Starobrno scoops top prize in Czech beer awards

The Czech Republic’s smaller brewers stood their own against their large internationally-owned competitors at last night’s Ceske Pivo (Czech Beer) Awards.

Starobrno, owned by Heineken, scooped the pale lager (12^o Plato) award with its Starobrno Medium brand. The runner-up was Kozel Medium, produced by Velke Popovice, part of the SABMiller-owned Plzensky Prazdroj group. Third place went to Hostan Hradni, produced by Starobrno’s Hostan brewery. A total 29 brands were entered in this category, making it the most fiercely-competitive contest.

InBev-owned Staropramen scooped first place in the light beer (10^o Plato) category for Branik in the light beer category. For the second year running the runner-up was Zubr Gold, produced by the Zubr brewery which is part of PMS, the Czech medium-sized brewing group. Third place went to Kozel from Velke Popovice.

Smaller brewers dominated the dark beer categories. Primator Premium Dark, brewed by the Nachod brewery, scooped first prize in the dark lager category for the second year running. Second prize went to the Nymburk brewery’s Postrizinsky; the Cerna Hora brewery was awarded third for Granat.

The light dark beer category was won by Janacek brewery with its Janacek dark brand. Litovel brewery took second place with its Dark brand and Krusovice Dark, produced by Krusovice, came third.

This year’s awards, organized by the Czech Brewers and Malthouses Association, included non-alcoholic beer as a new competition, reflecting the growth of the segment in the Czech market. Smaller brewers dominated here as well: the top prize was taken by Bernard Free from the Bernard brewery. Second prize went to Platan Alkohol Free from Platan brewery and third place went to Svijansky Vozka from Svijany brewery.

A record 77 brands were entered this year. The entries were judged in a blind tasting by a panel comprised of 24 brewing experts drawn from around the country from breweries, malt houses and universities.

Czech journalists had a chance to have their say as well. In the Nase Pivo (“Our Beer”) awards, voted on by more than 100 journalists, top prize again went to Pilsner Urquell from Plzensky Prazdroj, followed by the group’s best-selling Gambrinus. Third place went to Bernard from the Bernard brewery.

“These awards show that all Czech breweries, no matter how large or small they are, are brewing good beer and that smaller brewers can compete on quality with their larger counterparts,” Czech Brewers and Malthouses Association chairman Frantisek Krakes told Brewers’ Guardian.

Bernard brewery chairman Stanislav Bernard agreed. “Smaller brewers can produce good quality beer and are increasingly able to market their beers too. Non-alcoholic beer is growing due to changing lifestyles and the tougher new road law as well as improvements in taste,” he said. Bernard is 50% owned by Belgium's Duvel Moortgat.