@ecity/in context title=[S"","ecity/in context title"]<*L*h"Ragged"*kn0*kt0*ra0*rb0*d0*p(0,0,0,38,0,0,g,"U.S. English")*t(0,0,"1 "):Ps100t-10h100z38k0b0c"Black"f"EFranklinGothic-Heavy"> @ecity/in context standfirst=[S"","ecity/in context standfirst"]<*L*h"Ragged"*kn0*kt0*ra0*rb0*d0*p(0,0,0,14,8.5039,0,g,"U.S. English")*t(0,0,"1 "):Ps100t-5h100z12k0b0c"Black"f"EFranklinGothic-Book"> @ecity/intro 1st para=[S"","ecity/intro 1st para"]<*L*h"Ragged"*kn0*kt(2,2)*ra0*rb0*d0*p(0,0,0,8,0,0,g,"U.S. English")*t(5.6693,0,"1 "):Ps100t0h100z7.5k0b0c"Black"f"ECenturyOSMT-Regular"> @ecity/intro=[S"","ecity/intro"]<*L*h"Ragged"*kn0*kt(2,2)*ra0*rb0*d0*p(0,7.5,0,8,0,0,g,"U.S. English")*t(5.6693,0,"1 "):Ps100t0h100z7.5k0b0c"Black"f"ECenturyOSMT-Regular"> @ecity/in context title:<$f"FranklinGothic-Heavy">Beer @ecity/in context standfirst:<$> @ecity/intro 1st para:<*d(1,2)$> <$k10f"FranklinGothic-Book">C<$k$f$>zechs on average drink more beer than anyone else in the world. The official consumption figure is around 161 litres per person a year. That works out to no fewer than a bottle of beer a day for every man, woman and child in the country. @ecity/intro:<$>The figure is probably higher in the capital city, where every neighbourhood has at least two or three packed pubs. And it<\#213>s not uncommon to see housewives at the pub filling the family jug (d<\#198>b<\#135>n<$>) for home consumption. (Then again, a sign in one Prague 6 local where dedicated drinkers hang out night and day reassures patrons that: <\#212>Kdo pije doma, je alkoholik<$><\#213>, <\#212>One who drinks at home is an alcoholic.<\#213>) <$>The simple answer to why beer drinking is so firmly engrained in Czech culture is that the beer is just that good. The soil and climate of west Bohemia are ideal for growing <\#215>atec hops, the most crucial brewing ingredient. And traditional recipes are sti<$>ll followed religiously, usually allowing for only barley, malt, hops, yeast and water. No additives, no preservatives. <$>There<\#213>s also the issue of prices. As they rise all around for everything else, beer remains relatively cheap. Czechs watch beer prices closely and brewers are loath to raise them even a crown for fear of alienating customers. It<\#213>s also a political issue.<$> The hero of Jaroslav Ha<\#186>ek<\#213>s The Good Soldier <\#195>vejk<$> says that any government which raises beer prices will fall within a year. The communists kept beer prices low for four decades. There was certainly never any economic reason not to drink. <$>Brewing in the Czech lands has over a 1,000-year tradition, the time of the oldest known records of hops cultivation and exports. Documents from the Middle Ages and later are filled with affectionate references to pivo<$> and Bohemia. A popular European Renaissance rhyme went: Unus papa Romae, una cerevesia Raconae<$> (<\#212>A pope in Rome, a beer in Rakovn<\#146>k<\#213>). Beer is still brewed today in that Czech town, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Prague. <$>The beer has changed greatly in character over the centuries, mainly due to the influence of the Pilsener brewery in the west Bohemian city of Plze<\#150> (Pilsen). It was there in the mid-19th century that modern Czech beer <\#208> bottom-fermented, amber-coloured,<$> hoppy, with a slightly sweet aftertaste <\#208> was first developed and popularised. <\#212>Pilsener<\#213> soon conquered the world, supplanting the heavier, darker, bitter brews that came before. To this day, the word Pilsener or pils is commonly used to describe any t<$>ype of light lager. <$>Most of the 80 or more breweries in the Czech Republic are small, serving surrounding towns and districts, while a handful of big brewers account for the bulk of national sales. Their names become familiar after a couple of days in Prague: Pilsner Brewer<$>ies (makers of Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus), Staropramen (Prague<\#213>s largest brewer, owned by UK brewer Bass), Budvar (makers of Czech Budweiser), Radegast and Velk<\#142> Popovice. (See page 43<$> Beer necessities<$>.) <$>Microbreweries have been slow to catch on, but a few have recently gained a foothold in Prague. The pub U Flek<\#224><$> (see page 160<$>), technically a microbrewery since it makes its fine beer on-site, has been in business since the 15th century. Beer lovers come<\#000> from around the world to sample its wonderful dark brew <\#208> and are routinely ripped off with charges for unordered shots of <$>Becherovka. <$t2>You can buy beer just about anywhere, from cinemas to all-night grocers, and drink it on public streets until you can<\#213>t stand up. But beer<\#213>s true home is the neighbourhood pub (pivnice<$> or hospoda<$>), whose staff will usually know how to store and tap it properly. To order, tell the waiter <\#212>pivo pros<\#146>m<$><\#213>. Most pubs stock only one or two kinds of beer, so you usually won<\#213>t have to specify a brand. You might get a choice between 10- and 12-degree beers, the former a little lighter and with less alcohol. In more traditional pubs, once you have placed your<$> first order, the waiter will continue bringing rounds until you wave him away. He marks each beer on a small slip of paper, then tots up the damage at the end of the session. Don<\#213>t be the last at the table, as you may end up holding a bill that<\#213>s sprout<$>ed a dozen more ticks for beers than anyone can remember drinking. <$t3>Draught beer is best, drinking out of bottles is a significant step down and canned beer is strictly for tourists. The alcohol level varies from brand to brand, but ranges from about 3.5 per cent to a little more than 5 per cent. Dark beer tends to be sw<$>eeter than the light, which has a full-bodied flavour but can be bitter. If you don<\#213>t care for the hoppiness of the lights and the dark beer seems too sweet, ask for an ezan<\#142><$>, a half-and-half mix (it literally means <\#212>cut<\#213>) of the two. <$t$>The price of beer depends on where you drink it, not on the brand or type. A half-litre in a decent pub shouldn<\#213>t cost more than 20 K<\#177>, but prices in the tourist-oriented city centre can rise to 50 K<\#177> or higher. It<\#213>s perhaps worth seeking out smaller, gr<$>imier neighbourhood pubs where your cash can go three or four times as far <\#208> and with an authenticity that no money could buy.