Breweries of the Czech Republic: beer styles and their history

Czech Breweries

styles - history - beers

Gratis teller

Introduction
Much has changed in the Czech brewing world since the end of communism. Brewery closures, new technology and foreign takeovers have transformed the industry. Not all of these changes have been for the better. This page attempts to describe the current structure of the Czech brewing industry, its beer styles and how they developed.		Index Czech brewing industry Czech beer satistics Czech beer styles - history Czech beer styles today Czech Breweries
That was then In 1988 many Czech breweries were almost unchanged from the 1930's. While productivity may have been low, there was no argument about the quality of the beers brewed. Open fermenters, long lagering times and absence of pasteurisation produced distinctive and flavoursome beers. No other country came even vaguely close to the general high standard of Czech lager. It was impossible to find bad beer. The larger regional breweries - Staropramen, Gambrinus, Velké Popovice and, of course, Pilsner Urquell - had national distribution. Even in a town like Prague, where there were several large local breweries, there was a good choice of beer from the whole of Czechoslovakia. Though not as well known as those from Pilsen and Ceské Budejovice, the Prague beers were of just as high a standard until a few years ago. Unhappily, this is no longer the case and the ubiquitous Staropramen 10% and 12% pale lagers are rapidly approaching the (low) standard of 'international' pils beers brewed the world over. The traditional Prague style, as in Munich, is a dark lager and thankfully, after many years of being difficult to find, it seems to have become more available of late. It resisted the switch from top-fermenting longer than other Czech styles and only changed to using bottom-fermenting yeast at the end of the 1800's. The best example is undoubtedly that of U Fleku, a beer along the same lines as a Franconian dark kellerbier. The second best of this style, Braník 12% cerné, which for many years was the only other to be found in any of the city centre pubs, has been discontinued. A move which demonstrated Bass's level of commitment to Prague's brewing traditions. The pubs which used to sell it (and which in some cases still have signs outside advertising it) now have the much-inferior Mestan 11% dark.
This is now The idiotic way the Czech brewing industry was privatised, when the regional groupings of the communist era were sold off in job lots, meant all the local breweries gained a single private owner. In Prague the three large breweries - Staropramen, Braník and Mestan - were in a single group, Prazské Pivovary, and had the same owner. In November 1996, when they increased their shareholding to 51%, that owner was the British firm Bass. When Bass decided to get out of brewing, the breweries passed to the Belgian multinational Interbrew. Interbrew isn't the only international vulture to have descended on the carcass of the communist brewing industry. SABMiller - worryingly for anyone who cares about beer - grabbed almost half of the Czech market when Nomura got bored of playing brewer. They've shown their respect for Pilsner Urquell's uniques tradition by brewing it under licence in plants they control in other countries, such as Poland. Heineken, through its ownership of the Austrian group BBAG, now has a toehold in the Czech Republic. I can't imagine that it will be content with its current market share of less than 5%. That just isn't the way globalists operate. Most of the country's breweries have been hypnotised by all those shiny new conical fermenters and stainless steel lagering tanks. It's as if there's a race on to see how quickly they can destroy hundreds of years of tradition. At the current rate of destruction, they should be just about finished in 5 years time. A few smaller companies are showing more respect, but these are usually small and only available locally. Herold and Regent are two of those sticking with the old techniques and whose beers have a wider distribution. On a more positive note, many individuals have taken advantage of the new economic climate and set up microbreweries and brewpubs. These now make up over 40% of all the breweries in the Czech Republic. Though in terms of market share they are of negligible importance.

The Czech brewing industry

At present, the Czech domestic beer market is dominated by SABMiller, who have a share of over 40%. I expect Heineken and Interbrew to increase their cut, either through further acquisitions ofr aggressive marketing. The future looks bleak for many of the smaller, regional breweries who lack the finances to secure outlets or advertise.

The five largest brewing groups account for around 75% of beer production. Since the mid-1990's most regional breweries have seen their output fall - sometimes quite dramatically. Many medium-sized breweries are operating at less than 50% of their capacity.

