Czeching out new Czech bar
Having previously been involved with a London-based Czech lager brewery that left a sour taste in my mouth it has not put me off the country’s lovely lagers.
It was therefore enjoyable to visit The Stranded bar on London’s The Strand where Bloomsbury Leisure Group has opened a new venue dedicated to serving Czech lager in the correct way.
From the 13-metre Czech-built bar, are served various Budvar beers from specialist side-pour taps. Instead of the usual vertical handle, this sideways tap allows the tapster to pour quickly and with control, creating the dense, wet foam that’s essential to a perfect Czech pour.
What stood out on my visit was the ability of the tapsters at The Stranded to offer three different pours: Hladinka is a full pour with a generous layer of silky foam on top; Šnyt – is a smaller pour with more foam; and Mlíko – is a mug of wet, sweet foam.
To adhere with weights and measures legislation in the UK these different pours equate to 2/3 of a pint, a half, and a third respectively. The beers I tried were superbly poured and in great condition. I had just returned from Prague and these beers were indistinguishable from those I’d enjoyed in the Czech Republic.
The space itself is certainly a step-up in magnitude from the other bars operated by Jon Dalton, founder of Bloomsbury Leisure Group, which includes the Euston Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Waterloo Tap. It is also quite austere inside with little more than tables and chairs scattered around the room. The most appealing area is a curved space with windows looking out onto The Strand. I’m told this will be bookable for events. Adding a bit of theatre to the bar is an enormous plastic pint glass perched in the doorway and a glass window revealing the ground-level cellar full of barrels.
It would have been good to see other Czech beers in addition to Budvar but I’m told there is an agreement with the brewery for exclusivity, which is not a surprise as this no doubt works well financially for Bloomsbury.
It has also not gone totally all out on the Czech front as there are other keg and cask ales available. As with other Bloomsbury pubs this is a good selection. On my visit Timothy Taylor’s and Five Points were among those pouring. Food will also be shortly added to the mix – with Vietnamese the chosen cuisine.
My visit early on a Monday evening in the first week of the pub’s trading involved a very quiet pub but it will no doubt very quickly garner a loyal following. I’d definitely return for those lovely Šnyt and Mlíko pours.
Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider