Budweiser Budvar ( ) is a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

in the Czech city of České Budějovice (german: Budweis), best known for its original Budweiser or Budweiser Budvar

pale lager Pale lager is a very pale-to-golden-colored lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid-19th century, when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing ...

brewed using artesian water,

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

and Saaz hops. Budweiser Budvar is the fourth largest beer producer in the Czech Republic and the second largest exporter of beer abroad. The

state-owned State ownership, also called government ownership and public ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, or enterprise by the state or a public body representing a community, as opposed to an individual or private party. Public ownersh ...

brewery and its Budweiser pale lager have been engaged in a trademark dispute with

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple glo ...

, a brewery in the United States, over the right to market and sell the beer under the name ''Budweiser'' since the start of the 20th century. The brewery is incorporated as Budějovický Budvar, národní podnik ("Budweiser Budvar, national enterprise").

History

1265–1895

The history of brewing in České Budějovice (german: Budweis) dates back to 1265, when Ottokar II,

King of Bohemia The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings beforehand, first gaining the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman ...

, granted the city

brewing right In Medieval times, the brewing right or ''gruit right'' was one of the privileges granted by the land owner or territorial ruler. Sometimes this right was linked to a plot or a house, called a "beer court"; sometimes the right was held by a heredi ...

s. At one point, the city was the imperial brewery of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. To promote the quality of the drink, nearby towns were forbidden from brewing. To distinguish Budweis beer from that coming from other regions, it was called Budweiser Bier ("beer from Budweis" in German). By early 16th century, the Czech brewing industry was providing up to 87% of the total revenue for municipalities. The

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

between 1618 and 1648, however, devastated much of Central Europe and with it, the Czech beer industry. Concurrently, the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

became a part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

after the war. A separate brewery, Budweiser Bürgerbräu () was founded in 1795 by the city's German-speaking citizens and started brewing Budweiser Bier in 1802. The company began shipping its beer to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1875. A year after, Adolphus Busch, a German immigrant to the

and a businessman, encountered the brewery's Budweiser often during his visit to Europe. Thus, he decided to name his own beer Budweiser and brew it according to the Bohemian process. Budweiser Bürgerbräu was acquired by

Anheuser-Busch InBev Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters ...

in 2014 to aid its claim on the Budweiser trademark.

1895–present

Budweiser Budvar Brewery was incorporated in 1895 as the Czech Joint Stock Brewery when local Czech breweries in České Budějovice, then part of Austria-Hungary, merged and started brewing Budweiser with new technology. The name ''Budvar'' is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsGerman occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and its communist-rule during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the brewery was unable to compete with the American Anheuser-Busch as production faltered. By 1948, all Czech breweries had been nationalized by the communist government. The brewery reported in 2015 that it had grown by 226% since 1991 and that its total sales volume had increased by 39% in the last ten years.

Budweiser Budvar

Production

Budweiser Budvar beer is produced in the brewery at České Budějovice, drawing artesian water from wells beneath it, with

and Saaz hops, known as a

noble hop Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...

variety, from the Žatec region. It is matured for a minimum of 90 days, contrasted with 72 hours of lagering (maturation) for mass-market beers. In 2004, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

awarded Budweiser Budvar

Protected Geographical Indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...

status. Budweiser is the brewery's "signature product" and a "symbol of national pride".

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

said the following of the company's lager in 2002:

Budweiser Budvar is a great beer because it has great raw materials and great brewers. They produce it in a slow and painstaking way. Its integrity is best served by its being produced in its town of origin, in a region with pride in its beer.

In 1990, the company brewed 450,000 hectolitres of beer a year and exported to 18 countries; in 2013, 1.42 million hectolitres and 66 countries; and in 2015, 1.6 million hectolitres and 76 countries, respectively. It is the most bought foreign beer in Germany, selling approximately 290,000 hectolitres in 2016, and the best selling Czech beer in the United Kingdom.

Trademark dispute

Budweiser Budvar Brewery and the American brewery

have been engaged in an ongoing trademark dispute over the name ''Budweiser'' since the start of the 20th century. In 1939, only one week before the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Budweiser Budvar agreed to concede exclusive rights to the American brewery in the United States area. During

and the

, Budweiser Budvar was unable to compete with then independent Anheuser-Busch. In 1994, then CEO of Budweiser Budvar Jiří Boček decided not to sign a trademark agreement with the American brewery to divide their territory across the world. On 29 July 2010, Anheuser-Busch lost its last-instance appeal in the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Un ...

, meaning it may not register the name ''Budweiser'' as a European Union trademark for beer. Consequently Budweiser Budvar beer is imported as ''"Czechvar"'' in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Philippines and the United States and Anheuser-Busch sells its beer as ''"Bud"'' in most of the European Union.

Beers

The company brews different types of lager: * ''Classic'', a pale draught beer with 4.0% ABV (in Czech: 10° or ''Výčepní''). * ''Original'', 90-day matured

and flagship of the brand, marketed as a premium lager, contains 5.0% ABV (in Czech: 12° or ''Ležák''). * ''Dark'', a dark lager with Munich, caramel and roasted

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...

and 4.7% ABV (in Czech: ''Tmavé''). * ''Special'', the original pale lager with added cultures of yeast and 5.0% ABV (in Czech: ''Kroužkovaný ležák''). * ''Cvikl'', an unfiltered

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

pale lager with 4.0% ABV (in Czech: ''Nefiltrované''). * ''Strong'', a strong pale lager matured for 200 days, contains 7.5% ABV (in Czech: 16° or ''Speciál''). * ''Free'', a low-alcohol beer with 0.5% ABV (in Czech: ''Nealkoholické''). * ''Cryo'', an eisbock with 21% ABV (in Czech: ''Mražený speciál''). Additionally, Budweiser Budvar brewery produces beer under the Pardál brand. * ''Pardál'', a pale draught beer with 3.8% ABV. * ''Pardál Echt'', a

with 4.5% ABV. * ''Pardál Echt kvasnicový'', an unfiltered yeast beer with 4.5% ABV. * Pardálovo Bezové, an elderberry beer with 2,0% ABV.

List of brewmasters

The following is a list of Budweiser Budvar Brewery's brewmasters: * Antonín Holeček, 1.4.1895–31.3.1899 * František Felix, 1.4.1899-31.12.1908 * Josef Brych, 1.1.1909–26.2.1919 * Vladimír Kořán, 1.3.1919-31.12.1935 * Oldřich Miškovský, 1.1.1936–30.4.1942 * Václav Rambousek, 1.5.1942–10.4.1948 * Rudolf Smolík, 1.1.1949–31.7.1959 * Miloš Heide, 1.8.1959–31.12.1984 * Josef Tolar, 1.1.1985–31.12.2008 * Adam Brož, 1.1.2009–present

References

External links

*
Official website of Czechvar
{{Authority control Products with protected designation of origin

Budejovicky Budvar Budweiser Budvar ( ) is a brewery in the Czech city of České Budějovice (german: Budweis), best known for its original Budweiser or Budweiser Budvar pale lager brewed using artesian water, Moravian barley and Saaz hops. Budweiser Budvar is th ...

Beer brands of the Czech Republic Food and drink companies established in 1895 1895 establishments in Austria-Hungary 19th-century establishments in Bohemia České Budějovice