Pivovar U Bezoušků

I like to get out of Prague when I can, whether that be for a weekend or just for a day. This past weekend was the beginning of the year picnic for Mrs Velkyal's school, which this year was held in a village just outside Prague called Průhonice. I usually refuse point blank to go to such events, but in a moment of weakness I said to the wife that I would go with her, especially as we are now married and lots of the parents ask why I don't go to these kinds of things. Also the fact that the picnic was in Průhonice gave me an excuse to visit Pivovar U Bezoušků, so compromise was reached.

U Bezoušků is right in the heart of Průhonice, next to the castle and park which are the village's main tourist attractions, and yes they are nice and make a lovely wander around for an hour or so. In possibly the finest application of the "location, location, location" mantra, it is also right opposite the bus stop back into Prague itself.

Saturday was a very hot day and so we were planning to sit outside, but with a barbecue belching smoke all over the place we thought that the ambience of sitting next to the lovely coppers could not be bettered, I instantly fell in love with the place; no smoke (either from barbecue or other drinkers) and some fun paintings on the wall. I have mentioned before that religion and beer making have a long and illustruous career together, so I enjoyed the irony of the beer making process being painted to resemble the Stations of the Cross - drink enough beer though and they should add an extra picture and call it the "Station of the Cross Wife".

And drinking excess amounts of beer would be very easy at U Bezoušků. Generally speaking I drink 12º and higher beers, but the standard lager here was a 10º. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a desitka as much, if I was revelling in the ten, their 16º came close to overload. The 16º is a polotmave which is nice and malty with a sweet undertone, unfortunately it came in 0.4l glasses rather than the full half litre, but thoroughly enjoyable it was too.

While we were at the picnic a few of the parents who live in Průhonice told us that while the beer was good, the food left much to be desired. As is traditional, a few beers make a man hungry and so we ended up ordering a few little snacks to go with the beer, in this case we had a homemade klobasa (I know the dictionary translates that as "sausage" but it does it no justice) which was baked in dark beer and a side order of bramboraky (potato pancakes). Both were quite good, and went perfectly with the beer, so that by the time we crossed the street and caught the bus into Prague we were well satisified.