This Bud(var) May Be For You

Ever since I heard noted beer writer Michael Jackson talk passionately about the brewery in Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic I've wanted to try its beer. He spoke about the beer, a lager, in a collection of videos released in 1988 by the BBC and the Discovery Channel. In the video, Jackson praises this lager beer as the "Original Budweiser." Now this statement may get you wondering. "Do you mean to say that the Budweiser I'm drinking in America is not the original?" Well, that's exactly what I mean.

Of course now you're probably asking how there can be two Budweisers? That's exactly what executives at Anheuser-Busch have been wrestling with for years. Both beers, the one that A-B makes, and the one that is made in the Czech Republic have the same name! So, which beer came first? Well, the Czech beer was made first and actually gets its name from Budweis, the town in which it is brewed. About 100 years ago, the Czech brewer gave the Americans the right to use the name Budweiser with the caveat that the Czech brewery could sell its beer across Europe and Russia, but not the U.S. For several years, A-B tried to buy into the Czech brewery to sort of slowly get a hand in ownership. According to the Southern Draft News, Anheuser-Busch went so far as to donate to schools in the Czech Republic to sort of make a good name for itself. All these attempts were remarkably thwarted and as a result the Czechs remain an indedpendent brewery. (It helped that brewery is run by the Czech government.) In the last few weeks, however, all this history has sort of changed.

It seems that Budweiser Budvar has found a way around the trademark issue. Today I picked up a bottle of a beer called Czechvar that is made from the same brewery that produces Budweiser Budvar. It is not clear, because the brewery will not elaborate, but a lot of people are saying that this new beer is the same as Budweiser Budvar. The only that is different is the name. Do I believe it's the same beer? Well, I'd have to try Budweiser Budvar in order to tell, and the American brewer Anheuser-Busch won't let me do that in this country.

I brought home my bottle of Czechvar and put in the fridge to get it cold. I told myself I wait awhile to try this controversial beer. I've read about the quality, noble hops and the legendary Moravian malt that is supposed to make this beer so great. Beer critic Michael Jackson, from Britain, has written extensively about the components in this beer in a recent article published on his web site. (The Chicago Tribune also has reported on the legal battle in a very in-depth article.) But what is my opinion of Budvar, er, I mean Czechvar? It is a very well-made beer. A wonderful malt aroma that seems unique, perhaps this is the effect of the Moravian malt? Not as bitter as I thought it would be, but nonetheless a very pleasing, smooth brew. There is no doubt that it is a much, much better product than the Budweiser made in America.

So why doesn't American Budweiser taste as good as Czechvar? Well, Budweiser is known to use rice and corn as adjuncts in their beer, which the Czech brewers do not use. As an all-malt beer Czechvar is simply going to taste smoother than a beer made with rice or corn. So why does A-B put rice and corn in their beer? I believe it is all about money. Turing Americans on to a cheaper product makes the brewery more money, and of course, that what doing business is all about. At least big with big businesses like Anheuser-Busch.

Send comments and suggestions to: marc@marcobrau.com