CZECH REPUBLIC

Budweiser Budvar LAGER

Budjovick Budvar, n.p., Czech




Beer production in the new brewery started on 7 October 1895. By the next
September, the brewery produced its first 51,100 hectolitres of beer, which has
successfully preserved, throughout the 19th and the 20th century and until the
present time, all its excellent traditional taste and properties. All of this quality is
coming to you now with the beer named Czechvar. the name Czechvar is a
combination of two words Czech and pivovar (in English "brewery"). It is a
symbolic name of a beer coming to you from the Czech lands, from a city famous
for its beer.

Budweiser claims to be "America's beer," but did you know that Americas most
well-known commercial beer is actually a rip from a Brewery in the Czech Republic?

Thats right. As it turns out, Budweiser was not actually born in America. The
original Budweiser was first brewed in the former Kingdom of Bohemia, which is
today the Czech Republic. The beer you ask? None other than the one we present
for you today. Czechvar Lager!








Budjovick Budvar is today the largest brewery in the country and has the legal
rights to sell its beer under the name "Budweiser" in most of Europe.

Enter America. In the mid-1870s, Czech breweries began exporting to the States,
and in 1876, Anheuser-Busch began using the Budweiser brand for its lager. The
combination of the exports and the American copycat led to a huge trademark
dispute that ended in 1938 with Anheuser-Busch only being able to use the brand
Budweiser in North America.

That ruling has since changed a bit, as Anheuser-Busch has been successful in
entering the European Market. And the battle for rights to use the brand in Europe
still continues today. This past decade saw Anheuser-Busch attempt to stop Budvar
from using the name Budweiser in Europe, claiming they had filed for the rights 13
years before the Czech brewery.

In fall 2013, a court ruled in favor of Budvar, and both will continue to compete
against one another for the foreseeable future. Anheuser-Busch still owns the name
in America, as Budvar sells its products under the brand "Budvar" and "Czechvar."
The original Brauhaus beer is sold as "B. B. Brgerbru" in the States and as
"Boheme 1795" in the UK.















Now for the beer

This is a fresh take on the classic pilsner. There's respectable sweet malt in the mouth with lots
of hoppy top notes to balance things out. The flavor is pretty much identical to the aroma except
that there isn't as much lemon on the palate. The finish is on the short side, but a pleasing
gentle bitterness lingers. Medium body for the style, perhaps edging into light on the finish.

So Czechvar is the *real* Budweiser, huh? It's pretty decent beer, all things considered. It's
clean, refreshing and drinkable. In other words, everything the American Budweiser isn't. I'd
have to classify this one as a pleasant surprise.

Enjoy ~