At the time of the change in the political system in 1989 there were 71 breweries in the Czech Republic. Of these, 20 have since closed. So far, the opening of new brewpubs and microbreweries has more than offset the closures, at least in terms of total numbers. The net number of breweries has been increasing by around 1.5 per year over the last 10 years.

The current number of active breweries is around 89. The breweries break down as follows:

Brewery	No.	Details
SABMiller	3	Owns Pilsner Urquell, Velké Popovice, Radegast. All are in the the top five largest breweries in the Czech Republic.
Heineken	2	Owns Starobrno and Hostan (through BBAG).
Interbrew	3	Staropramen, Branik, Ostravar
PMS a.s. Přerov	3	Owns the Holba, Litovel and Zubr breweries.
Drinks Union	4	Owns breweries in Velké Březno, Krásné Březno, Louny and Kutna Hora.
Independents	32	Many of the smaller independents are struggling to compete with the large internationally-owned breweries. I expect more to close.
Microbreweries	12	Brewpubs have been more popular than stand-alone micros.
Brewpubs	28	The first brewpubs started to appear in the 1990's. Apart from U Fleků, of course, which has been around since the 15th century.

Brewers' Trade Organisations

The Czech Union of Breweries and Malt-Houses ("Český svaz pivovarů a sladoven")
http://www.cspas.cz/

An organisation founded before WW II. Represents the longer-established and larger breweries.

The Czech Union of Small Independent Breweries ("Český svaz malých nezávislých pivovarů")
Černá Hora 3/5,
679 21 Černá Hora.
Tel: 0506 - 482426
Fax: 0506 - 482429
Email: asistent@PivovarCH.cz
http://www.csmnp.cz/

Founded in 1993 to represent the interests of smaller breweries. Has around 24 members.

Beer Drinkers' Organisation
Chrám chmele a piva "Cathedral of Beer and Hops" an organisation deicated to the hops and beer of Zatec (Saaz).

Czech Beer Tours Let Libor Vojácek guide you around some of the Czech Republic´s smaller and more interesting breweries.

Czech Beer Styles - History

Pilsener and Budweiser
Bohemia is world-famous for its pale lagers, yet these beers to not dominate the local beer landscape as much as one might imagine. A surprisingly large number of dark and amber lagers are brewed, too. It should be remembered that the terms "Pilsener" and "Budweiser" are used as terms of geographical origin in the Czech Republic, not to designate a style or a brand.

A tradition of brewing bottom-fermenting porters, similar to those made in Poland, has almost died out, though a couple of such beers still survive.

Before I tell you about Czech beer styles today, let's take a journey into the past. I think it will prove most instructive.

Bottom-fementing styles circa 1900
There is a fascinating chapter in "American Handy Book of Brewing , Malting and Auxiliary Trades" (Wahl & Henius, Chicago 1902) on Thick Mash Beers in Germany and Austria (P.780-792). It's the best explanation I've read of early lager styles. It's pretty precise about the specifications of the beers, even down to the hopping rates. As the book is designed as a practical manual for berwers, it must bear at least some resemblance to reality.

I'll paraphrase now what it says about the different types of continental lager beer:

