Set aside the ordinary and brace yourself for a showcase of luxurious and unconventional brews!

The Zichovec brewery has organized an extraordinary event at Gabriel Loci in Prague’s Smíchov district on 27 January, featuring 24 top European breweries offering a staggering selection of 150 different beers.

“Winter Affair” is no ordinary beer festival. Instead of the traditional approach of purchasing individual beers, attendees pay a higher price for admission, granting them the freedom to savor a wide selection of beers by the glass throughout the day.

The organizers boast an unparalleled selection of beers, with Adam Huml, a beer sommelier from the Zichovec marketing team, stating, “Let’s not beat around the bush. The price tag of over two thousand crowns per ticket may seem steep. However, it’s easily justified because the beers making their way to Prague aren’t your typical industrial lagers. Visitors will have the opportunity to sample a variety of beers comparable to wine and more.”

“For one day, to transform the beautiful space of the Gabriel Loci church into a temple dedicated to the best beer, to create an experience, a memory that none of the participants will easily forget,” reveals his vision Miroslav Ostrý, who is responsible not only for organizing the festival but also for the entire export of Zichovec Brewery.

His experiences abroad were the greatest inspiration for him: “Last year was a great leap for Zichovec; we grew not only at home but also abroad. We exported beer to 23 countries, and in a large part of them, we participated in various beer festivals. This gave us two things: a bunch of contacts with the most interesting brewers from all over Europe, but mainly inspiration on how to organize such a festival. As a one-day experience, for a single price, and with the absolute best beers you can find.”

Expect to indulge in the experience of tasting robust beers aged for years in hard alcohol barrels, those infused with exotic ingredients or fruits, and even spontaneously fermented brews.

The event “Winter Affair” goes beyond the ordinary beer festival by inviting founders or brewers from each brewery to present their unique creations.

According to Huml, “we aimed to offer more than just beers; that’s why we’ve eliminated financial transactions from the experience. You can’t invite a world-class brewer and expect them to handle cash transactions.”

Adam also painted beautiful examples of breweries and beers that you will find at the festival.

For example, the famous Swedish brewery Omnipollo, among its six beers, offers the insane stout “CHURCH AMUN RA,” made with the solera method in wooden barrels and with 17 % of alcohol.

From England, the Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk and the Birmingham-based Attic Brew Co. will come, both offering an unprecedented look into the world of hypermodern hopped beers and strong barrel-aged imperial stouts.

Italy will be represented by the top-notch brewery Ca’ del Brado, specializing in natural fermentation and using local Italian fruits such as grape wine or kiwi fruit.

Other countries represented by their top breweries include Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Finland, France, Romania, Hungary, Belgium, Croatia, the Netherlands, and of course, some representatives from our own country will also be present.

The international selection will be complemented by a small lager bar where you can take a break from all those wild flavors, and a few carefully selected gastronomic stalls will serve you in front of the church.

The invitation is briefly concluded by the owner of the Zichovec brewery, Ondra Husák: “I would be lying if I said it was easy to sell me this idea. But you can’t fill your brewery with almost fanatical beer lovers and then not allow them to realize their crazy ideas. In Zichovec, we try to bring the greatest diversity of tastes through our production, and I am glad that we can now expand those horizons with the visions of another 24 world brewers, all coming to us in one day. I will be grateful for every person whose horizons we will expand with this festival. Beer is simply so much more than it is often given credit for”.