Krušovice Brewery: Royal Czech Beer Since 1581

A private Krušovice brewery tour from Prague takes you to one of the oldest working breweries in the Czech Republic — about 50 kilometres west of the capital, in a quiet village in the Rakovník countryside where beer has been brewed since 1581. What sets Krušovice apart from every other Czech brewery is its crown: in 1583 the Holy Roman Emperor and Bohemian King Rudolf II bought the brewery outright, making it a royal brewery — and Krušovice is still known today as the only Czech beer once owned by the crown.

The story goes that Rudolf II — the eccentric, alchemy-obsessed emperor who made Prague his imperial capital — tasted the local beer while hunting in the forests around Krušovice and was so taken with it that he bought the whole brewery for the Bohemian Crown. From that day the imperial crown became part of the Krušovice mark, and the brewery spent the following centuries supplying nobility and passing through the hands of some of Bohemia's great families.

The story of the brewery

The first written record of brewing at Krušovice dates to 1581. In 1583 Emperor Rudolf II bought the brewery for the Bohemian Crown — the moment that earned it the name Královský pivovar Krušovice, the Royal Brewery of Krušovice — and the imperial crown entered the logo.

After the crown, the brewery passed through some of Bohemia's most powerful noble houses — Arnošt Josef of Valdštejn (Wallenstein) bought it in 1685, and later the Fürstenberg family took it over. Through war, plunder and centuries of changing owners, the brewery kept brewing, and its famous Mušketýr (Musketeer) beer traces its roots to the turbulent 17th century.

In modern times Krušovice was nationalised after 1945, privatised in 1993, modernised under German ownership through the 1990s, and acquired by the Heineken group in 2007. Today it is one of the country's top five breweries, still working in the same village and still using Žatec (Saaz) hops, water from the Křivoklát forests, and Czech malts — the same essentials that have defined the beer for over four hundred years.

What the tour includes

Your private guide picks you up at your hotel in Prague and drives you west into the Bohemian countryside to the brewery itself. The guided tour walks you through the production process — from the brewhouse and fermentation to filtration and bottling — while telling the long royal story of the place, including the historic 17th-century malt house at the heart of the complex.

The highlight for most visitors comes at the end: a tasting of Krušovice beers in the historic malt house, including the celebrated dark lager Krušovice Černé — named the World's Best Dark Lager at the 2009 World Beer Awards. Light, dark or alcohol-free, there is something to try for everyone.

Even if you are not a beer drinker, Krušovice rewards the visit: this is a centuries-old institution with a genuine imperial pedigree, set in pretty countryside that makes for an easy, relaxed day out of the city.

Lunch after the brewery — two options

After the brewery tour and tasting, there is naturally time for a proper Czech lunch. You can choose between two atmospheric options, and your guide will help you decide on the day.

The first is a traditional Czech restaurant right next to the brewery in Krušovice village — straightforward Bohemian cooking, hearty dishes paired with fresh Krušovice beer straight from the source. The second is the Klášterní šenk (Monastery Tavern) at the Břevnov Monastery, set right on our route back into Prague. Břevnov is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the Czech Republic, founded in 993 AD by Saint Adalbert and Duke Boleslaus II of Bohemia. Its brewery is considered the oldest documented brewery in the country, and the on-site restaurant pours the monastery's own Břevnovský Benedict beers alongside seasonal Czech dishes, served under stone arches and wooden beams. Either way, lunch is on you — paid separately at the restaurant — and we keep the choice fully flexible so you decide what suits the day best.

The tour departs from your hotel in Prague and returns you there at the end of the day. This day trip pairs naturally with our Karlovy Vary tour — the elegant spa town just down the same road from Krušovice, where emperors, composers and royalty came to take the waters. Price for the combined tour available on request.

Looking for more day trips from Prague? See our full collection.