Related articles

In today’s business news: Consumer prices have risen by 4.7 percent following a VAT hike, the American Anheuser-Bush purchases the Budějovický měšťanský brewery in hopes of improving its chances in an ongoing trademark dispute, public health insurer VZP may see a budget deficit of up to three billion Czech crowns in 2012, regular and diesel fuel reach record prices, and the forecast for the Czech construction sector for 2012 is the worst among the Visegrad Four.

In Magazine: a bride spends her wedding night in a drunk tank, Czechs sample cocktails in the form of a snack, a communist councilor turns up the heat with nude pics and finally – the real golden brew -beer containing 24 carat gold.

A survey carried out by the CVVM agency for the Czech Beer and Malt Association suggests that Czechs have reduced their beer consumption in recent years. The average weekly consumption has decreased from 4.25 litres in 2007 to 3.85 litres this year. On average Czech men drink beer three times, while women twice a week. The number of daily beer drinkers has also dropped since 2007 from 26 to 15 percent. Breweries included in the association produced 15.7 million hectolitres of beer in 2010, 7.9 percent less than in the year before. The Czech per capita beer consumption was 134 litres in 2010 which still makes Czechs the world’s biggest beer drinkers.

The number of Czech breweries is dwindling, according to the Association of Czech Brewers. Since the early 90s some two dozen breweries disappeared from the market either because they were poorly managed following privatization or because their buyers had other plans. The number of traditional breweries is now down to 52 but according to the association, there is a growing fashion of mini-breweries set up by restaurants which offer their own brews in limited supply. According to available sources the number of breweries in the Czech lands peaked in the 1850s when there were over 1,000 of them. By 1900 their number had dwindled to 650.

The town of Varnsdorf, North Bohemia, on Saturday saw the latest in a series of demonstrations, this time not aimed against the local Romany population but the leadership of the town itself. Around two hundred people gathered on the town’s Edvard Beneš Square between 1 and 3 pm. Unlike several other protests held in the town, the latest was not organised by outside groups – namely right-wing extremists aiming to capitalise on growing social unrest in the area. Mf Dnes reported that on Saturday someone even had a beer stand open at the demonstration – offering ‘reasonable prices’. Police monitored the event; there were no unexpected incidents.

One man who probably more than anyone else can claim to represent one of the Czech Republic’s biggest success stories ― beer ― is Jan Veselý, general director of the Czech Beer and Malt Association. The association groups the biggest Czech breweries and hop producers. In today’s programme, Mr. Veselý talks about the massive changes he has witnessed in the industry which had moved from the planned economy to privatization and the take off of micro-breweries.

For centuries, the northern Bohemian town of Žatec has been the centre of hops growing in the country. Known as the home of hops and beer, the town is now trying to cope with a decline in its traditional industry. It recently launched a multi-million euro tourism project called Temple of Hops and Beer – but it is also slowly coming to terms with recent history that saw the town’s original German population replaced by Czechs in the aftermath of WWII.

In today’s business news: The European Commission launches an antitrust investigation into the Czech energy giant ČEZ, self-employed individuals may be among those who profit from an overhaul of the Czech pension system, a new law eliminates advertising on two public TV channels, Czech tennis star Petra Kvitová’s marketing potential receives a significant boost due to her Wimbledon victory, the regional brewery Svijany posts record profits in 2010 and Czechs pay up to 20 percent more for mobile phone services than clients in neighboring

Czech brewers have established a “beer fund” to fight rising imports of cheap, low-quality beers, the daily Hospodářské noviny reported on Monday. Members of the fund include Plzeňský Prazdroj, Heineken, Budvar as well as the Czech Beer and Malt Association. Under the motto “Czech beer - Our Beer”, the alliance plans to stage marketing campaigns to draw attention to the issue, and to support the EU’s protected geographical indication for Czech-produced beers. The head of the Czech Beer and Malt Association, František Šámal, said the project should ensure a long-term sustainability of Czech beer. Imports of foreign, mainly Polish beer, increased nearly three times last year, reaching just below one million hectolitres.

In the Czech capital, Pivovarský Dům, a brewpub right in the center of Prague with a microbrewery on its premises, as well as its sister establishment, Pivovarský Klub, a restaurant that offers hundreds of beer varieties, were among the first to promote small, regional beers. With the current renaissance of microbrews in full swing, Pivovarský Klub continues to showcase the best of what the Czech Republic’s small brewers have to offer. Pivovarský Klub’s Aleš Dočkal talks about how he got his start in the hospitality business, the beer industry and