Budějovické pivo

Budějovické pivo is the beer of České Budějovice, a city whose German name was Budweis. The names Budějovické pivo, Českobudějovické pivo and Budějovický měšťanský var are protected geographical indications in the European Union: they may be used only for beer made in the city, according to the registered rules.

The city often points out that it has the right to brew beer since the 13th century; the tradition is linked to the founding of the town in 1265. Two breweries today produce beer under the protected name. The older one was founded in 1795 by the townspeople with the right to brew and became known as Samson. Budějovický Budvar was established in 1895.

The city’s German name, Budweis, gave rise to the word Budweiser, also used by an American beer since the 19th century. That led to a legal dispute of more than a century between Budvar and the American company, with cases in several countries and at the Court of Justice of the European Union over the use of Budweiser and Bud. For that reason, in several markets the Czech beer appears under other names.

It is a pale lager, bottom-fermented. The breweries mention deep-well water from the region, hops from Žatec and malt from Moravia; Budvar says it lets its main lager mature about 90 days. The beer of České Budějovice is exported to dozens of countries, and both breweries welcome visitors.

In the town, the beer accompanies meals in the inns on the square and the surrounding streets, always in moderate amounts.