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Budweiser Budvar collaborates with Thornbridge on Czech lager
Budweiser Budvar, the national brewery of the Czech Republic, has collaborated with Thornbridge Brewery to create a lager named Czech Mates.
The union, which marks Budweiser Budvar Brewery’s first ever collaboration lager brewed outside of its home country, will be brewed at Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell in Derbyshire in the UK.
Czech Mates, which is a 4.8% ABV Czech-style lager, will be brewed using British-grown Maris Otter malt and East Kent Goldings hops along with water from the Peak District and Budweiser Budvar’s decades-old yeast strain. The brewing process will also include decoction mashing and a ‘lagering’ time of six weeks.
Speaking to the drinks business, Budweiser Budvar revealed that Czech Mate will be available across retail as well as pubs and bars and will be in both packaged and draught format and revealed that the beer will be available for the on- and off-trades, packaged in cans and in kegs.
The new lager will be distributed by Thornbridge and, according to the breweries, has already garnered great interest from supermarkets and pubcos.
Adam Brož, Budvar’s brewmaster added: “Time is a very important feature of the lager. The long maturation brings the smoothness, crisp taste, and very high drinkability.”
Czech Mates will be supported by a social media campaign that uses the slogan ‘Mates Don’t Let Mates Drink Bad Lager’ and will be available from 16 May directly from the Thornbridge webshop as well as major UK retailers.
Last year, Budweiser Budvar UK managing director Jitka Vlčková hinted that “the 4% category has shown significant growth in recent years” when speaking about he brewery’s decision to rebrand of Kraüsened to name it Budvar Nefiltr.
Budweiser Budvar has previously stated how it is on a mission to amplify the Czech Republic’s reputation as one of “the world’s great beer cultures” which would go some way towards explaining why the brewery opted for a collaboration beer name that includes the word “Czech”.
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