The beef tartare at Purkmistr in Pilsen, Czech Republic, is served with crispy bread and fresh garlic. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
On the outskirts of Pilsen, Czech Republic, a city known for great beer, is Purkmistr, a place whose pleasures go well beyond signature suds.
The microbrewery, restaurant and spa hotel is about an hour and a half by car from U.S. bases in the German towns of Grafenwoehr and Vilseck. It’s an ideal destination for a relaxing weekend respite or romantic getaway.
I went to Purkmistr at the beginning of September with my wife and kids. The hotel and restaurant have indoor and outdoor seating straddling a courtyard full of beer hall tables and a children’s play area.
Parents can kick back with a freshly brewed beer while watching their kids play at the Purkmistr brewery, restaurant and spa hotel in Pilsen, Czech Republic. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
My boys jumped on the trampoline while I enjoyed one of the brewery’s golden amber Helles variations, crisp with mild citrus notes. The India pale ale was a honey brown with all of the characteristic hoppiness yet little of the bitterness of traditional IPAs.
Purkmistr was founded in 2007 to preserve traditional Czech brewing techniques and recipes, according to its website. Its mash is made from several types of malting barley and hops from the Zatec region, in addition to Pilsen’s world-renowned, additive-free water.
Most beer aficionados have heard of Pilsner Urquell, which placed the city on the map when the pale lager was invented at its downtown brewery in 1842. Purkmistr offers the same quality but with an escape from tourists, costs and urban bustle.
The roasted wild boar loin with fried onions atop a bed of sauteed spinach at Purkmistr in Pilsen, Czech Republic. It is served with potato dumplings. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
As for food, my wife and I started with the 100-gram beef tartare with garlic and toast. The Czechs rub the cloves on the bread and eat it with a mouthful of raw meat, something I never thought in a million years I would do.
The beef arrived, heaped red on the plate. I was apprehensive as I mixed it with garlic-soaked bread, but I was pleasantly surprised when it took on the flavor and texture of a soft meatball.
I had the roasted wild boar loin for my main, which came served on a bed of sauteed spinach with potato dumplings.
The boar, coated in savory gravy, was a bit dry, which I assumed was because it either came frozen or had the gaminess overcooked out of it, something often required with boars. The dumplings were the star, airy and fluffy, dipped in a gravy.
The pureed vegetable sauce is coupled with cranberry, lemon and cream over a tender beef fillet in Purkmistr's svickova na smetane. The dish is a favorite of Czechs and Slovaks. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
My wife ordered the traditional Czech dish svickova na smetane, a tender beef fillet topped with cream sauce, cranberries and lemon and served alongside Karlovy Vary dumplings, which consist of small bits of bread mixed with milk, egg and other ingredients.
When they are cut, the dumplings take on a patchwork appearance, giving rise to the description “mosaic-style.”
The beef was tender as advertised; the accompanying pureed vegetable sauce was a savory foil to the sweet toppings. The dumplings were, again, light and fluffy, with that boiled chewiness found in the pasta dumplings of China or gyoza in Japan.
My sons enjoyed the German schnitzel and fries off the kids’ menu.
Patrons can enjoy beer fresh from the tap while relaxing in Purkmistr's famous beer bath, which is said to rejuvenate the skin. The microbrewery in Pilsen, Czech Republic, also has a restaurant and a spa hotel for leisure. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Purkmistr is a restaurant, brewery and spa hotel on the outskirts of Pilsen, Czech Republic. It offers the great beer that the city is known for in a relaxing, family-friendly setting. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
We capped our holiday with trips to the beer bath, where patrons soak in Purkmistr’s proprietary blend of beer ingredients, followed by massages, drinking fresh beer all the while.
The kids spent more time on the trampoline and everyone left with a smile.
Purkmistr
Address: Selska naves 21/2, Pilsen, Czech Republic
Hours: Open daily starting at 11 a.m. Closing time Monday-Thursday is 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, midnight; and Sunday, 10 p.m.
Prices: Ranging from 75 Czech crowns for beef broth soup, or $3.31, to 465 crowns for a lower loin steak with au gratin potatoes and sauce ($20.43). The 100-gram beef tartar was 215 crowns; the wild boar and the svickova na smetane were 285 crowns each.
Information: Phone: +420 377-994-312; Online: purkmistr.cz