type	colour	subtype	gravity Balling	hops/ hl	comments	flavour
Bohemian beer:	"light-yellow to greenish-yellow"	Abzug/Schenk	10.5°	300, 350, to 400 g	usually kräusened as Hefenbier - I suppose a sort of cask-conditioned version. It was kräusened as racked into the trade package and needed time to settle in the public house before serving.	"the taste is vinous , dry, somewhat sharp; instead of the malt taste, the bitter taste of the hops predominates." The kräusened beer didn't need to be kept as cold during lagering
		Abzug/Schenk	11.5°	350, 400 to 430 g
		Abzug/Schenk	11.5°	350, 400 to 430 g
		Lagerbier	12.5°	420, 460, 500 g	not kräusened, i.e. racked bright. Stored three to four months.	Bunged 4 weeks and more., so I guess high in CO2.
		Export	13.5°	450, 480, 550 g	not kräusened. Stored minimum three to four months.	Bunged 4 weeks and more.
Wiener Beer:	between Bavarian and Bohemian in colour	Abzug	10.5°	200, 220 to 260 g	6 to 8 weeks old, bunged 1 or 2 weeks cooled to about zero C02 content 0.32-0.39%	Between Bavarian and Bohemian in taste. I suppose bittersweet.
		Abzug	11.5°	250, 280 to 300 g	6 to 8 weeks old, bunged 1 or 2 weeks cooled to about zero C02 content 0.32-0.39%
			12.5°	300, 330 to 360 g
		Lagerbier	13.5°	320, 360, 400 g	Stored four to five months, bunged (if at all) max. 2 weeks
		Märzen	14.5°	380, 400, 420 g
		Export	15.5°	400, 480, 550 g
Bavarian beer:	pale brown Munich beer and dark brown Kulmbacher beer.	Winter Bier	10.5-11.5° (4.25% alc. vol)		Stored 4 weeks, bunged 6 to 8 days	"It has palate-fulness, a sweet taste and malt flavor."
		Summer Bier	12.5-14.5° (4.9% alc. vol)	200, 280 to 300 g	Same hop rate for all strengths. Stored 4 weeks, Bunged 2 weeks
		Export	15° (5.5% alc. vol)		Stored 10 weeks, Bunged 2 weeks
		Bock	16° to 18° (5.9% alc. vol)		Stored 10 weeks, Bunged 2 weeks
Notes: Beer was bunged to increase the amount of dissolved CO2 to that desired. It usually ocurred immediately before the beer was due to be sold. The darker beers were not - as is often the case today - brewed from a grist of pilsner malt plus a small amount of highly-coloured malt. Vienna beers were brewed from 100% vienna malt, Munich beers from 100% dark Münchner malt. The Bohemian beers were - surprise, surprise - made from 100% pilsner malt. The principal differences between the types in terms of colour and degree of attenuation derived from the characteristics of the different kinds of malt.

Here are some Czech, Viennese and Bavarian beers analysed around this time (Wahl & Henius, p. 823-830):

Beer	Brewery	Date sampled	Balling Wort	Balling Beer	app.deg. atten.	alc. wt.	alc. vol.
Pilsener (Schenk or Winter Beer)	Bürgerliches Brauhaus, Pilsen (Pilsner Urquell)	1886	11.2°	3.56°	68%	2.98%
Lagerbier	Bürgerliches Brauhaus, Pilsen	1887	11.72°	3.25°	72%	3.32%
Export	Bürgerliches Brauhaus, Pilsen	1888	11.95°	3.55°	70%	3.46%
Export	Bürgerliches Brauhaus, Pilsen	1898	13.82°	3.80°	72.5%	4.20%
Lagerbier	Actien-Brauhaus, Pilsen	1887	11.72°	2.75°	77%	3.51%	4.4%
Export	Actien-Brauhaus, Pilsen	1897	12.21°	3.1°	75%	3.82%	4.8%
Lagerbier	Pilsner Urquell, Pilsen	2004	12.0°	3.65°	70%	3.52%	4.4%
Lagerbier	Budweiser (not specified which brewery)	1887	11.34°	2.75°	76%	3.56%
Lagerbier	Budweiser Budvar	2004	12.0°	2.5°	81%	4%	5%
Lagerbier	Dreher, Michelob	1888	13.30°	3.80°	71%	4.11%
Bock	Brünner (Brno - not specified which brewery)	1876	14.63°	4.40°	70%	4.39%	5.5%
Schenk or Winter Beer	Nussdorfer	1876	10.78°	3.75°	65%	2.93%
Lagerbier	Nussdorfer	-	13.18°	3.75°	72%	3.85%
Schenk or Winter Beer	Kleinschwechater	1888/1885	10.13°	3.00°	70%	2.94%
Lagerbier	Schwechater	-	13.25°	4.25°	68%	3.62%
Export	Dreher, Kleinschwechat	1898	13.07°	3.95°	70%	3.83%
Schenk or Winter Beer	Munich (not specified which brewery)	1886	11.92°	4.25°	63%	3.00%
Lagerbier	Löwenbräu, Munich	1888	14.75°	3.55°	76%	3.46%
Export	Löwenbräu, Munich	1901	13.53°	4.13°	69%	3.95%
Lagerbier	Spaten , Munich	1867	13.07°	4.50°	66%	3.23%
Export	Spaten , Munich	1879	13.7°	5.05°	63%	3.74%	4.65%
Bock	Spaten , Munich	-	24°	8.47°	65%	7%	8.73%
Export	Kulmbacher	1885	17.60°	7.55°	57%	4.18%
Export	Kulmbacher	1887	15.30°	4.50°	71%	4.48%
Bock	Kulmbacher Actien	1880	20.24°	6.97°	66%	5.28%

