Hops, a perennial herb grown for its bitter flowers, are the magical ingredient that no brewery can do without today. And when the topic of hops comes up, brewers pretty much all over the world think of that finest variety, the red-bine Saaz, which originates in the landscape around the town of Žatec on the boundary between North and West Bohemia. Not only can you enjoy this variety in Czechia’s world-famous Pilsner lager, but it is also used in Guinness, the Irish stout, Sapporo the Japonese beer and the Belgian Stella Artois.
The traditional art of hop growing refined to perfection
Hops have been grown around Žatec for some 700 years now and during that time a unique landscape has been shaped with this in mind; the very best varieties originated here and people built towns literally designed around the hop processing industry. This all imbues the Žatec region with its own specific character.
However, It’s not only the historical centre of Žatec and the monuments that have always been associated with the cultivation, storage and processing of hops that have been listed as World Heritage Sites, but also the places that traded in hops, the hopfields around the Ohře River, Trnovany with its preserved hop drying kilns, and also the hopfields near the village of Stekník, which is also home to a beautiful purely Rococo château with an Italian terraced garden, which adds a unique touch of character to this hop-filled landscape.
Where’s a good place to learn more about hops?
You can visit the townhouse right next to the Žatec Brewery, which houses the Brewing Museum of the Žatec Region, where you can explore the history of breweries past and present in this famous hop-growing region. It shows several films on how beer is brewed, but beer itself is not on tap in the museum: anyone interested can take a tour around the museum and the brewery, including the chance to taste the beer.