"I need more beer!" - Granny ran out of her favorite drink during the quarantine isolation, but now she can swim in it

The Czech Republic is the world leader in beer consumption per capita; according to 2022 data, the average resident of this country consumes about 140 liters annually. Surprisingly, Namibia was in second place, and the Austrians were in third place. See more facts below.

 

For the first time, Czech beer is mentioned in documents from the 11th century. In 1088, Prince Břetislav ordered several bags of hops to be given to the monks for brewing beer in the Vysehrad fortress. And in 1188, a brewery is mentioned in the city of Brno. This is the first information about such an institution in the Czech Republic.

 

Interesting facts about Czech beer

 

Czech beer enjoys an excellent reputation all over the world. The famous "Pilsen Prazdroj" ("Plzeňský Prazdroj"), also known as "Pilsner Urquell" ("Pilsner Urquell"), and "Budweiser," of course, are known throughout the Czech Republic. But less well-known varieties are not far behind, for example, dark beer Krušovice, soft beer Bernard, and many others.

 

 

It's no secret that the Czech Republic is a country of beer. The Czechs confidently hold first place in the world in the consumption of this amber drink (160 liters per capita per year), ahead of Ireland and Germany (130 and 115 liters, respectively). The list of Czech beers is endless - from classic lager to banana-flavored beer. However, such an abundance is more likely for tourists - the Czechs prefer two types of light beer - Pilsner Urquell 12° (dvanatka) and Gambrinus 10° (desitka).

 

In addition to well-known brands, there are a lot of small breweries in the Czech Republic whose products deserve no less attention. As a rule, breweries are open to the public. But if at large factories (Plzeňský Prazdroj, Budějovický Budvar, Krušovice) you can quickly get on a tour, then in other cases it is better to arrange a visit in advance.

 

You can get a closer look at the products of almost all Czech breweries at the annual beer fair in Prague, which takes place in May-June.

 

History of Czech beer

 

For a long time, the “mile rule” was in effect in the Czech Republic; to not create competition, breweries had to be at least one mile apart. Some brewers were forced to settle on the far outskirts of cities, and if the drink was of the right quality, the population here rapidly increased.

 

In the 21st century, it is generally accepted that most of the information we receive is from the Internet. But, far from all the inhabitants of the Czech Republic agree with this; more than half of them claim that a pub is considered a news source for them. And some Czechs are conservatives; they prefer to visit exactly those pubs that their fathers and grandfathers went to.

 

In the Middle Ages, low-quality beer producers were severely punished, the drink was poured onto the pavement, and the scammer could be whipped or chained in the city square. By the way, Czech brewers to this day strive to combine quality and price; beer here sometimes costs even less than ordinary drinking water.

 

 

The quality of Czech beer, according to legend, used to be checked initially: the brewer came to the local magistrate in leather pants and with a keg of beer. Beer was poured on a bench, on which the brewer himself sat. If the pants stuck to the court after some time, this was a sign of high quality.

 

Traditionally, in mid-May, Prague hosts the Czech Beer Festival, which lasts for two weeks. Guests are offered a vast range of beer and national snacks. Moreover, crowns and euros are “not quoted” here; those who want to taste beer and snacks need to purchase a particular festive currency - beer thalers.

 

A rich assortment of beer is good, of course, but some pubs in the Czech Republic adhere to traditions - they sell only one variety. To drink another beer, you must go to the next bar. There is no particular problem here; there are many pubs in the Czech Republic. And in Prague, there is a beer tram, where you can both drink beer and travel around the Czech capital.

 

The Krušovice brewery is one of the oldest in the Czech Republic; the first beer was brewed here in the 16th century. Its products were so popular that the owner was King Rudolf II, who bought them from the previous owners for some time.

 

 

The first school of brewers appeared in the Czech Republic in the 18th century. Its founder was Ondřej Pope, a brewer from Brno. Now specialists in preparing this popular drink are being trained at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. This is the largest chemical university in Eastern Europe, and there are even Nobel Prize winners among its graduates.

 

There are many breweries in the modern Czech Republic, but the seven most significant them produce more than 80% of all beer in this country. Czech beer is part of Czech culture, and the profession of a brewer is one of the most prestigious and respected.

 

The Czech Republic even has its traditions of drinking beer. It is generally accepted here that a glass should be drunk in three sips: the first drink half of the contents, the second half of what is left, and the third drink all the beer. According to the Czechs themselves, the authentic taste of the drink can be felt only after the third drunk glass. Beer glasses should be made of porcelain or glass.

 

The world record for drinking beer is the chef Mider from the Czech city of Ostrava. At one time, at a festival in Japan, he drank 10.5 liters of beer in just 3 minutes. For the record holder, this achievement was not unusual; he consumes at least eight liters of beer daily.

 

Types of Czech beer

Almost all Czech beer is bottom fermented. It is brewed naturally using Moravian malt and selected hops from northwestern Bohemia.