You'll note that the beers run like this in decreasing degree of attenuation (and increasing colour):
Budweis, Pilsen, Vienna, Munich.

A tantalising - that because I only have an analysis of 1 Budweis beer - difference is shown between the Pilsen beers the drier one from Budweis. It's a distinction that is just as true today.

By way of comparison, here are the specifications of DDR bottom-fermenting cicrca 1975 ("Technologie Brauer und Mälzer" Wolfgang Kunze, Leipzig 1975, p.415-430):

type	start grav.	end grav.	app.deg.atten.	alc. wt.	hop g/hl	colour EBC	CO2
Malzbier	6°	2.4°	55-65%	0.5 - 1.2%	40	min 47	0.35%
Hell	11° - 11.°5	2.75° (max)	min. 75%	3.6 - 4.0%	180	max 13.8	0.38%
Schwarzbier	12°	3.6 - 4.8°	60-70%		230	min 160	0.35%
Deutsches Pilsner	12.5° -13.0°	3.1° (max)	min. 75%	3.7 - 4.2%	250	max 12.2	0.38%
Deutsches Pilsator	12.5° -13.3°	2.75° (max)	min. 78%	3.8 - 4.5%	300	max 12.2	0.40%
Märzen	14°	4.2° (max)	min. 70%	3.8 - 4.3%	240	40 - 55	0.38%
Bockbier Hell	16°	4.0 - 5.1°	68-75%	4.5 - 5.2%	150	23 - 33	0.38%
Bockbier Dunkel	16°	4.5 - 5.6°	65-72%	4.5 - 5.0%	150	min 85	0.38%
Norddeutsches Lagerbier*					130 - 250
Pilsener Biertyp*					250 - 500
Dortmunder Biertyp*					200 - 250
Münchner Biertyp*					130 - 170
Notes: The start and end gravity are given in degrees Plato. * "Leitfaden für den Brauer und Mälzer" Rudolf Dickscheit, Leipzig 1953, p.82.

You're probably wondering (if you haven't already packed up and gone home) why I have bothered you with all this historical gumph. Because without this knowledge, modern Czech beer styles won't make a great deal of sense. Unless - as may well be the case - you're brighter than me.

How can I say this without seeming a total prat? Until a terrifyingly recent date, I had thought of Czech beer as without beer styles in the classic sense. They don't call their beers Pils or Münchner or Export; they just brew 11, 12, 13 and 14° Plato beer either pale, dark or amber. How wrong could I have been.....

Stumbling across a pre-WW II Czech beer label prompted a rethink. A very simple label, printed in orangey-brown. In the centre "14%" and underneath "Märzen". Of course - Czech 14% amber beers were in the Märzen style! On closer inspection, 13% pale lagers are in the Spezial style; suddenly these Bohemian beers were fitting in very nicely with the lagers from Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland.

(As an illustration I've included the German and Czech versions of the same beer label. OK, it's a bit strange calling a 10° beer a Märzen, but it confirms "Březňák" as the Czech translation.)

It's like a physicist stumbling upon an unified field theory - suddenly the whole universe can be described in one sentence. Or perhaps a 19th century chemist filling in the grid of the periodic table. Which is exactly what I'll do now.

