Prague ranks high as a city for beer lovers, but the winner may surprise you

While City Hall is trying to distance the Prague from its alco-tourism image, the city continues to top lists for its beer culture. Most recently, it was named the second-best city for beer drinkers in the Global Beer Lovers’ City Index, and the second-cheapest place for a pint. Both lists were compiled by financial website Money.co.uk.

The survey looked at 40 cities noted for their local beer scenes. The top spot went to Asheville, North Carolina. Based on the survey’s criteria, the small city located near the Tennessee border, scored 8.4 out of 10 points. The city apparently has the most breweries per person in the United States, with 2.8 per 10,000 people, and of the cities included in the ranking had the most bars, pubs, and clubs per person, at 7.86 per 10,000 people.

The website also noted it was a “hotbed for brewing” due to the quality of the spring water.

Pricewise, though, Asheville was halfway down the list in the 20th spot, with a pint costing €4.19, or about CZK 108. Aside from beer, the city is known for its Art Deco city hall and Victorian-style houses.

Prague had a total of 6.88 points out of 10, scoring highly for its price, at €1.57, or CZK 40. the survey noted the Czech Republics general leadership in beer consumption per capita, and also noted the city was “worth a visit for its beautiful architecture.”

“Prague is home to around 100 breweries and has a high proportion of bars and pubs per person too,” they added. The number of breweries is based on the website Ratebeer.com. It includes large brewers as well as private labels, brewpubs, and microbreweries.

Kraków, Poland, came in third. It was noted for its beer scene taking great strides recently with new breweries and bars, as well as for the affordability of its beer. Fourth place went to Fort Collins, Colorado, and fifth to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Other European cities generally associated with beer did not fare so well on the survey. Dublin was eighth, Amsterdam was 11th, Warsaw was 14th, and Berlin was a disappointing 21st. The home of Oktobefest, Munich, was almost at the bottom of the list at 34th place out of 40. London, also known world-wide for its love of a pint, was next to last on the list in 39th place.

The cheapest beer, based on figure from statistical site Numbeo, was Buenos Aires, Argentina, at €1.17, or about CZK 30. Money.co.uk noted that Argentina is better-known for its wines, but a craft beer scene is starting to develop in the capital’s Palermo district. Prague, as already noted, was second. The most expensive beer was in San Francisco, California, at €6.70, or about CZK 172.

As with all subjective surveys trying to pinpoint an elusive concept such as the best city for beer lovers, the results are best taken with a grain of salt. This time, the large populations of cities like London and Berlin seem to have worked against their favor, while small towns like Asheville and Fort Collins, not really noted for tourism or cuisine, skewed to the top.

Top 10 cities for beer lovers

Source: Money.co.uk