 

In the early 1940s, a new fermentation method, known as bottom fermentation, was invented, which allowed the production of golden and clear lager beer (ležak) as it exists today. After its founding in 1842, the Pilsen Brewery was the first to adopt this method. In the production of bottom-fermented beer, special yeasts are used. This preparation method increases the finished drink's shelf life without pasteurization and preservatives by up to 2 years.

 

Czech beer brands

The most famous brand of Czech beer is Pilsner Urquell (Pilsner Urquell). Beer was invented in 1842 and is produced in Pilsen at the brewery of the same name. This light beer has a tart taste and a fresh aftertaste. Another very high-quality variety is brewed here - “Gambrinus” (“Gambrinus”).

 

World-famous Czech beer brands are also Budweiser Budvar from České Budějovice, Staropramen and Branik brewed in Prague, as well as the Bohemian varieties Velkopopovicki kozel from Velké Popovice and Krušovice from Krušovice.

 

There are two primary varieties of beer: light (světlé) and dark (navy or černě). Pale is a pale amber or golden light beer with a sparkling, refreshing hop flavor. Dark varieties are sweeter and more robust, with a rich, full-bodied malt aroma. There is also the concept of "cut beer" (řezané pivo). This 50/50 light/dark cocktail reduces the light beer's acidity and removes the dark beer's heaviness.

 

In addition to traditional varieties, there are also exotic types, such as coffee, banana, or nettle beer. However, lovers of Czech beer are very conservative, so non-traditional types can be tasted mainly in ultra-modern tourist places, where they specialize in a wide variety of beers.

 

Czech beer is usually referred to as dvanáctka (12%) or desítka (10%). This is a measure of specific gravity (i.e., weight about volume), not the percentage of alcohol content. Skip the technical details and say that in practice, a 12% beer like Pilsner Urquell tends to have a richer flavor and a higher alcohol percentage (around 4.5%) than a 10% beer like Gambrinus. (about 3.5% alcohol).

 

How much costs a beer in Prague?

The range of prices for a half-liter mug of draft beer is enormous. In pubs designed for residents, as a rule, they will not take more than 40 crowns from you. But in the working-class districts of Prague, such as Zizkov or Liben, you can drink beer for 12 crowns. In most tourist bars in the center of Prague, a glass of beer will cost 40-80 crowns. The exception is trendy establishments, for example, on the Old Town Square, where a mug of beer will cost from 90 kroons.

 

Beer was, is, and will be the lifeblood of Prague. Many citizens drink at least one cup a day. Locals call beer "liquid bread" (tekuty chleba) and "living water" (živa voda). More than anything, Praguers love to gather in one of the local establishments (hospodar or pivnice) and exchange stories over a pint or two or three of beer…

 

Interesting facts about Czech beer

• The State Food Inspectorate issues the right to be called Czech beer after an audit and quality control of raw materials. And this applies only to beer brewed in the Czech Republic. Thus, a beer brewed and sold under Czech brands in other countries is not Czech beer. It's just a pathetic imitation of him.
• Czechs drink more beer per capita than anywhere else (about 160 liters per year). This is about one bottle per day for every country's inhabitants, including infants. And local pubs are the center of the social life of the area.
• Good beer is easy to distinguish by thick, dense foam. On an adequately brewed Pilsner Urquell, the foam settles after 7 minutes.
• The ability to pour beer is considered high art. The foam should be so thick that a match can stand in it for at least 10 seconds.
• In the Czech Republic, dark beer is traditionally considered a female variety, and light beer is masculine.
• It is not customary to eat beer in the Czech Republic with crackers, chips, or other snacks.
• According to British scientists, those who drink beer are not in danger of fermentation in the intestines.

 

La Gitana Loca chain (La Gitana Loca Cuesta del Rosario) in Seville, Spain now has a robotic arm made by the Seville-based company Macco, which bottles beer.

This automatic service is designed to ensure hygiene and safety. According to Alejandro Martinez, one of the owners of the restaurant, it was originally planned to install such a robot before the pandemic in order to speed up the service, because usually there are always a lot of visitors in bars, and you can see a huge queue near the restaurant on weekends or holidays.

Taking advantage of the temporary quarantine measures, managers agreed with the Seville company Macco, the manufacturer of this model of a robotic arm, to install it in the central bar of the La Gitana Loca Cuesta del Rosario network.

Alejandro Martinez says that a mechanical arm works only with disposable plastic cups, and user contact with it is minimized.

The visitor orders his drink using the touch screen, pays for the order through a special payment mechanism, and then the robotic hand pours a foamy drink.

Alejandro also adds that the first customers coming to the bar after its opening, which took place recently, are very surprised at the new “bartender”, and even more surprised that he was made in Seville.

But not everyone is quite so enthusiastic.

"I think the relationship between the customer and the barman who serves you, who looks you in the eye and watches how the beer goes into the glass has an appeal that's missing with this robot," said 33-year-old lawyer Manuel Fernandez.

"I am not in favour of this kind of machine, I prefer to take risks and have them serve me beer the way they've done it all my life."

Spain has lost more than 28,000 people to the virus and is taking a very cautious approach to lifting the lockdown, with bar and cafe terraces operating at a reduced capacity and under strict hygiene conditions.