The illuminating quality of Czech lagers is not a matter of chance. The survival of so many of the early lager types in Bohemia make it far easier to spot patterns. Here's my grid:

Country	8%	10%	11%	12%	13%	14%	15%	16%	18%
Czech Republic	Výčepní	Výčepní	Ležák	Ležák	Speciální	Speciální/Exportní	y	y	y
	Výčepní	Výčepní	Ležák	Ležák	Speciální	Speciální/Märzen	y	y	y
	Výčepní	Výčepní	Ležák	Ležák	Speciální	Speciální	y	y	y
Bavaria	x	x	Pils	Helles	Spezial	Oktoberfest	x	Bock	Doppelbock
	x	x	x	Lagerbier?		Märzen	x	Bock	Doppelbock
	x	x	x	Dunkles	märzen/export		x	Bock	Doppelbock
Austria	x	x	Helles/Pils	Märzen	Spezial		x	Bock
	x	x	Lager	Bernstein	Granit	Märzen	x	Bock
	x	x		Export	Spezial		x	Bock	Doppelbock
Switzerland	x	x	Pils	Helles	Spezial	Starkbier		Bock	x
	x	x				Starkbier		Bock	x
	x	x		Dunkles	Spezial			Bock	x

I won't insult your intelligence - you can see that far more of the Czech boxes are occupied. Vienna lagers aren't dead: they've just moved over the border. No country produces such a range of amber (polotmavé pivo) and dark lagers (tmavé pivo) as the Czech Republic. I can't quite understand why no-one has twigged this yet.

You can read more about the History and Brewing methods of Pilsner Urquell here.

Czech Beer Styles Today
Bottom-fermenting Styles The overwhelming of majority of beer brewed in the Czech Republic is bottom-fermenting. Uniquely amongst traditional lager countries, 10 degree beer (OG 1040; 3.5-4% alc.vol.) is the biggest seller. Some brewpubs make unfiltered versions of the classic Czech styles. This is a breakdown of the bottom-fermenting styles:
Style	alc.	description
Světlé Výčepní Pivo	3-4% (8-10° Plato)	Pale, low-strength lager. In German the name translates as "Helles Schankbier". Usually highly-attenuated and fairly hoppy. Not lagered for any great time, such beers are sold 3-4 weeks after mashing. The most popular style of beer in the Czech Republic.
Polomavé Výčepní Pivo	3-4% (8-10° Plato)	Amber, low-gravity lager. Some breweries call it Řizek or "cut", meaning a mix of pale and dark. A type of beer which is virtually unknown outside the Czech Republic.
Tmavé (Černé) Výčepní Pivo	3-4% (8-10° Plato)	Dark, low-gravity lager - "Dunkles Schankbier". Can be either sweet and malty or quite dry, with an amount of malt bitterness. Pretty much exclusively a Czech style.
Světlý Ležák	4.4 - 5% (11-12.5° Plato)	The classic Czech pale lager style. The name means the same as "Helles Lagerbier" in German. Individual beers vary greatly, from sweetish and malty (like Pilsner Urquell) to dry and hoppy (Budvar). One thing they all have in common is being heavily hopped with good quality aroma hops (such as Saaz). Beers in this style should be lagered for 2-3 months before sale.
Polotmavý ležák	4.4 - 5% (11-12° Plato)	An amber lager, roughly in the Vienna style. Full-bodied, malty and with those lovely Czech hops much in evidence.
Tmavý (Černý) Ležák	4.4 - 5% (11-12° Plato)	A term that covers a wide range of darker lagers, that vary in colour from pale brown to jet black. The name translates as "Dunkles Lagerbier" in German. They vary in taste from sweeter than a Münchner to quite dry. The Czech Republic is very unusual in that pale lagers preceeded dark ones. Czech dark beers remained top-fermenting until the 1890's. Beers in this style should be lagered for 2-3 months before sale.
Světlé Speciální Pivo	5.3 - 5.8% (13-14° Plato)	A heavily-hopped pale lager. Approximates to a South German "Helles Export" or "Spezial" - a full-bodied beer with a good dose of quality aroma hops.
Polotmavé Speciální Pivo	5.3 - 6% (13-14° Plato)	An amber lager, roughly in the Märzen style (some breweries still use that term, or at least the Czech translation "Březnové pivo"). Full-bodied, malty and with those lovely Czech hops much in evidence.
Tmavé (Černé) Speciální Pivo	5.3 - 5.8% (13-14° Plato)	Strong dark lagers, which don't have many equivalents elsewhere. A Dunkles Märzen or Dunkles Export, related to Franconian beers of this name. A style usually only attempted by full-on artisan lager brewers. Full-bodied, malty and sometimes quite bitter. The U Fleků Ležák is a beautiful example of this style.
Světlé Speciální Pivo	6 - 7% (15-17° Plato)	Roughly equivalent to a pale bock - powerful and bittersweet.
Polotmavé Speciální Pivo	6 - 7% (15-17° Plato)	Amber bock - malty and bittersweet. Some beers are even called Kozlík - the Czech for "small goat" or "kid".
Tmavé (Černé) Speciální Pivo	6 - 7% (15-17° Plato)	Dark bock - big, chewy lagers.
Světlé Speciální Pivo	8 - 9% (18-21° Plato)	Pale doppelbock - powerful, malty lagers.
Polotmavé Speciální Pivo	8 - 9% (18-21° Plato)	Amber doppelbock. Another amber style rarely seen outside the Czech Republic.
Tmavé (Černé) Speciální Pivo	8 - 10% (18-24° Plato)	Dark doppelbock. Includes the strongest Czech lagers.
Porter	8 - 9% (19-20° Plato)	Black lagers. Very full-bodied beers, with lots of dark malt flavours and a good dose of bitterness. Pre- WW II, the standard top-end beer of Czech breweries. Getting rare.
Top-fermenting Styles There are a few examples of Bavarian-style wheat beers, which have been introduced in the last 10 years by some smaller breweries. It's really a re-introduction of the style, which supposedly originated in Bohemia before jumping across the border to Bavaria in the 17th century. That aside, the commercial Czech breweries are effectively 100% bottom-fermenting. This is an overview of the top-fermenting beers brewed in the Czech Republic:
Style	alc.	description
Pšeničné pivo	5 - 5.5% (12 - 13° Plato)	Top-fermenting wheat beer in the Bavarian style. The unfiltered version is called "kvasnicové" ("kvas" - like the name of the Russian beer - means "yeast" in Czech). Only pale varieties appear to be brewed in the Czech republic. Lightly-hopped, high in carbonation, and with a characteristic spiciness derived from the special yeast culture.
Altbier	4.2 - 5.3% (10 - 12° Plato)	A copper to pale brown coloured beer, which is fairly dry and hoppy.
Others	varies	Some micros and brewpubs brew beers in British styles, such as Bitter, Stout or Porter. Others try their hand at Belgian styles like Witbier or strong ale.

