State-owned Czech brewery in Budweis – Budweiser Budvar, Czech lager brewed the traditional way since 1895
Budějovický Budvar n.p.
České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic · Erfurt, GermanyNew on Amplifa
About Budweiser Budvar
Budějovický Budvar n.p. is a brewery founded in 1895 and headquartered in České Budějovice (Budweis) in southern Bohemia. The company brews beer in the original Budweiser style; in 2024, 1.928 million hl of beer were produced. Budweiser Budvar is the most exported Czech beer brand and is exported to more than 60 countries. The brewery uses four ingredients: whole Saaz hop cones, Moravian malt, the company's own lager yeast, and soft water from an Ice Age aquifer around 300 metres below the brewery site. The beer is traditionally matured and stored in cellars (cellaring). The brewery is owned by the Czech Republic and accordingly advertises with 'Owned by the Czech Republic'. Import and marketing in Germany are handled by the subsidiary based in Erfurt; in Austria, import is carried out by Kolarik & Leeb. The company site features its own museum.
- Site
- Karolíny Světlé 4, 370 21 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Processes
- Storage/maturation of the beers in cellars (traditional storage/cellaring), company-owned museum on the brewery premises
- Materials
- Saaz hops (whole-cone), Moravian malt, Lager yeast (heritage), Soft water, Cellar storage (cellaring)
- Certificates
- Certifications
- Founded
- 1895
- Industries
- Brewing industry, Beverage industry
- 01
Brewery České Budějovice (brewhouse, fermentation, cellar storage/maturation)
- 02
Bottling
- 03
Distribution/export (over 60 countries)
- 04
Subsidiary Erfurt (import and marketing for Germany)
Ingredients and Brewing Process
Saaz hops (whole-cone)
Whole Saaz hop cones as one of the four ingredients of the beer.
Moravian malt
Malt from Moravia as the base ingredient for the lager beers.
Lager yeast (heritage)
The company's own yeast culture since its founding.
Soft water
Soft water from an Ice Age aquifer 300 m below the brewery.
Cellar storage (cellaring)
Traditional storage and slow maturation of the beer in cellars for deep aromas.
Locations
České Budějovice (Budweis)
CZBrewery (main plant), brewing, cellar storage, bottling, museum
- Materials
- Saaz hops, Moravian malt, lager yeast, soft water
- New bottling line (investment by the state)
Erfurt
DESubsidiary: import and marketing for Germany
Inside the production
Industries
Additional services
Quality
The brewery advertises that it is owned by the 10 million inhabitants of the Czech Republic, who are at the same time its 'quality controllers'; documented certifications are not available in the sources.
| Evidence | České Budějovice (Budweis) |
|---|---|
| Certifications |
History
- 1895
Founded as the joint-stock brewery Český akciový pivovar by Czech brewing rights holders (including August Zátka) in competition with the Budweiser Bürgerbräu (founded 1795).
- 1907
Start of trademark disputes with Anheuser Busch over the sales designation Budweiser; agreement reached on selling only in each party's respective home continent.
- 1945
Nationalization of the two Budweis breweries after the Second World War.
- 2002
Re-entry into the US and Canadian market after 62 years; distributed there under the Czechvar brand.
- 2010
The ECJ rules definitively that Anheuser-Busch cannot have the 'Budweiser' trademark protected in the EU; the older name rights belong to Budějovický Budvar.