A bath with some freshly pulled beer is one quirky option in the Purkmistr beer spa. — PETR POLAK/CzechTourism/dpa
Beer heaven is a name given to many places, but one strong contender for this title lies in the Czech Republic – albeit in a place far beyond Prague’s tourist- packed bars serving beer with famously tall heads of foam.
You even need to make it past the world-famous cellars of the Pilsner Urquell brewery, just a few minutes’ walk from the main Plzen train station, where you can sample the original style of unfiltered and unpasteurised pilsner in the city where it was invented.
The beer heaven we’re talking about is Purkmistr, one of the small breweries on the outskirts of Plzen.
On a former farm in the village district of Cernice, seven kilometers south of the Plzen centre, they not only brew beer. There is also a recommendable restaurant and – most memorable of all – a beer spa.
The spa is without doubt the flagship feature of this brewery hotel, and at the centre you’ll find several large wooden bathtubs that offer visitors an intoxicating soak with beer-infused bath additives.
Not only that, but there’s also a beer tap within reach of the tub. If your bath needs a top-up: beer-infused bath water. If you need a top-up: beer.
Svícková are slices of roast beef in a rich sauce, served with cranberries, cream and dumplings. — TOM NEBE/dpa
I found a good 25 minutes soaking in a beer bath – together with freshly tapped beer – to be surprisingly relaxing. For those who don’t make it to Plzen, the combination of beer and bathtub alone is perhaps worth trying at home. But there’s something to be said for the full brewery spa hotel experience.
Inevitably, once you’re out of the tub you get offered another beer for your time in the relaxation room. You’ll certainly find a quick way to unwind here, but it really helps if you like beer.
Plzen is located in the west of the Czech Republic, about 90km from the capital, so if you’re in Prague or a nearby European country, getting there by train is likely the best option. – dpa