Czech Breweries

Czech Beer Statistics

Beer Production (1000 hl)

1712

1832

1864

1900

1905

1929

1930

1950

1976

1978

1980

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Czech Republic

3,000b

9,000b

16,400@

17,626#

17,476#

17,928#

18,200*
18,854#

18,936#

17,414

18,242

18,292

17,916

17,881

18,178

18,548*

18,753*

Czechoslovakia

11,968c

13,000@

11,400@

9,250@

22,100

21,900@

23,000@

22,789#

22,228#

22,670#

23,333#

21,966#

n/a

Slovakia

5,500@

5,164#

4,752#

4,743#

4,538#

4,607#

3,986

4,536

4,700

4,485

4,520

4,574

4,850

Bohemia

1,336c

1,966c

Sources:
(years 1997 - 2001) Brauwelt Brevier
2003 - Brauwelt 3/2004, page 86
* Český svaz pivovarů a sladoven
@ ABC o Nápojích (Angerová & Sůra, 1986) p.176
# UN Statistics Division.
b "Pivovary Moravy a Slezska" (Region Silesia, 2002, ISBN 80-238-9776-4) p.6
c Brauwelt 11 (2005) p.304

Beer consumption per head per annum (litres)

1976

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

The Czech Republic

n/a

164.9*

163.3*

153.6*

163

160

161.8

159

158&

160@

(Czechoslovakia)

