I hadn't drunk German beers fo a long time. You can find a few in Prague, but most of them are not very interesting, so I was really happy when I saw how diverse the sample was.
Catador lived a few months in Pforzheim, or somewhere around and, of course, brought me two of the local brews, Rothaus Pils and Ketterer Pilsnener. Pale lager-wise, I'm very pampered living in the Czech Republic. These two German Pils, though they had 5%ABV and surely around 12° Balling, where more similar to a run of the mill Czech desítka than to a ležák. They are not the same, I found Ketterer a bit more aromatic and with some more malt, but that's it. They are both fine to have a quick one on a hot day and go on with your things, just that.
The other pale lager I got was Löwenbräu Urtyp. Nasty beer. Though only with 5.2%ABV, I felt the alcohol badly integreated. It reminded me of Staropramen which is not good. No wonder, the Bavarian brewery belongs to AB-InBev, which isn't usually good, either.
I still had three samples left and I must confess I was already loosing faith in the biere. But like in some sort of twisted biblical tale, I opened the bottle of Moninger Bertold Bock and only needed a sip to slowly start believing again. There was mostly burnt sugar in the nose, with a touch of nuts (and something metallic that didn't make me too happy). On the palate it was mostly syrupy with some liquorice notes and a bit of wood. The finish is long and very dry. The 6.8%ABV are felt by the end, but it didn't really bother me, it tasted a bit like a strong tea with a dash of whisky. Very pleasant beer.
It was followed by Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel, just like the previous one, it pours dark ocre, topped by a mildly beige head. The bouquet reminded me of roasted apples and pinapple in caramel, very nice and warm. It is surprisingly dry, though, and its 7%ABV show a lot of enthusiasm on the palate. If it had some more fruit or caramel it could be a beer that I could really like a lot. By the end of the half litre, though, it felt like a beer that just wants to be strong and loud.
The one that finally brought back all the faith I had lost was Aventinus WeizenStarkbier. This is a beer that has received tonnes of well deserved praise. It is very aromatic, with a lot of banana dipped in honey or caramel together with spice, almost like some kind of exotic dessert. Banana also dominates the taste, now well ripened, with cinnamon and vanilla notes. The finish is almost sour and refreshes the palate, preparing it for the next, and very welcome it will be, sip. It's whopping 8.2%ABV is wonderfully integrated. Superb beer! There are still some bottles around, you can find them at Pivovarský Klub and Zlý Časy (cheaper here). Not to be missed.
Na Zdraví!Choose your preferred Prague hotels and get free transport.
The rest of the changes, fortunately, are for the better:
Once there, they will be available at 
I chose a table by the window. The place was pratically empty and the waitress came with the menu as soon as I sat. There are three beers on tap 10° světlá, 12° polotmavá and 14° tmavá. I oredered a pint of the mildest and a nakladaný hermelín.
I stayed for a couple more beers, one of each of the other two (in small glasses). The polotmavá was also in much better shape than last time, the tmavá, on the hand, was missing something. Perhaps it's not sold so much.
I really hope they will do well, and that people will be able to appreciate the beers from Chýně. Who knows, if they are successful that might make other micros look for partners to offer their beers on a regular basis in Prague. But that is a bit of a dream, for the moment, we'll have to make do with these and the beers from Kout na Šumavě a couple of blocks away, which is not that shabby...
I'm going to save you (and myself) time and will transcribe my tasting notes as if I was talking about one beer. Pale gold with rather excessive carbonation, short life head. Not much of a nose, with a slightly metallic note (though that could have been from the can). Body lighter than an anorexic ballerina. Bordering the insipid, boring, with a bit of malt by the end. The only difference is that Hansa Pils is a bit more bitter, like someone, more by mistake than design, added a few more hops pelets in the boil.
I was already prepared for a parade of corporate uniformity when I opened 
Since we still were near Christmas, there had to be a seasonal beer. 
I left 
Not very memorable beers any of them. If I was in Norway, I would choose Bayer, but not with a lot of enthusiasm. The rest are archetypically macroindustrial, even the "craft" one. I'm glad for the Norwegian beer lovers that they have a far more interesting, albeit limited, choice among the real craft breweries.
Na Zdraví!
But before any of you goes running to buy some bottles of Saaz Damm, there are a couple of things that you should take into account, as a warning. Firstly, it comes in a white bottle; so far all light lagers (this one has 3.5%ABV) in white bottles that I've seen want to compete with 
But to me, the biggest nonsense about this beer is its very name. For those who don't like beer (and also, for many who do and even consider it their favourite drink) the word Saaz, and the subsecuent explanation, does not bring any added value to the product. Those who could perceive it as an added value, though, aren't the ones who would buy the beer, at least no more than once if I look at the very poor reviews it has received.
Baráčnická Rychta reminded of a Bierstübe. Wood panelled walls, on one side, cubicles, also wooden, with solid looking tables surrounded by benches. On the other side, very classic looking tables and chairs. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, though the lack of a visible bar, with its taps and bottles, is missed a bit.
The food is not on the cheap side, e.g. 120CZK for a guláš, though prices are not so outrageous once you consider location; and the guláš that was brought to a nearby table looked pretty good. My utopenec wasn't cheap either, at most hospody in Prague this typical beer snack of pickled sausage dressed with onion and peppers goes for around 30CZK, here it was for 55CZK plus bread. Fortunately, it was very good, the sausage was very tasty and there were plenty of very well picked onion slices. As expected, Máz went wonderfully with this delicacy.
I finished my second pint, unfortunately, it was time to go on my way. I would have liked to stay for a couple more, perhaps reading a good book. It will have to be some other time. Baráčnická Rychta is more than recommendable. It's ideal for sitting down and having a good beer, while escaping from everything without having to go too far.