Tuesday 7th May 2013
Bob Thompson
Whilst walking from the bus stop towards this brew pub I could not help but be impressed by sheer bulk of the building.
There are no concessions to the past here. It is brand new and is situated in the V where a side street separates from the main road. It is on slightly raised ground which accentuates the view even more. The brewery is clearly visible through glass in the apex of the building.
The pub opened on Tuesday 2nd April 2013, the official opening seemed to be a week later. And when I visited there were still workmen laying some drainage and levelling the surface of the car park. BeerVisits likes to bring readers information on new breweries as quickly as possible.
The enterprise is the brainchild of Martin Kulik and there were 111 shares offered in the venture, sold mostly to local residents.
Inside it was more or less what I expected, simplistic and modern. This either works or not, and here it does. I think where modern decor often goes wrong is when an old premises is modernised and you just wish they hadn't bothered, because you can't go back.
Here, starting from the ground up, the architect and designer seem to have had free reign to design something practical for the brewer and the customers.
On entering directly into the large main room the bar is to be found on the left. There are no stools there as the service is entirely waiter / waitress. However to compensate, there are some high tables with tall chairs opposite and this is where I settled. I looked around and noticed the furniture was all wooden, even including the fixed seating.
The beers are dispensed from storage tanks located by the large floor-to-ceiling windows that run along the whole of one side of the building. In the middle of the room there is wood-burning stove. Even this fixture is of a modern design and the fuel is stacked in alcove designed specifically for that purpose. The far end wall has a stylised diagram of the brewing process, a nice touch.
There is a full menu and there are four regular beers. Světlá 11°, a light low-strength beer; Polotmavá 12°, an amber medium strength beer; Světlá 13°, full strength lager beer and Hostivec-Ale 15°. I didn't have the latter as I had a long day and didn't want to spoil it, but would be very interested in trying it one day. I would guess it is bottom-fermented. There was no evidence that they do specials but I'd be surprised if they don't do any in future. It's possible to take away beer in 1 litre PET bottles. Whist I was there brewer Jan Tržíl was washing down the equipment following a brew.
Because this brew pub is out of town, prices for food and drink are very reasonable. Anyway, it is worth making the journey because the beers are of high quality.
Important Information:
Pivovar Hostivar, Lochotínská 279, Praha 15, 10900. Tel: 702 202 903
Open: Daily 11.00-23.00
To get here from central Prague I used metro line A, destination Depo Hostivař, and alighted at Skalka. From there it is possible to use bus routes 125 or 175 to the Řepčická stop. Each runs every 15 minutes most of the time and take slightly differing routes to get there.
On arriving, stay on the same side of the road (Hornoměcholupská) and head for the Lidl store. As you pass it you see the pub in the distance on the same side of the road.