142

147.8

140.1

130.8

133.4

130

n/a

(Slovakia)

n/a

93#

Sources:
1976 - World Guide to Beer, Michael Jackson,
1983 - 1989 Bier in Belgie, Geert van Lierde,
1993 and 1994 - The Confederation of Belgian Brewers.
1995 - Economics Department, German Brewers' Assocition.
1997,1998 - Brauwelt Brevier 2000
2000 - Brauwelt 31-32/2002
2002 - # Brauwelt 18/2004 page .513
2003 - @ Brauwelt 3/2004, page 86
* US Department of Commerce

Number of breweries

1712

1832

1850

1860

1905

1912

1918

1927

1935

1937

1946

1950

1979

1989

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Czech Republic
Total

500#

80@

71*

72a

74a

77a

80a

77a

73a

81a

81#
81a

81a

84a

88a

pre-1989 breweries

68a

67a

66a

62a

58a

57a

58#
56a

55a

54*
54a

51a

post-1989 breweries

10a

14a

15a

24a

23#
25a

26a

30a

33a

37a

Czechoslovakia

1052*

1060b

740b

666*

526*

331&

320&

309&

260*

198#

96@

n/a

Slovakia

16@

Bohemia

1279c

1087c

Sources:
& Státní úřad statistický
* Český svaz pivovarů a sladoven
@ "ABC o Nápojích" (Angerová & Sůra, 1986)
# "Restaurant Microbreweries in the Czech Republic" (1999, ISBN 80-902658-0-4) p.9
a - my calculation
b "Pivovary Moravy a Slezska" (Region Silesia, 2002, ISBN 80-238-9776-4) p.6
c Brauwelt 11 (2005) p.304

Czech beer exports (1,000 hl)

Country

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Exports

Production

%age exported

Exports

Production

%age exported

Exports

Production

%age exported

Exports

Production

%age exported

Exports

Production

%age exported

Czech Republic

1,589c

17,916b

8.9%

1,855*

17,881+

10.4%

2,034a

17,987a

11.31%a

2,130c

18,548c

11.5%c

2,638c

18,753c

14.1%c

Sources:
* Centraal Brouwerij Kantoor
+ Brauwelt Brevier 2003
a "Het Brouwersblad" June 2004. p.10
b Brauwelt Brevier
c Ceský svaz pivovarů a sladoven

Beer production by beer type
beer type	2004
výcepní	61.3%
ležák	34.4%
non-alcoholic beer	1.1%
Source: Český svaz pivovarů a sladoven

Beer production by package type
beer type	2004
draught	47%
bottled	46%
canned	4%
Source: Český svaz pivovarů a sladoven

Largest Czech breweries and their market share
	1991	1991	1995	1995	2000	2000	2001	2001	2002	2002	2003	2003	2004	2004
	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%
Plzeňský Prazdroj (SABMiller)			3,283,560*	18%*	4,915,000	27%	5,100,000	28.5%	5,200,000	28.6%
Radegast (SABMiller)	1,177,000		1,763,000	9.7%	2,077,000	11.6%	1,900,000	10.6%	2,155,000	11.9%
Budějovický Budvar (state owned)	490,000		909,000	5%	1,347,000	7.5%	1,350,000	7.5%	1,213,000	6.7%	1,112,000c	6%	1,112,360	5.9%
Staropramen (Interbrew)					1,157,000	6.5%	1,243,000	6.9%	1,257,000	6.9%	1,400,000c	7.5%
Velké Popovice (SABMiller)	812,000		811,000	4.4%	749,000	4.2%	944,000	5.3%	1,107,000	6.1%
Pivovar Braník (Interbrew)					731,000	4.1%	841,000	4.7%	829,000	4.6%
Krušovice (Binding)			513,000	2.8%	790,000	4.4%	711,000	4%	678,000	3.7%
Starobrno (Heineken)					569,000	3.2%	545,000	3%	572,500	3.1%
Ostravar (Interbrew)			372,000	2%	441,000	2.5%	475,000	2.7%	543,000	3%
Pivovar Holba (PMS a.s. Přerov)			270,000						433,000	2.4%
Pivovar Zubr (PMS a.s. Přerov)					386,000	2.2%	335,000	1.8%	306,000	1.7%
Krásné Březno (Drinks Union)							246,000	1.4%	248,000	1.4%
Total (top 5 breweries)					10,286,000	57.4%	10,537,000	58.9%	10,932,000	60.1%
Total (all breweries)			18,242,000		17,916,000		17,900,000		18,178,000		18,548,000		18,753,268
Source: The Czech Union of Breweries and Malt-Houses * SABMiller c Brauwelt 11 (2005) p.304 my own calculation

