Budweiser Budvar

[ctgm]

Good to see that CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale (a group that we have in the UK) - is trying to persuade the Czech government not to sell Budvar, as more likely than not to Anheuser-Busch who would then close down, what CAMRA call, a unique "brewing gem".

http://www.camra.org.uk/SHWebClass.asp?WCI...owCat&CatId=370

[jhlurie]

Even if A-B did buy it, they'd be insane to close it. Sell it under another name, as much of a shame as even THAT concession would be. Or position it as a Premium Budweiser, call it "Budweiser Gold" or something like that.

[sikfan]

I heard that anheuser did try to stop budvar from selling, but when it went to court for the injunction, budvar cited the fact that they have been brewing the beer for nearly a thousand years, and it was anheuser who stole the recipe from them in the first place.

coupled with the fact that they brew it with water from the town of budvar, so in czech you get the name budweiser (shortened from budvar weiser)

naturally, the case went away...

maybe anheuser will buy budvar though...if they can't beat em, buy em!

[Bux]

I believe the Czech Budweiser is currently available in the US under the Czechvar label, if I'm not mistaken. You'd have a hard time selling me on the fact the A-B stole their recipe. I've tasted both beers. It can just be the water.

[syzygy8]

I believe the Czech Budweiser is currently available in the US under the Czechvar label, if I'm not mistaken.

You are not mistaken. There is limited US distribution at this point though.

[Jim]

The Budvar sold here as Czechvar isn't - unfortunately - nearly so wonderful as that sold in Europe and not close to Budvar on tap in Czech Republic. It's quite a delicate beer that doesn't travel well or take to pasteurization. Someone earlier in the thread couldn't believe the only difference between Budvar and Budweiser was the water & it isn't...the malt used in Czech Republic is quite different and is undermodified compared to what Budweiser uses; in addition, Budvar is all malt and Budweiser uses rice and perhaps other adjuncts. The hops are also different and so is the brewing process, with Budvar doing a decoction mash owing to the undermodified malt.

[theprophe]

I heard that anheuser did try to stop budvar from selling, but when it went to court for the injunction, budvar cited the fact that they have been brewing the beer for nearly a thousand years, and it was anheuser who stole the recipe from them in the first place.

coupled with the fact that they brew it with water from the town of budvar, so in czech you get the name budweiser (shortened from budvar weiser)

naturally, the case went away...

maybe anheuser will buy budvar though...if they can't beat em, buy em!

Actually the beer is from a town called "ceske budejovice" but the germans call it budweis

[Roger Troutman]

Czechvar is good stuff. I hope that it is properly marketed and distribution expanded.