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Czech beer consumers are growing increasingly fond of canned beer. While in 2015, canned beer sales went up by 16 percent on the previous year, last year the sales went up by no less than a quarter, the daily e15 reported this week, citing data from the Czech Beer and Malt Association.

Sunday’s parliamentary elections, ongoing negotiations over a reunification of the divided island – and maybe football: these are some of the main topics discussed in the garden of the Pivo "πίβο" Microbrewery, recently opened in the heart of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. Located on the Greek Cypriot South side of the old town, right next to the UN buffer zone, this is definitely the most Czech pub in the Mediterranean, within earshot of the muezzin call to prayer of one of the mosques on the North side. Four young men from the same family founded Pivo.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority has ordered retailers to pull an alcohol-free beer from their shelves which tests showed contained more alcohol than advertised or allowed. Samples of a beer called Vyškovské pivo Alkostop, the news site Novinky.cz reported, were found to contain 1.6 percent alcohol - far higher than than the maximum 0.5 permitted in alcohol-free beer. Further tests have been ordered with costs reportedly to be covered by the producer. The spokesman for the authority said that the higher percentage of alcohol could lead to problems, were, for example, a consumer to get behind the wheel.

Czech breweries recorded the highest beer production in history last year, for the first time increasing the level of production beyond 20 million hectolitres. The figures represented an increase by 2.2 on the previous year, the Czech Beer and Malt Association said on Thursday. Czech beer exports increased by 13.4 percent to 4.14 million hectolitres, while the import of beer increased by 7.3 percent. Domestic consumption of beer per person dropped by one litre in 2015 to 143 litres.

Sales of the flagship beer Pilsner Urquell rose by more than 8 percent overall last year compared with 2014 based on sales on the domestic market and abroad. That means that a new record for overall sales surpassing the 2 million hectoliters of 2014 will be set. The beer is one of the main marks of Czech brewer Plzeňský Prazdroj, which belongs to the SAB Miller group.

While Czechs’ beer consumption dropped slightly in recent years producers are not worried. In the past two years exports have steadily increased, hitting record figures. In the past five years beer exports have risen by more than 40 percent.

A Russian fashion for imported beers meant a boon for Czech breweries a few years back. However, the economic crisis of the last two years and restrictions on marketing have led to a marked fall in exports of Czech lager to the world’s biggest country, the daily Hospodářské noviny reported.

Finance Minister Andrej Babiš, who last week caused a stir by proposing to halve the tax on draft beer has said he would not be opposed to reducing the VAT on non-alcoholic beverages and water from 21 to 10 percent as well. Mr. Babiš, who was accused of blatant populism by both opposition and coalition deputies, made the latest proposal in an interview for the daily Právo, saying that the VAT reduction on water would cost the state 15 million crowns, that on non-alcoholic beverages 50 million. Commentators have linked his proposals to the autumn Senate and regional elections.

The Association of Producers and Importers of Spirits has also slammed the finance minister’s plan to lower VAT on draft beer as populist and unfair to producers of other alcoholic beverages. The head of the association, Jaroslav Burkart, said he hoped the plan would not win government consent since it would disadvantage spirits, wine and liquor producers. The head of the government’s National Anti-Drug Agency Jindřich Vobořil, also criticized the plan, saying it goes against the government’s plans to fight alcoholism.He told the dailz Pravo he waould resign if the proposal was approved.

A proposal made on Thursday by ANO leader Andrej Babiš has raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers across the Czech political spectrum. The finance minister says he wants to halve the VAT rate on draft beer.