Sipping some of the country's finest

Svijany pivovar is a small brewery with big accolades, attracting a cult following as it's been increasing production and distribution. Based in the town of Příšovice in the Český ráj nature reserve, the brewery has a history dating back to 1345. Over the past century, Svijany has beaten the odds of nationalization, foreign ownership and near-extinction to achieve a stable status as an independent Czech brewery whose beers are tapped alongside the mighty Pilsner Urquell in certain bars. It also boasts several namesake pubs across the country, notably Restaurace Svijanský rytíř in Prague 7.

The brewery won first place in three out of nine categories of this year's Sdružení přátel piva (Union of Friends of Beer) awards, a notable achievement, especially given the Czech Republic's proliferation of breweries large and small. The awards, announced Nov. 11, ranked Svijany as No. 1 for Best 11°, Best 12° and Best Dark Beer. And it came in second for the coveted Best Brewery title. (Svijany won the honor in 2008, only to be bested this year by Herold.) Svijany also placed fourth in the Best Special and Best Nonalcoholic categories.

The Svijanský rytíř pub in Letná taps four of the winners - Máz (11°), Rytíř (12°), Kníže (special lager) and Kněžka (dark) - as well as the yeast beer Kvášňovice and the strong, unpasteurized Baron. And it has a menu that's a mark above regular pub fare, complemented by a mellow atmosphere conducive to contemplating specialty suds.

The pub has two rooms (one nonsmoking, and a small bar area) with just a few wooden tables, emphasizing stretches of hardwood floor and sparsely decorated, malt-color walls. Such a setup should allow the waitstaff to breeze through for easy refills and orders, but the time tends to drag when waiting for food or to pay the bill.

In typical Czech pub style, service is quicker at bringing new beers, and is amicable, if a bit too relaxed. But at least there's that crisp Svijany beer to sip on while waiting for food. And it's advisable to order something to eat if you're going to sample the brews on tap, as they range up to 15°, or 6.5 percent alcohol, as in the unpasteurized Baron, which can go down dangerously well.

Svijany beers bring to mind clear mountain spring water and freshly fermented hops, a welcome variation on the more pedestrian Staropramen or Krušovice. Beers are also available in tupláky, or 1-liter tankards, for the truly headstrong. Máz, at 11°, is the least-alcoholic on tap, though it's still one shout louder than the regular desítky served at most places.  

The menu reflects the beer theme, featuring a modern take on normal Czech pub offerings while not overlooking favorites and comfort-food staples: pickled hermelín with chilis, roast pork knee, fried eidam, chili goulash, pepper steak. It also has quite a few pastas, salads and seafood items, including baked trout, salmon steak and codfish gratin.

While some items are forgettable, others are a surprising find (not least in price). Most Czech pubs do a version of devil's toast: fried bread topped with mincemeat and a tomato-based sauce, with the details left up to the kitchen. Svijanský rytíř's interpretation is how it should be: chewy, crunchy, meaty and spicy in the right proportions, with a good toast-to-sauce ratio that doesn't leave you wishing for a spoon or another item all together. It's not too big, either, so it's equally good as a beer snack or a starter. Shrimp in mustard sauce with toast, however, came with only two sad triangles of bread, overwhelmed by the bland plate of frozen shrimp floating in a watery mustard concoction.

The salmon steak also indicates the kitchen isn't quite comfortable with seafood; instead of being accented by flavors, it's merely plated without any treatment whatsoever. While the salmon was a good cut and had been baked in butter, complete with crusted top, there was little else going on. It would have benefited from a few sprigs of rosemary or even just dill.

For 160 Kč, though, it's a good-size (200 grams) portion and is satisfying enough, especially paired with seasoned Provencal potatoes. The side vegetables that arrive with the dish, however, are the worst: an over-defrosted mix bag of nearly unidentifiable chunks, doused in too much salt.

The kitchen must be relieved when someone orders beef, as it deftly serves a juicy pepper sirloin steak for a fraction of the price of comparable steaks elsewhere. And the chili goulash mixes sirloin, button mushrooms and sweet chilis with a deep, beery sauce.

Whatever faults the food at Svijanský rytíř may have, they can be forgiven. After all, this is a place that focuses on beer, and, as any Svijany fan will tell you and its titles attest, it's some of this country's finest.   

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com