Inside U Fleků
The grant.
U Fleků is one of the most interesting breweries in the world, with an important history I’ve written about here. But until yesterday, I’d never gotten inside the brewhouse, which while not quite as ancient as the building it occupies is nevertheless a gorgeous old place. Since I’ve already used my words to describe the brewery, let’s turn to some photos.
With a brewery of this vintage, it wasn’t surprising to learn that there was originally a malthouse on site—sort of. U Fleků outsourced the first part of the job, bringing bags of germinated barley into their kiln. They burned a fire on the ground floor and it rose two stories to a room where they removed the rootlets and laid a bed of wet barley. Once it had dried, they sent it down a chute to the brewhouse. They continued this until 1942.
The fire bed at right, covered by a gabled wire mesh.
The chit-removing machine.
The kiln mesh.
Brewing at this site began in 1499, but my guide Stanislav told me the owners believe the building itself dates back more than a hundred years earlier. The pine rafters were stained with oxblood to preserve them from the damp, yet despite being riven here and there by the occasional lengthwise crack, they remain true. The current brewhouse dates back to the 19th century. It’s a simple two-vessel system.
It was no surprise to see a grant in the brewhouse—they seem to be common in older Czech breweries—but you don’t see many coolships anymore. U Fleků’s is quite shallow, more a plate than a pan, and the hot wort only spends 90 minutes here (with a little leeway depending on the outside temperatures) before heading to fermentation. Unfortunately, they’re working on the cellars, so I couldn’t see the cold side.
Old breweries develop quite a bit of legend and mystery, and illustrations document some of U Fleků’s. Stanislav explained the god/devil illustration, but I didn’t really follow it. In any case, Czechia is one of the least religious European countries, so I don’t suppose it matters. The old building has a bunch of cool stuff, including a room with chairs that each name one of the existing Czech breweries the time they were made (19th c., I believe), a curious sculpture, and endless amazing architectural features.
And of course, everything culminates in these. Did you know that U Fleků now makes a pale lager? It’s not something they tout to widely, but Covid made the unimaginable a reality. My understanding is that it’s not the most reliable pint in Prague, but I have to say my glass was excellent. The hops were unusual and didn’t seem like the typical Saaz—they were resinous to the point of tasting of cedar.
Finally, a couple of exterior shots, one of which gives you a sense of the Old Town neighborhood that surrounds U Fleků.