Beer Paradise!

[EE_]

gsus meet-up?

This place would make a great vacation destination and you'd get to visit the Czech Republic too. Friends that heve been there say it is one of the nicest places they've visited in Europe. The women are beautiful!
I have a power-point video of it that was sent to me, but can't post it on this site, so I'll post the info and some pictures.

Chodovar Beer Spa & Brewery

History of the brewery
The family brewery in Chodová Planá was built on ancient cellars cut in granite massif. The origins of the cellars are connected with the foundation of a little local castle. That time is also linked with a tale about Albi the dog, which found a well with a plentiful spring of water in the neighbourhood of the castle. Albi the dog has been considered a good spirit of the local brewery cellars for centuries. Thus the dog’s picture was also decorating the emblem of the local malting guild for a long time. Based on an old brewery tradition, the end of the working day in the cellars was always accompanied by a traditional ritual. When leaving, the youngest apprentice was supposed to prepare a jug of beer and pour it into Albi’s bowl. This should have ensured the dog’s favour so as to bring good luck and protect the old ale brewers’ work – the famous Czech lager.

After the Cheb region had been annexed to the Czech Kingdom by Jan Lucemburský in 1322, the little castle lost its importance and gradually expired. The abandoned rocky area and the spring gave an impulse to brewing. The oldest written document about the local brewery dates back to 1573.

The oldest preserved documents about the amount of the beer produced date back to 1634. At that time, 1,920 pails of beer were brewed, which is 1,173 hectolitres (1 Czech pail equals 61.117 litres). The Theresa Register states that in 1749 the annual production was 896 barrels, which is 2,155 hectolitres (1 Austrian barrel equals 240.552 litres). In 1861 the brewery suffered from a huge fire, which completely destroyed the original buildings.

The then owner, Earl Berchem, had a new brewery built over the original rock cellars in 1862, whose image can be seen until these days. During the inter-war years, the brewery reached the highest production in 1925. It was 61,783 hectolitres. At that time the brewery already owned 47 inns and approximately 600 others were buying the beer based on fixed contracts. This annual production was not outdone until the 1960s.

Brewery today
Since 1992, Chodovar has been a limited liability company and has played a completely independent role on the market. The company is formed by four co-partners: RNDr. Tomáš Zuckermann, Jiří Plevka Sr., Jiří Plevka Jr. and Jan Plevka. The Plevka family also cope with the actual running of the brewery.

The annual production reaches 90 thousand hectolitres of beer and tapped mineral water. The malt house provides 1,700 tons of malt yearly, including special malts for brewing dark beer.

The beautiful historic brewery premises are also a sought-after tourist destination. For the guests they offer attractive environment of a stylish restaurant situated in a part of a rock labyrinth of the brewery cellars, a little brewery museum, the wellness hotel U SLÁDKA*** with the original beer baths or a restaurant and beerrarium in the historical malt house building.

The brewery premises are adjoined by a brewery garden providing seating for up to 3 000 guests. The garden is also a spot where the traditional beer festival and European championship in rolling oak barrels take place.
http://www.chodovar.cz/id117en-historie-a-soucasnost.htm

http://www.funerbox.com/wp-content/gallery/5beer/thumbs/thumbs_beer-0008.jpg

http://piximus.net/media/1465/beer-paradise-in-czech-republic-3.jpg

http://www.weirdpalace.com/img01/czech-beer04.jpg

http://www.weirdpalace.com/img01/czech-beer05.jpg

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6739/beer0.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RcAmZv8O868/TZGIrJpt4eI/AAAAAAAAAzI/RmTYYPq5ry8/s1600/Beer_Paradise_popgive_2.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wsMLLOPBUKE/TZGIqZijsfI/AAAAAAAAAzE/Px2tetQcx-Q/s1600/Beer_Paradise_popgive_1.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhfjr_h_MjA/UE-r0WUNHEI/AAAAAAAABKE/0SSSqU4zPkg/s1600/IMG_2245.JPG

http://www.praguebeergarden.com/images/uploads/travel/chodovar-rest_02.jpg

http://ronandrachel.com/wp-content/gallery/chodovar-beer-spa/P1120364.JPG

[EE_]

