Craft beer shopping in Prague

Prague is famous amongst travelers for beer. Even lifelong Prague residents spend their time going from pub to hospoda drinking beer on a daily basis. It's a national obsession after all. 

So what happens if you don't like Plzeň? The Pilsner Urquell brand of beer, invented in 1842 and brewed in the Czech town of Pilsen, is served at every pub in town. I have a shocking confession though: I don't like it. Though crisp and clean, Plzeň beer is on the bitter side for my taste. I can drink it, but it's not my favorite. 

Never fear, there are other Czech beer options in Prague. Besides my go-to commercial favorite Kozel dark lager, there is plenty of Czech craft beer by the can or bottle from micro breweries around the country. If you are having a summer picnic and need a place to grab some pivo, here are 6 locations by neighborhood where you can buy Czech craft beer in Prague for takeaway.

beer delivery from Pivotoč to Riegrovy sady park

Praha 3-Žižkov

My neighborhood in Praha 3-Žižkov has a couple beer shops focused on Czech craft beer. Pivotoč is more of a beer refill station than a bottle shop. They have rotating taps from Czech micro breweries that you can purchase in 0.5-L, 1-L, or 2-L bottle sizes. It's a favorite of mine because they also provide delivery for a fee. Next is BeerGeek Pivoteka which is probably the most well-known because of it's high-visibility location near the JZP metro stop. BeerGeek has two shops in the neighborhood. The other one is a hang out spot while this is more of a pick-up bottle shop. They carry a lot of imports but have Czech microbrews in stock at decent prices too. Finally there is Pivní Rozmanitost way out east near Vozovna Žižkov tram stop. This beer shop has a couple of taps to taste and a plentiful selection of Czech and international craft beers.

Praha 6-Dejvice

Base Camp has a bunch of imported bottles as well as carrying seasonal bottles from the most well-known micro breweries around the Czech Republic. Sample their huge assortment on-site when the weather is good.

Praha 8-Karlín

Pivní Mozaika is a liquor store and bottle shop offering a diverse selection of specialty beers from around the world. This place has coolers and room-temperature storage, plus a few tables where you can sample the degustační beer list of the day. Closed on Sundays. Beershop.cz is still in Praha 8 but it's more Libeň neighborhood than Karlín. This shop is well-stocked, well-organized, and has a ton of bottles and cans in every size. They also sell craft limo or lemonade, which was hip for a moment.

For my 2.5 years in Prague, I lived in Praha 3-Žižkov. The shops I know best are in the three neighborhoods that were convenient for me to shop near home. I'm sure there are more options in other neighborhoods. Do you know of any grocers that specialize in Czech craft beer in Prague?

For more info on Czech craft beer in Prague, check out craft beer reviews from LasSaboritas.