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Beer producers say that sales of beer on tap in the past three months have dropped as compared to the same period last year due to the cold and rainy weather. Although no official statistics are out yet, some brewers say the drop is likely to be in two-digit numbers. Beer sales usually soar in late March, early April with the opening of outdoor eateries and garden restaurants. These outlets account for a third of overall beer sales.

In this week’s Business News: ČEZ topples Škoda Auto as biggest Czech company; sales surge should help Škoda Auto regain top spot; Czech financial sector gets clean bill of health; end of track for rail cargo bosses; and mini-brewery provider gets global boost.

In Business News this week: low score on pumping EU funds; falling consumption hits brewer Plzeňský Prazdroj; Czechs seen plugging into video conferencing; ČEZ announces payback from foreign investments; and wage rises still under control.

Czech beer is already being sold around the world in powdered form. Now the Czech research institute behind the recipe is seeking protection in the form of a worldwide patent. It believes the application will help it build on its existing success.

Among the small beer producers presenting their wares at the Czech Beer Festival currently on in Prague is the Zhůřák brewery, which is run by Chris Baerwaldt. He moved to the Czech Republic from the US, and produces wheat beers and ales at his home near the small west Bohemian town of Zhůř. When we met just before the Czech Beer Festival, I asked Baerwaldt what had brought him to this country in the first place.

The Czech Republic will see more than 140 events linked to beer and brewing in 2010, according to a survey by the Czech Beer and Malt Association. Some 700,000 visitors are expected to attend the various open-door events at breweries, beer festivals and other celebrations centered on the beverage across the country. Altogether, some 250 different brews will be available for tasting at the various events. In recent years, growing interest in beer culture has lead to a growth in beer festivals and brewery tours. Following the opening of a beer museum in Plzeň, other cities and towns are planning to open beer museums as well.

As elections draw closer, political parties and civic activists are doing their best to encourage people to vote. Brewer Stanislav Bernard, a right-leaning former candidate for the Czech Senate, has come up with his own campaign. He is offering beer to young Czechs in order to encourage them to vote.

Brewer Stanislav Bernard is offering beer to young Czechs in order to encourage them to vote in next week’s elections. He has promised kegs of his Bernard beer to the first 250 secondary school classes in which 85 percent or more of eligible voters pledge to go to the polls. Mr Bernard is a right-leaning former candidate for the Czech Senate. Right wing parties did best in a recent mock election of 15- to 19-year-olds held by a Czech NGO.

The Czech Beer Festival Prague 2010 has just got underway in the capital. Between now and May 30, visitors will be able to sample scores of brews in several large tents at the city’s Letňany Exhibition Centre. Now in its third year, the festival is offering a greater variety of beers than ever, and is also becoming more popular with visitors from abroad. Shortly before it opened at lunchtime on Friday, I asked the man behind the Czech Beer Festival, Jan Hübner, what was new this year?

The Czech brewing company Plzeňský Prazdroj has opened its first Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurant outside of the Czech Republic, in the German city of Düsseldorf. A spokesman for the company said on Monday that projected beer sales for the restaurant are about 50,00 liters of beer a year. The restaurant will feature self-service taps, along with offering traditional Czech fare. In the Czech Republic, Plzeňský Prazdroj has 19 original restaurants in nine different cities.