http://zehumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/beer_17.jpg

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/78244925.jpg

http://www.chodovar.cz/img/hotel/hotel_3.jpg

http://imagevat.com/uploads/3292011/746048773.jpg

http://www.funerbox.com/wp-content/gallery/5beer/thumbs/thumbs_beer-0012.jpg

http://us.acidcow.com/pics/20110329/beer_11.jpg

http://us.acidcow.com/pics/20110329/beer_14.jpg

http://static7.businessinsider.com/image/4e95b115ecad04eb5e00000b-400-300/chodovar-brewerys-beer-wellness-land-in-czech-republic-uses-beer-to-ease-your-joint-pain.jpg

http://www.dudelol.com/massimg/chodovar-beer-spa-take-a-bath-in-beer-czech-republic596329.jpg

[BrewTech]

GoodNESS! How cool is that?

If anyone wants to sponsor a plane ticket I would be hoppy to go!

[EE_]

http://www.skyrider.biz/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/beer_25-300x300.jpg

http://www.dudelol.com/massimg/chodovar-beer-spa-take-a-bath-in-beer-czech-republic973125.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Travel/Pix/pictures/2012/2/1/1328115561671/Beer-bath-spa-at-the-Chod-007.jpg

http://travelpandaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/beer-spa-2.jpg

http://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/050510-Chodovar.gif

http://www.spabeautyschools.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/chocolate.jpg

http://wanderingcarol.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Chodovar-post-beer.jpg

Chodovar Beer Spa

Brewery
Chodovar Brewery is a large complex, which includes Hotel U Sladka, Prave Pivni Lazne, and two restaurants, Stara Sladovna and Ve Skale, as well as buildings connected with beer production and shipping.

Chodovar’s Brewery has a long and rich history. The oldest written document that tells of Chodovar’s beginning is in 1573, but a brewery existed before this. Long long ago, in the 12th century, there was a small, local castle, and these people carved cellars in the granite rock for beer brewing. As the legend goes, a labrador dog named Albi found a spring, with fresh mineral water, and this water was then used by this small local castle to brew beer. These ancient cellars, carved in the granite rock beneath the brewery, are still used today.

In 1322, the Cheb region, which includes today’s Chodova Plana, was annexed to the Czech kingdom. With this annexation, the little castle lost importance, and gradually fell to ruin. However, this rocky area proved to be inspirational to beer breweries, and the aristocratic family Sliks started a brewery here in 1573.

Beer production was quite successful. The oldest document about the volume of beer production is from the year 1634, and says that 1,173 hectoliters were brewed. Then, in 1749, the brewery increased its production to 2,155 hectoliters. However, in 1861 the brewery was almost completely destroyed by a huge fire.

The year after the devastating fire, Earl Berchem, the owner at that time, rebuilt the brewery on top of the original rock cellars. The highest production recorded was in 1925, with 61,783 hectoliters. Even at that time, Chodovar was popular among local restaurants and inns. This amount was not exceeded till the 1960s.

The history of the brewery became almost forgotten in the period after the Second World War, and the original emblem, including Albi the dog, was replaced with the emblem of the town of Chodova Plana.

Since 1992, Chodovar has been owned by a group of four men, 3 of which share the same last name, Plevka. The Plevka family is also involved in running the brewery. Since 2000, Albi has returned to Chodovar’s emblem. Every year, Chodovar produces about 90 thousand hectoliters of beer, and their special mineral water. They also have their own malt house, which is quite important to their brewing process, and this house makes about 1,700 tons of malted barley.

Today, Chodovar Brewery not only is a brewery, but also a beer spa. The brewery is also located on the edge of Slavkovsky Les, a beautiful nature reserve that is perfect for hiking and cycling. There are also quite a few events in the summer, including a beer festival and the European championships for oak barrel rolling.

Brewery tours are available, and quite frequently. This tour is in German and Czech, and possibly English. However, the tour is quite general, and not that detailed about the brewing process. If you can only go on a German or Czech tour, they do have a paper in English that is basically word for word what is said on the beer tour. At the end of your tour, everyone gets a glass of freshly brewed beer.

