Budweiser Budvar
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (April 2007) |
| Budweiser Budvar logo | |
| Manufacturer | Budějovický Budvar |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1265 |
| Alcohol by volume | 5.0% Budweiser Budvar Czech Premium Lager 4.0% Budějovický Budvar Pale Beer 4.7% Budweiser Budvar Premium Dark Lager 0.5% Budweiser Budvar non-alcoholic beer 7.6% Bud Super Strong 5.0% Budweiser Budvar Yeast Lager |
| Style | Pilsner |
Budweiser is the name of a pilsner-style beer from the city of České Budějovice in Bohemia (Czech Republic), brewed since 1265. Its name is derived from the German name for the town, Budweis (something from Budweis being a Budweiser). For a time the town was the royal brewery for the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nations.
Budweiser Budvar is produced in four variations: regular (red label) Budvar, pale (gold label) Budvar, non-alcoholic (green label) Budvar Free and dark red label Budvar Strong. The lager fermentation for red label Budvar is 72 days; for Budvar Strong, 270 days. Budweiser Budvar has a very rich taste of malt and Saaz hops. The bitter hop presence and distinct malt profile makes it easily distinguishable from an American Budweiser, which also uses rice in its brewing process.
The brewery also produces a dark lager style beer, Budvar Dark.
The Budějovický Budvar brewery offers tours for a small fee.
Other breweries in České Budějovice are Budweiser Bürgerbräu (trademark Samson), Bohemia Regent and Trebzin. It is claimed that Samson was the model for Anheuser-Busch brand.
Appellation
Budvar has an appellation under European Law as a product with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
Privatization
On April 6, 2007, Czech Agriculture Minister Petr Gandalovič, whose ministry is in charge of the state-owned company, announced that the Budvar will take the first step toward privatization. Gandalovič repeated the possible privatization process would depend on the outcome of the trademark dispute with Anheuser-Busch. Earlier in 2007, Trade Minister Martin Říman suggested that Budvar could be sold at the same time as Prague's Ruzyně International Airport, the state-run Czech Airlines and the Czech Post to help the government cover a fiscal budget gap.[1]
Trademark dispute
Anheuser-Busch started using the Budweiser brand in 1876 and registered it two years later -- more than 19 years before Budějovický Budvar (brewer of Budvar) was established in 1895. It was not until the 1960s that Budvar started using “Budweiser” prominently on its label – long after A-B built Budweiser into an internationally recognized name for beer.
The Czech company contends that its history, and thus its claim to the Budweiser name, goes back even further. They say that King Otakar II of Bohemia granted independent brewers in the city of Budweis the right to produce beer as early as 1265. They did so in a style that became known as "Budweiser," much as beers brewed in the fashion of another Czech city, Plzeň (German: Pilsen), are referred to as "Pilsner", the company says.
Since both Budějovický Budvar and Anheuser-Busch have trademarks for the name "Budweiser", they have been party to many lawsuits in a number of countries.
Because of trademark disputes between Budějovický Budvar and Anheuser-Busch, Budvar is sold in the United States under the label "Czechvar". In other countries, both companies still compete for the right to use the Budweiser name. There are over 40 lawsuits currently being argued and appealed in countries around the world.
In 2002, Budweiser Budvar set up a subsidiary company in the UK, Budweiser Budvar UK Limited and named John Harley as its CEO. Harley oversaw a dramatic rise in sales for Budweiser Budvar in the UK where the brand gained far wider distribution. This included sponsorship of the Scottish football club, Falkirk F.C. which saw Budvar support the club as it successfully won the Scottish Football League First Division and promotion to the Scottish Premier League.
In early 2007, Anheuser-Busch and Budvar reached an agreement that stated that A-B would market Budvar/Czechvar in the United States and several other countries for an undisclosed fee. However, both sides stated that this did not affect their lawsuits.
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Budweiser Budvar is marketed under the label Czechvar in North America
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Budějovický Budvar is marketed under its Czech name in Australia -
Budweiser Budvar as marketed in the UK and Germany
References
- ^ Budvar to Move Toward Privatization, Associated Press, April 6, 2007. Retreived: 2007-04-11
- Jackson, Michael (February 2006). "This Bud's for You". Ale Street News. 15 (1). Ale Street News, Jack Babin: 9. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
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