A Price Comparison of Prague’s Beer Shops

Speciality beer shops are currently popping up all over the city, making this the golden age of drinking at home for the curious and quality minded beer drinkers. As a consumer and avid visitor of these shops, we’ve decided to give readers a price comparison of the most popular beers stocked on today’s shelves. Unfortunately, it wasn’t entirely possible to track down every beer in every shop; the selection in each shop ranges greatly, and the most popular beers come and go quickly.

A few trends that we did notice:

1. Pivní Rozmanitost and Base Camp seem to be the cheapest, in general, for all beers, regardless of domestic or import. If you’re lucky, Pivní Rozmanitost might have a sale.
2. The selection at Zlý Časý seemed shockingly dismal, and with all the dust on the bottles, it felt a bit more on the rusty side of things. Also the prices were not the best, and oddly their Czech selection is a few sparse shelves in the back.
3. Pivní Mozaika had the best selection of British beers. Their shop is in tip-top shape, well stocked, and the staff knowledgable. But they’ve got only one fridge of chilled beers and no taps. They’re also one of the more pricey shops.
4. Pivní Rozmanitost has recently moved upstairs from their basement Korunní location, and their shelves seem to not have fully developed into the selection that their old shop had, yet. Also the atmosphere is very IKEA circa 1992. But who cares about crappy furniture if you have a unique selection of beer on tap. Four beers are on tap here, and usually they’re some of the more rare and well made Czech beers, like from Beskydský Pivovar.
5. Beer Geek now has 4 taps, and probably the most extensive selection of Mikkeller or Nøgne Ø beers, if you’re a devout fan. Their prices are average, and it’s a pleasant, cozy little shop that can become quite packed. You have a chance here to try some unusual foreign beers on tap as well as something from Pivovar Falcon, (which is usually quite good stuff).
6. Galerie Piva on Krymska has at least one beer on tap, and often something from Třebíč which we always find irresistible. A nice little neighborhood shop/pub, they have 2 fridges of cold beer ready to go, friendly service, but a smaller and sometimes more scant selection of beer.

Regardless of this comparison, in our opinion convenience is the most important factor when buying beer in a specialty shop. Most people buy beer from their neighborhood shop, and if your neighborhood doesn’t have one, then simple rules of convenience and time govern your choice. We surely hope that these specialty beer shops appear in neglected neighborhoods, and continue to foster an exploration of our favorite part of Czech culture.