Beer
Chodovar Brewery offers a variety of beer for you to try on your trip- no doubt you’ll have enough tasting to do to occupy your time. At each restaurant, a light, dark, and their 13° special is on tap, and at Stara Sladovna, there are usually a few more to try. One consistent factor we noticed in all Chodovar beer was the mineral water- you can really taste the freshness and high quality of the water in your beer.

Drink beer from this brewery in...

Hotel
Hotel U Sladka is a large hotel, centrally located in the tiny town of Chodova Plana. Rooms are simple, clean, and have everything you need for your trip. All rooms come with a fridge, which is stocked with beer and mineral water, all of which are very affordable. There is either a shower or bath, and TV, with standard Czech channels as well as quite a few German stations.

Hotel U Sladka is one of the many buildings that make up Chodovar Brewery, which is a large part of the town. On the first floor, inside Hotel U Sladka, is the reception, a large breakfast room, the massage room, and the entrance to the beer spa, Prave Pivni Lazne. If you order a ‘hot grains pack’, you’ll venture to one part of the basement. While in another part of the basement, also directly connected to the hotel, is the beer spa. In the court yard of the Hotel and Restaurant is a nice garden.

It’s a great advantage to speak either Czech or German, when staying at Hotel U Sladka, as most of the reception staff don’t speak much English. Also, during our visit, the staff that did speak English were more confusing than helpful many times.

Activities
On our trip, we chose the ‘Relax I’ package, which seems to be quite popular. This package included 2 nights in Hotel U Sladka, one beer bath for two people (20 minutes), a partial massage (20 minutes), a hot grain pack (20 minutes), two meals each in Restaurant Stara Sladovna, a brewery tour, and a welcome present.

The beer bath was definitely the best part. Individual or tubs for two are available. Once we entered, a kind woman instructed us to take our shoes off, and to change clothes, and wrap ourselves in a white sheet. Then, we hopped into our bath, which was a mix of hot mineral water, beer, and some grains from the beer fermentation process. They also gave us a small beer to sip in our bath. Not only was this extremely relaxing, but beer baths are also beneficial for your skin. Also, be sure not to shower after…depending on when your bath is, the ladies will tell you not to shower till a certain time. Don’t worry- you won’t smell like beer, and to get the most out of your bath for your skin, follow their instructions.

After your beer bath, you’ll be escorted to a ‘relax room’, where you rest on lounge chairs, and are wrapped up in blankets. This is supposed to help your skin absorb all the nutrients from the bath, as well as help you relax.

The partial massages were great- clearly, we had very experienced masseurs. The hot grains pack, which uses grains from the early stages of the fermentation process, was the least enjoyable of the treatments, but still done professionally.

Restaurant
There are two excellent restaurants on the grounds of Chodovar Brewery. Both offer similar menus of hearty Czech cuisine, as well as a few international dishes. This is some top class Czech food, obviously made with quality ingredients and old, traditional recipes.

Stara Sladovna is the old malthouse, that was actually used until 1860. Located right around the corner from Hotel U Sladka, this is where you eat if you have a half or whole pension. They have a variety of Chodovar beer on tap, which all tastes great with your food.

The second restaurant is Ve Skale, which when translated means ‘in the rock’, which literally describes this place. Located within the 800 year old cellars, you have the chance to dine in truly Gothic style. Ve Skale has a similar menu to Stara Sladovna, but just a different atmosphere.

Included in our package was the option of either a half or full pension, and we chose the half pension. The meals are only served in restaurant Stara Sladovna, and you choose from a certain menu. Each meal includes a soup, main course, and dessert. Drinks must be paid for separately. All the soups are thick and delicious. The best dishes that we tried were the duck, dumplings and cabbage, and chicken fried in beer batter. Both dishes were excellent. We also ordered a pasta dish, which was ok- but the pasta was overcooked. However, all portions are large. For dessert, they serve typical Czech things like pancakes, ginger cake, and kolac (which is a sort of cake/pastry), all of which were very good. The service in Stara Sladovna is fine too.

