The Ten Commandments of Budvar

The Czech brewery Budweiser Budvar has launched a campaign to stop beer in the republic being turned into what it calls "Euro lager". Budvar has launched its campaign around Ten Commandments of good brewing practice that it says must be adhered to if Czech beer can maintain its reputation for quality and tradition. The Ten Commandments include:

No watering down of beer.

Budweiser Budvar is based in the ancient town of Ceske Budejovice or Budweis in German. It is the third biggest brewery in the Czech Republic and is still controlled by the government until a suitable partner is found.

Global giants now own the other major breweries in the country. SABMiller - a merger of South African Breweries and Miller of the United States - controls Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Radegast and Velke Popovice. Interbrew owns Prague Breweries where the leading brand is Staropramen. (Interbrew will shortly change its name to Inbev as a result of a merger with Ambev of Brazil: the new group will be the biggest beer producer in the world.)

The traditional Czech methods of beer making are based on the revolutionary techniques developed in Pilsen in the 1840s, where the first golden lager in the world was produced. It was called Pilsner Urquell, the German for Original Source of Pilsner. The methods include decoction mashing in which malts sugars are extracted from the grain in a series of linked vessels heated at different temperatures. This system is distinctively different to infusion mashing used principally by ale brewers, where malt sugars are obtained from just one vessel heated to a constant temperature. Most Czech breweries produce a range of beers, usually known as 10, 11 and 12 degree beers. The 12 degree beers have been traditionally made from only pure barley malt, spring water and whole Czech hops from the Zatec region north of Prague. These beers adhere to the famous German Reinheitsgebot or Purity Law, which forbids the use of cheaper grains or sugars.

Following primary fermentation, Czech beers have been subjected to a long cold conditioning or lagering that lasts as long as three months. During lagering, remaining sugars are turned to alcohol while the beer matures and develops full, rich aromas and flavours. Traditionally, Czech brewers have preferred horizontal lagering tanks, where secondary fermentation is slow and exhaustive, and also leaves some brewing sugars behind for fullness of palate.

Budvar is concerned by the erosion of these traditions. The brewing process is being speeded up to produce large volumes of beer as quickly as possible. Infusion mashing is replacing decoction and in some cases the malt content of the mash is diluted with corn syrup. Whole hops are being replaced by extracts imported from China, Poland and the Ukraine, while chemically treated river water is being used instead of natural, pure spring water. Some breweries are using "high gravity brewing" in which just one strong extract or wort is produced, which is then watered down into separate brands. Dark beers are made with the sue of sugar and caramel.

The biggest change of all is in fermentation techniques. Horizontal tanks have been replaced by upright conicals, where fermentation is faster and more sugars are turned to alcohol, producing a dryer and more bitter beer in the German rather than the Czech style. Fermentation times have been drastically reduced, in the case of Pilsner Urquell from 60 days to 27.

In sharp contrast, Budweiser Budvar uses pure, soft water from an ancient lake 300 metres underground, the finest malting barley from Moravia and whole hops from Zatec. After decoction mashing and primary fermentation, the 12 degree pale lager is conditioned in horizontal tanks for 90 days. The recent addition of a Bud Super Strong has seen lagering time for that beer extended to 120 days, while a new Budvar Dark also enjoys 90 days in the lager cellar. Dark is made from four varieties of grain and no sugars are used. Each beer is a separate brew: there is no watering down. While Budvar's exports continue to grow, it has seen its share of the Czech market fall slightly as a result of the marketing muscle of SABMiller and Interbrew. Budvar hopes that its Ten Commandments campaign will appeal to lovers of tradition, opponents of globalisation, and "green consumers" who want food and drink to be pure and free from chemicals and cheap ingredients.

see also: beer-pages tasting note for Budweiser Premium Lager