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Brewing tradition in Czech lands

Beer is said to have originated in ancient times by accident. Rain water leaked into clay vessels containing grains of wild cereals, and the subsequent fermentation resulted in an intoxicating drink. The birthplace of beer is considered to be Mesopotamia, where cereals were grown in the 7th millennium BC. Beer production was first mentioned in writing by Sumerians and Babylonians about 3,000 – 2,800 BC. Interestingly, instructions for beer production, written in Sumerian cuneiform on clay tablets, were first deciphered by Bedřich Hrozný, a Czech scientist. 

 

Beer brewing in the territory of today's Czech Republic can boast a tradition of more than one thousand years, as evidenced also by archaeological findings. In 999 AD, Vojtěch, the second Czech bishop, prohibited monks from brewing beer because they apparently indulged in excessive drinking. The first preserved written record related to beer dates back to 1088, when Czech King Vratislav II assigned the Vyšehrad Chapter a tithe of hops for beer brewing. He was, however, not the first one to do so; in this respect, he was preceded by Prince Břetislav I, reigning in years 1034 – 1055 AD.


Where beer is brewed, life is good

Beer brewing started to expand in the 12th century, when beer was brewed by burghers of towns newly founded by the sovereign and the aristocracy.

The so-called right to brew applied to every burgher owning a house. A century later, beer brewing burghers started to associate and they founded burgher breweries. The first one operated as early as 1200 AD in Teplá, western Bohemia. Fifty years later, a brewery was established in Olomouc, central Moravia, and others soon followed in other cities.


In 14th century, brewers formed their own guild. At the same time, Czech beer started to be exported. With its increasing popularity, however, disagreements erupted over who may and may not brew it. The aristocracy was striving for their own right to brew beer and was finally granted the privilege in 1517. The aristocracy’s first breweries were then established.

The sad events of the 17th century disrupted the flourishing craft of beer brewing in Bohemia and Moravia. Breweries operated by burghers, the aristocracy and monasteries gradually prevailed. The burghers' monopoly on beer's production and sale was abolished by Emperor Joseph II in 1788.
 

By the mid-19th century, more than one thousand breweries operated in the Czech lands, marking the beginning of the most famous era of Czech beer brewing. In 1842, the burghers' brewery in Pilsen was founded and lagers produced solely by bottom fermentation started to dominate. The first independent malthouses opened in the 19th century as well, and industrial beer production developed in so called machine breweries.

In 1883, the first congress of Czech brewmasters took place in Prague. 


During the independent republic…

In 1918, Czechoslovakia gained not only independence, but also 60 % of the industrial potential of the collapsed Austria-Hungarian Empire, including 562 breweries, which were, however, in a precarious state. The Second World War ruined a vast portion of what was built during the interwar period. 121 breweries ceased to operate, hop gardens were destroyed, etc.

After 1945, breweries were nationalized and united under the umbrella of Czechoslovak Breweries, a state-owned enterprise. Many organizational changes took place within the brewery management system and the total number of breweries diminished, resulting in about 80 breweries in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia in 1989.

Following the Velvet Revolution, breweries and malthouses were privatized and joint-stock and limited liability companies were established. Individual entrepreneurs started brewing and, in some places, burghers reclaimed their rights.

Gradually, foreign capital entered many breweries. Foreign owners intensified and centralized beer production and closed some of the breweries that had produced Czech beer for centuries. Many expert brewers and craftsmen alike lost their jobs and left the industry. The craft of beer brewing, which passed from one generation of Czech brewers to another, was in danger of becoming extinct.

However, new enterprises, especially brewery-restaurants, have emerged, counterbalancing the closing of breweries and standardization of beer's taste, while at the same time continuing the tradition of Czech beer. This trend is still continuing today. The popularity of locally brewed beer with customers confirms that high-quality Czech beer still deserves a firm place in the third millennium. As of December 31, 2012, a total of 181 were registered in the Czech Republic, which is 101 more than in 1989, with new ones yet to be opened.

Our breweries

Na Kopečku Brewery

Kunratice Brewery

Please take a look at our picture gallery. You can also find pictures of our reference brewery Na Kopečku, in Svitavy and brewery Kunratice, in Prague.

Why us

We are brewmasters and guarantee the quality of the beer. Beer from a minibrewery is an excellent marketing attraction and we will advise you how to best use it.

Turnkey implementation

We can set up your minibrewery according to your wishes. As contractors, we save both your time and money. 

Consulting

We apply solutions that have proven to be successful. Our experts draw on experiences gathered by the whole group. We are creative and love our profession.