Beer Challenge

Not far away from Prague, modern beer as we know it was born. Pilsner beer was created in Pilsen Czech Republic.

I had the opportunity to go on a Beer Challenge while in Prague where I got to learn about the making of the beer, some Czech drinking traditions and of course, I got to taste some different kinds. I learned quite quickly how amazing the beer was in the Czech Republic and that it is worth while to visit the country for that alone.

The consumption of beer in this country is the highest per capita in the world. It is quite common to have a beer anytime of the day. Back in the day, it was healthier for children to drink beer over water because you could never be sure if the water was clean.

Putting preservatives in beer allows you to mass produce it without it going bad too quickly. It is illegal to sell beer in most places without preservatives. Preservatives, especially when mixed, are what create hangovers.

In Prague, they drink enough beer that they can mass produce it without needing to add preservatives. Throughout the city there are different micro-breweries without preservatives. As a result the beer you drink tastes more pure, less alcoholic and overall more delicious. It also doesn't matter how much you drink, because without the preservatives you will not get hung over.

One of the beers we had at one of the oldest breweries in the city was Budvar, or as the Germans say, Budweiser. A brewery in the United States got the recipe and patented it for themselves and therefore this beer cannot be marketed by the original makers. The American Budweiser also slightly changed the recipe as well as added preservatives, so the beer commonly known as Budweiser does not compare to the original, Budvar. Budvar is easily the best beer I have ever drank.

In the same place, they also had a beer that was 12.5% alcohol, the most alcoholic beer in the world. It tasted very fruity and still didn't taste very alcoholic. I prefer the Budvar over the 12.5% X33.

In addition to drinking some fantastic beer and learning a little about the brewing history of that beer we also learned some Czech drinking habits and traditions. For example, before you drink you must bang someone's glass, look them in the eye and say "na zdraví." Failure to look them in the eyes means 7 years bad sex, which are both drinking rituals similar to the ones I would later learn in Munich.