For the past six years, the Czech Republic, a world-renowned beer tourism destination, has been quietly welcoming brewers and teaching the world how to really drink beer.
The beer started at 10:39 a.m.
Twenty brewers had entered a bar at a popular brewery in the Czech Republic, one of the world’s best breweries. I held an orange pilsner glass – with a three-finger-wide foam layer at the top – and clinked glasses with Liam Taheny, a craft brewer from South Australia.
“What do you like about the Czech beer culture?” I asked, and Taheny answered without hesitation – “Their knowledge of beer and everything related to it is amazing.”
“What do you say when you talk to the brewers here?” I asked, “I’m talking about the average person,” he said. “In Australia, they talk like a head brewer or a beer geek.”
Taheny, head brewer at Brightstar Brewing, was one of 20 people from Australia, Canada and the US who came to experience Czech beer culture at the invitation of the Czech Ministry of Agriculture. But this wasn’t just a drinking festival – we met brewers, hop farmers, bartenders and pub owners – all part of the Czech government’s “beer diplomacy” initiative.
The Czech Republic – especially Bohemia – has long been known for its “pivo” (beer). There is evidence that brewing began here as early as 993 CE. The Czechs are among the world’s leaders in per capita beer consumption. Beer here is cheaper than bottled water in some places. It’s no wonder beer tourism is booming.
However, Czech lager has been somewhat sidelined by the rise of Belgian ales, Bavarian brews and IPAs. Czech beer was unknown to the world for 41 years behind the Iron Curtain. The end of communism meant privatization and modernization.
But now Czech lager is gaining more and more respect. Since 2019, Czech authorities and a network of brewers have been working together to introduce the style to the world. Clear golden color, slightly bitter tones, buttery sweetness, and a thick head of foam – these are all hallmarks of the Czech style.
Government statistics are not available, but Czech-style lagers are now widely available in North America. This is inspiring craft brewers.
This is reminiscent of Thailand’s “Global Thai” program – launched in 2002 to promote Thai cuisine abroad. Now the Czechs are following in the same vein – with “beer diplomacy”.
While Czech food may not be as well-received by the world, Czech beer has gained global recognition. On this trip, we visited Pioneer Brewing in the town of Zatec, where saag hops are important – a key ingredient in Pilsner Urquell since 1842.
The brewers peppered head brewer Michal Havarda with questions. They used technical terms like decoction and flocculation. Later, they met Pilsner Urquell beer master Václav Berka and Budvar brewing head Adam Broz.
They also visited a company called Lukr – which makes special side-pull taps. These control the flow of beer and pour it beautifully into a glass with a soft Czech-style foam head.
“If the foam head is right, the beer becomes sweet and creamy,” explains tap master Ondrej Rozcipal. Starting with 12 taps in 2015, it now sells more than 2,000 annually in the US and Canada. This diplomatic experiment is part of its success.
We met Lucie Janekova at the gastropub ‘Local’ in Prague. She teaches beer pouring techniques. “One bad pour can ruin the taste of a beer,” she says. In Czech beer culture, drinking is also an art.
The Czechs have viewed beer as a tradition for centuries. American brewer Meghan Mitchells also says the same thing – “To really make a good lager, you have to be good at brewing. That’s what the Czechs do.”
Ryan Moncrief, owner of Rafter R Brewing in Canada, also agrees: “The beer we taste there is not the same as the beer we drink here. To really taste it, you have to come to the Czech Republic.”
Ultimately, Czech beer is not very good at traveling. If you want to experience it, you have to go there. This effort by the Czech government is aimed at showing the world the real taste of Czech beer.
Taheny raised his glass and said with a smile – “This is our last return to the Czech Republic!”