Kozel Brewery Tour from Prague: The Complete Guide to Velké Popovice

There are day trips from Prague that take you to castles, cathedrals and medieval towns. And then there is Velké Popovice.

A Kozel Brewery tour from Prague takes you 25 kilometres southeast of the city, to the small village of Velké Popovice, where Velkopopovický Kozel — one of the most recognised Czech beers in the world — has been brewed continuously since 15 December 1874. It is a completely different kind of day trip. And for many visitors, one of the most enjoyable.

The story of Kozel

The brewery in Velké Popovice was founded by František Ringhoffer — a Prague industrialist, mayor of Smíchov and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of his era. The first batch of Kozel was a dark beer, brewed in a 60-hectolitre cauldron on 15 December 1874. Within a year the brewery was producing 18,000 hectolitres annually. Within a few years it had become the third largest brewery in the Czech Republic.

The name Kozel means "billy goat" in Czech — and the goat became the brewery's emblem thanks to one of the better stories in the history of Czech beer. A French painter, passing through the Bohemian countryside in the early 20th century, was taken in and fed by the people of Velké Popovice. Out of gratitude, he painted them a goat. The emblem first appeared on the label in 1922 and has been there ever since.

Today Velkopopovický Kozel is part of the Plzeňský Prazdroj group and owned by Asahi Breweries, exporting to dozens of countries around the world. But the beer is still brewed in Velké Popovice, according to the same traditional recipe, using water from the same local wells that have supplied the brewery for over 150 years.

The live goat

Every brewery has a logo. Kozel has Olda.

In the 1930s, the owners brought a live goat to the brewery as an attraction. The tradition has continued ever since. Since the 1970s, every brewery goat has been named Olda — in honour of Oldřich Lenc, the brewery worker who cared for the original goat. Each successive goat has carried the name — Olda XV is the current resident of the brewery park.

Meeting Olda is, for most visitors, an unexpectedly delightful part of the tour.

What the Kozel Brewery tour includes

The guided tour takes you through the active brewhouse, where you will learn about the brewing process and the raw materials behind Kozel's distinctive taste. You will walk through the historic brewhouse from 1928 — still standing on the brewery grounds — and see the lager cellars, where the beer ferments and matures for weeks before it reaches the tap.

The highlight is the tasting at the end: unfiltered Velkopopovický Kozel beer served straight from a unique tap in the cellars. Light or dark — your choice. Unfiltered, unpasteurised, at the precise temperature it should be drunk. There is nothing quite like it.

Beer tasting is available to visitors aged 18 and over.

The village of Velké Popovice

The brewery sits in the middle of a small Bohemian village — and the village itself is part of the experience. After the tour, most visitors spend time in the Kozlovna restaurant on the brewery grounds, which serves traditional Czech food and — naturally — the full range of Kozel on tap.

The region is also part of what the Czechs call Ladův kraj — the landscape associated with the beloved Czech illustrator Josef Lada, whose idyllic scenes of Bohemian village life were painted just a few kilometres away. If you have time, the detour is worth it.

Why go with a private guide

Getting to Velké Popovice independently requires a combination of metro, bus and patience. More importantly, the story of the Ringhoffer family, the history of Czech brewing, the details of what makes Kozel different and why the unfiltered version tastes so different from anything you have had before — all of this context transforms a brewery visit into a genuinely memorable experience.

Our private Kozel Brewery tour from Prague includes door-to-door transport from your hotel, a licensed guide for the full day and everything at your own pace. The trip pairs naturally with Český Šternberk Castle — one of the oldest inhabited castles in Central Europe, just a short drive away — for a day that combines Bohemian history with Bohemian brewing.

Practical information

Getting there: Velké Popovice is approximately 25 kilometres from Prague — around 30 minutes by private car.

The brewery tour: Tours run regularly throughout the day. Beer tasting is included and available to visitors aged 18 and over. The tour route includes approximately 250 stairs and is not wheelchair accessible. Closed-toe shoes are recommended.

How long do you need? The brewery tour itself takes around 90 minutes. Combined with lunch at the Kozlovna restaurant and time in the village, a half-day is comfortable. Combined with Český Šternberk Castle, it makes a full day.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Velké Popovice from Prague? Approximately 25 kilometres — around 30 minutes by private car. Our private Kozel Brewery tour from Prague includes hotel pickup and drop-off.

What is Velkopopovický Kozel? Velkopopovický Kozel is one of the most recognised Czech beers in the world, brewed in Velké Popovice since 1874. It is known for both its light lager and its dark beer — one of the best-selling dark beers in the Czech Republic.

Can you taste the beer on the tour? Yes — the tour includes a tasting of unfiltered Kozel beer served straight from the cellar. Beer tasting is available to visitors aged 18 and over. You can choose between light and dark unfiltered Kozel.

Is the Kozel Brewery tour suitable for non-beer drinkers? Absolutely. The history of the Ringhoffer family, the story of the brewery, the 1928 historic brewhouse, the lager cellars and the live goat Olda make for a fascinating visit regardless of whether you drink beer.

What else can be combined with a Kozel Brewery visit? Český Šternberk Castle is a short drive away — one of the oldest continuously inhabited castles in Central Europe, home to the same family since 1241. The two make for a perfect full day from Prague.