Largest Czech brewing groups and their market share
	1991	1991	1995	1995	2000	2000	2001	2001	2002	2002	2003	2003	2004	2004
	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%	Output (hl)	%
Plzeňský Prazdroj (SABMiller)			3,284,000*	18%*	4,915,000	27%	5,100,000	28.5%	5,200,000	28.6%
Radegast (SABMiller)	1,177,000		1,763,000	9.7%	2,077,000	11.6%	1,900,000	10.6%	2,155,000	11.9%
Velké Popovice (SABMiller)	812,000		811,000	4.4%	749,000	4.2%	944,000	5.3%	1,107,000	6.1%
SABMiller Total					7,741,000	43.2%	7,944,000	44.4%	8,462,000	46.6%	8,600,000	46.4%	8,447,957	45%
Staropramen (Interbrew)					1,157,000	6.5%	1,243,000	6.9%	1,257,000	6.9%	1,400,000c	7.5%
Ostravar (Interbrew)			372,000	2%	441,000	2.5%	475,000	2.7%	543,000	3%
Pivovar Braník (Interbrew)					731,000	4.1%	841,000	4.7%	829,000	4.6%
Interbrew Total					2,329,000	13%	2,559,000	14.3%	2,629,000	14.5%	2,800,000	15.1%	2,946,614	15.7%
Hostan (Heineken)			192,000		213,000		203,000	1.1%	200,000	1.1%
Starobrno (Heineken)					569,000	3.2%	545,000	3%	572,500	3.1%
Heineken Total							748,000	4.2%	772,500	4.3%			831,243	4.4%
Pivovar Holba (PMS a.s. Přerov)									433,000	2.4%
Pivovar Zubr (PMS a.s. Přerov)					386,000	2.2%	335,000	1.8%	306,000	1.7%
Pivovar Litovel (PMS a.s. Přerov)									230,000	1.2%
PMS a.s. Přerov Total									969,000	5.3%			956,276	5.1%
Krásné Březno (Drinks Union)			320,000		268,000		246,000	1.4%	248,000	1.4%
Kutná Hora (Drinks Union)	230,000		200,000		102,000		90,000		69,000	0.4%
Pivovar Louny (Drinks Union)					234,000		251,000	1.4%	229,000	1.3%
Velké Březno (Drinks Union)			180,000		227,000		246,000	1.4%	249,000	1.4%
Drinks Union Total					831,000		833,000		795,000	4.4%			935,887	5%
Total (top 5 brewing groups)									13,667,500	75.2%			14,117,977	75.3%
Total (all breweries)			18,242,000		17,916,000		17,900,000		18,178,000		18,548,000		18,753,268
Sources: The Czech Union of Breweries and Malt-Houses * SABMiller c Brauwelt 11 (2005) p.304 my own calculation

Breweries grouped by output
Annual output	1995	2003
< 10,000 hl	4#	40*
>10,000 hl < 100,000 hl	23#	16*
>100,000 hl < 250,000 hl		20*
>250,000 hl < 500,000 hl		4*
>500,000 hl < 1,000,000 hl		3*
>1,000,000 hl		5*
Total		88*
Source: * my own calculation

1995
	No.	%age	output (1,000 hl	%age of output
<10	4	5.71	8.6	0.05
10-50	11	15.71	306.7	1.72
50-100	12	17.14	856.0	4.80
100-150	9	12.86	1,082.8	6.07
150-200	11	17.71	1,940.0	10.88
200-500	16	22.87	5,089.7	28.55
500-1000	4	5.71	2,781.7	15.60
>1000	3	4.29	5,764.7	32.33
Total	70	100.00	17,830.2	100.00
Source: U. S. Department of Commerce - National Trade Data Bank, May 6, 1999

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