Town / Area
Chodova Plana, the mysterious little town in the western of Bohemia is one of the few places in the Czech Republic that has a real beer spa. Except for this beer spa, which is a part of the big Chodovar brewery complex, there is not much to do or see here. However, the big abandoned chateau, the missing cemetery, and the creepy old Jewish cemetery, on the hill behind the brewery, creates a feeling that everything might not be what it seems to…

How to get there
The small town of Chodova Plana is about 150 km. west of Prague, and only about 9 km. to Marianske Lazne. Traveling by train can be difficult- direct train connections aren’t so often, and it takes about 4 hours. So, it might be best to go by bus, which only takes about 2.5 hours. Buses leave from Prague’s main bus station at Florenc. You can buy bus tickets at the main bus station, these tickets are usually cheaper than the train tickets. Bus tickets sell out quickly, especially on the weekends, so consider buying your tickets in advance. Chodova Plana is the next stop after the town Plana. You’ll get off at the only and main bus stop, which is directly in front of Hotel U Sladka. If you come by train, the train station is located about 10 minutes on foot from Hotel U Sladka, and located on the same (and main) road.

http://www.praguebeergarden.com/czech-tours/post/beer-spa-chodo

Chodovar’s official website: www.chodovar.cz

[EE_]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUjnf229a3g


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBFB-Yhb0Us


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0zzkVNgI5U&feature=related

[EE_]

GoodNESS! How cool is that?

If anyone wants to sponsor a plane ticket I would be hoppy to go!

This would be a business expense for you and a big write-off on your taxes.
I would highly advise going! Shit, I'll go with you!

[BrewTech]

This would be a business expense for you and a big write-off on your taxes.
I would highly advise going! Shit, I'll go with you!

I like your thinking!

I'll bring it up to the owner... he may need a vacation as well!

[milehi]

Thanks EE for the best post I've ever seen on the interweb.

[EE_]

Thanks EE for the best post I've ever seen on the interweb.

So you, me and brew are going...anyone else?

We are going to have a lot of breweries to check out...this may take a while.
Czech Breweries
http://patto1ro.home.xs4all.nl/czecbrew.htm

[milehi]

I'd definately like to czech it out.

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

The part of me that is 8% czech cannot resist this idea!

[slowbell]

Count me in, I'd love to go. I've been to the Czech before, the women are amazingly beautiful and the beer excellent, as well as the history and culture fascinating. I could use some attention from the ladies as well...seem to not get much here. EE, those pics look like a single guy's heaven. :)

It would be great to see you folks again, and meet some of you I haven't had the honor yet too.

[Osiris]

If I had the money I would be there in a second!

[Neuro]

I am totally on! I used to live in Prague for 3 mths in 1992, and would love to go back there for a week or so! Would be great to meet you guys too.

[General of Darkness]

Iwtlyp.

[BrewTech]

Iwtlyp.

I did a search on that... all I could come up with was "I want to lick your penis".

That can't be right...

??

[EE_]

I did a search on that... all I could come up with was "I want to lick your penis".

That can't be right...

??

lol!

[slowbell]

I did a search on that... all I could come up with was "I want to lick your penis".

That can't be right...

??

Who knows what that means....It's the General. I'm sure there's some gay folks in the Czech too. We should be more accepting. We still love ya General, in a plutonic way of course. Perhaps a gift of some sort is appropriate.

[General of Darkness]

Who knows what that means....It's the General. I'm sure there's some gay folks in the Czech too. We should be more accepting. We still love ya General, in a plutonic way of course. Perhaps a gift of some sort is appropriate.


Look at this face, it's beaming with, oh never mind.

http://www.dudelol.com/massimg/chodovar-beer-spa-take-a-bath-in-beer-czech-republic596329.jpg

[EE_]

Here's a better picture of her.
(click on her twice)

[slowbell]

Look at this face, it's beaming with, oh never mind.

It's beaming with...yes. Indeed. We need to go to the Czech.

This thread is awesome.

[willie pete]

Look at this face, it's beaming with, oh never mind.

http://www.dudelol.com/massimg/chodovar-beer-spa-take-a-bath-in-beer-czech-republic596329.jpg

I'm going to have to practice holding my breath under water....

[Libertytree]

Well BT, I reckon you'll just have to find a way to hire me on as one of your "consultants" :)

[EE_]

Well BT, I reckon you'll just have to find a way to hire me on as one of your "consultants" :)

If I was any good at photoshop, I'd post a picture with your head poking out of one of those beer baths.
Caption reads: A Happy Man!