Everyone knows the beers that come from the Pilsner Urquell brewery and many visitors to Pilsen come to the city for this very reason. But there are other beers from Pilsen that should not go unnoticed. The Raven brewery produces flavourful APA, IPA and lager beers, but no pilsner!
At Mozartova 1 in Pilsen, we stop at an old building with a few tables in front of it. This is where the Raven brewery and its adjoining brewery pub are located.
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The brewers at Raven are very creative when it comes to flavour design and are constantly evolving. They not only present their beer at beer festivals, but also look outside the box to see what other breweries have to offer. By collaborating with other brewers, they are constantly learning and their love of “beer experimentation” results in some unexpectedly flavoursome beers.
The brewery pub is modern and has industrial charm. There are 8 taps behind the bar. The freshly brewed beer flows from 6 taps (alternating offer). Unfiltered, it flows directly from the storage cellar into the glass. One tap is always reserved for a brewery friend and the last tap is used for our own elderflower lemonade.
If you’re not just in the mood for a beer, you can of course also get something to eat. There is a small menu with various dishes, in summer there is a barbecue from time to time and sometimes there is also a food truck on the doorstep.
Let’s taste at the Raven brewery
Of course, it’s not just draught beer that’s available, you can also drink many Raven beers from the bottle in the brewery pub. There was a really large selection during my visit and I could hardly make up my mind. But one thing was clear: I absolutely had to try a “Bohemian sour beer”. I wonder if it could match the flavour of our Berliner Weisse?
Mango & Pineapple Sour 9°
The Mango & Pineapple Sour was freshly tapped during my visit. It’s wonderfully refreshing and, with an alcohol content of 3.5%, simply the perfect summer beer. In terms of flavour, it can easily hold its own with the Berliner Weisse beers, it really hit the spot for me. I love it when the sour beer slightly tightens the mouth and you can still feel the slightly sour flavour for a long time. The fruity notes of mango and pineapple are easy on the nose when you drink it, and the flavour in the mouth is not too strong. I think the balance between the fruit and the acidity of the beer is really successful.
RAVEN 12
The brewers at Raven didn’t actually want to make a pilsner. But when you produce in Pilsen, you “have” to adapt to the mainstream – or not… The light, unfermented RAVEN 12 is a Pilsner lager. So only “almost” a pilsner. It appears light golden in the glass and has a nice head. The flavour is really reminiscent of a pilsner. The beer is slightly more bitter and hoppy, but I think it has a wonderfully full-bodied flavour. With an alcohol content of 5.1%, the beer is somewhat stronger.
Gunslinger 15
This West Coast IPA really blew me away. Not because of the beer’s 6.4% alcohol content, but because of its truly unique flavour. Three different hop varieties (Polaris, Citra, Amarillo) are used during the brewing process. It’s a wonderfully strong beer with lots of flavour – that’s what an IPA should taste like!
Lemon Iced Tea
No, this is not an oversight, I’m not listing a tea here, but a Tea Pale Ale. I had never seen this combination before and I have to admit that I was a little sceptical. A beer that is associated with green tea is not an everyday occurrence. The brewers have created a light summer beer with Citra hops, fresh lemons and green tea. It has only 3.5% alcohol content and almost no bitterness. I would almost say you hardly realise you’re drinking a beer. I found the pale ale quite interesting, but it wouldn’t become my favourite summer beer. I liked the sour beer better.
My tip – visit the brewery with its tap room! The other beer from Pilsen awaits you here!
Address:
Raven Pub Bolevec
Mozartova 1, Plzeň
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