar dark lager and Budvar Kräusened unfiltered lager (pronounced Kroy-Zened) were also available.
Any visit to the brewery could be combined with a visit to picturesque Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 15 miles further south.

(Official Photo by Mrs Šárka Kotzinová _MG_0231)

Music from a singer with keyboard accompaniment carried across the lawn. It was a surprise to hear him singing 'From Russia with Love' at one point! 

 Dodging the unwelcome rain, I reached the long white open tent on the west side of the lawn.

The attractive label design drew me to the stand for beers from the Jarošovský brewery which reopened in 2015. The design by Little Greta creative consultancy won a Gold in the World Beer Awards 2017. Tereza explained that the brewery takes its name from the town of Jarošov in the south east of the country.

Cvikov Klíč 12° (4.9% ABV), a favourite beer from the previous month's Real Bohemian Lager workshop at the Czech Embassy, was the next beer to enjoy, as the rain continued. The town of Cvikov, in the north of the country is close to the German border. The craft brewery uses only water from its own 80m deep well, Czech hops and Czech malt. 

(Official Photo by Mrs Šárka Kotzinová _MG_100)

I asked about travelling from Prague to the brewery and was advised to hire a car. However, subsequent research shows that it is possible to travel by train to nearby Svor in about three hours by train, changing at Mladá Boleslav.

Pivovar Kutná Hora also takes its name from its place of origin. Kutná Hora was once the favourite residence of several Bohemian kings. Situated about 40 miles east of Prague, the historic town can be reached by train in about an hour with some journeys requiring a change at Kolín.

Having tasted only pale lagers so far, it was time to try a semidark lager from Bohemia Regent (Pivovar Třeboň). Petr Vok (5.3% ABV) is brewed with Pilsener, Munich and Caramel malts coupled with Herkules, Aurora, Saaz and Kazbek hops. 
The traditional brewery is located in Třeboň, a spa town, about 90 miles south of Prague. Trains from Prague require a change at Veselí nad Lužnicí. Trains from České Budějovice, which is less than 20 miles away by road, take an indirect route which also requires a change at Veselí nad Lužnicí.

The rain eased and people gathered to watch a cooking demonstration at the Retigo combi oven stand. Joining this gathering would soon be rewarded with a plate of freshly cooked food without having to get too wet while waiting! 

I met up for a chat with a group that included John Cryne, standing under the shelter of the white marquee.

From the north of the country, near the Polish border, the long established Pivovar Frýdlant is situated beside the river Smědá near Frýdlant castle. The unfiltered / unpasteurized draught beers available were 11° Albrecht pale lager (35 IBU), 12° Kateřina dark lager (50 IBU) and 15° Albrecht India Pale Ale (87 IBU). These beers are also supplied in 700ml flip top bottles.
Frýdlant v Čechách railway station is served by trains from Liberec. However a journey to/from Prague would involve at least one more change of train.

My last beer at the Czech Beer Day was from Pivovar Matuška. The brewery was established in Broumy by experienced brewer Martin Matuška in 2009. The team includes his son Adam Matuška who graduated in 2009 and art director Jakub Matuška aka Masker responsible for the brewery logo featuring hops and barley.

I enjoyed Matuška Apollo Galaxy from a gold rimmed glass. The 5.5% ABV pale ale (61 IBU) is brewed with Pilsner, Bavarian and Carapils malts together with Apollo, Galaxy and Citra hops.
Lying just inside the Central Bohemia district, Broumy is in the Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area of deciduous forest and the Berounka river valley. The nearest station to the brewery is Zdice about 8 miles away. Zdice is served by trains from Prague, Pilsen / Plzeň and Ceske Budejovice. 

Martin Macourek & Libor Sečka - (Photo by Mrs Šárka Kotzinová _MG_0017)

After 6pm there was an official greeting from Libor Sečka, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic. This was followed by Martin Macourek announcing several prize winners from the guest list who came forward to collect their beer-related prizes. Perhaps I will be a lucky winner next year?!
 
Hopefully there will be an opportunity to try Czech beers again locally, in Newbury, either from a pub with a wide range of bottles like the Catherine Wheel or a shop like Inn at Home.

Thanks to everyone involved in organising this much appreciated event. Let's hope the weather will be more summer like in June 2020.