Beer on the run: Czech tapster conquers Prague’s 41-step challenge

Ten freshly poured beers, 41 cellar steps and a stopwatch: Prague’s most unusual test of bartending skill returned this week as tapsters from across Europe attempted to conquer the “Pinkas Nightmare.”

The annual race at Restaurace U Pinkasů asks competitors to pour 10 hladinka beers and carry them from the cellar to the first floor without sacrificing speed, foam or too much of the beer itself.

This year’s contest was won by 26-year-old Petr Holec of Statek U Kapličky in Nová Ves pod Pleší. He completed the challenge in 1 minute and 45.80 seconds, keeping the title on Czech soil despite competition from tapsters representing eight European countries.

The Pinkas Nightmare is not simply a race up a staircase. Judges assess how each beer has been poured, the condition of its foam and how much remains in every glass upon reaching the finish.

Penalty seconds are added for mistakes, meaning that the fastest runner does not necessarily win.

“We judges focus primarily on how much beer the tapster brings to our table, how it was poured, the quality of the foam and whether all 10 glasses arrived,” Václav Berka, emeritus head brewer at Plzeňský Prazdroj and chairman of the judging panel, told Novinky.cz.

“We’ve had someone bring nine before. Everything looked good and the time was excellent, but then we counted them and one beer was missing.”

Competitors first had to pour six beers and complete a qualifying course outside the restaurant near Wenceslas Square. The strongest performers advanced to the cellar final, where they poured the full set of 10 before tackling the stairs.

Holec nearly missed his opportunity after another competitor broke one of his glasses during the qualification round. Officials eventually ruled that the incident was not his fault and allowed him to continue.

“I don’t know how it’s possible with my height and weight,” Holec said after winning. “There are guys here who are two meters tall. Somehow, I managed to outrun them.”

Daniel Hrdý of Prague restaurant U Bansethů finished second, while Petr Lepiarský of Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience placed third.

The winner received a 50-liter keg of Pilsner Urquell and a voucher worth CZK 1,842—a reference to the year the first batch of the lager was brewed. His name will also be added to a leather tapster’s apron displaying the contest’s previous champions.

The race commemorates the working conditions faced by staff at U Pinkasů during the 19th century, when beer was kept cold and poured in the cellar before being carried upstairs to customers.

The restaurant was founded by tailor Jakub Pinkas, who reportedly received two buckets of the newly created Pilsner lager from a friend in 1843, one year after its first batch was brewed.

At the time, beer was commonly taken to tables in large pitchers and then poured into individual glasses. Pinkas instead served it directly from the cellar barrel into glasses, helping it retain its temperature, carbonation and freshness.

The improvement created considerably more work for servers, who repeatedly climbed between the cellar and dining rooms. According to the contest organizers, staff could cover as many as 25,000 steps during a single shift.

The modern race was launched in 2010 to recreate that demanding service—albeit over a much shorter period—and highlight the importance of the Czech tapster’s craft.

“Properly pouring beer is not something to take for granted,” said Karel Doubek, director of the company operating U Pinkasů. “It requires experience, concentration and respect for the craft.”

The 16th edition attracted participants from Czechia, Italy, Estonia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Latvia. Four of the 30 competitors in the starting field were women, twice as many as in the previous year.

Andrea Vrchovská of Na Pekárně in Velké Bílovice said her primary objective was simple: “Not to break anything, not to break myself and not to knock anyone over.”

She did not reach the final, but captured the communal nature of a profession built around serving others.

“Beer is my love,” she said. “It’s a great way of bringing people together.”

Full results and photographs are available in the official Pilsner Urquell report. To understand exactly what judges were looking for, see Expats.cz’s guide to the four traditional Czech beer pours.