{"id":4271,"date":"2019-11-22T20:21:39","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T20:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/?post_type=story&#038;p=4271"},"modified":"2019-12-02T15:34:47","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T15:34:47","slug":"the-man-who-makes-beer","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/blog\/story\/the-man-who-makes-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"THE MAN WHO MAKES BEER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd83fe54a307 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ca4a4f;\">Think being beer sommelier for the world\u2019s best lager sounds like a perfect job? Correct.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd840404a308 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>\u201cThere are always men behind a brand. Some are visionaries, some are passionate; some are just very good at what they do. Ale\u0161\u2026you will see he\u2019s a very healthy combination of all of these.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a beautiful morning in the city of \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice \u2013 or \u2018Budweis\u2019 as its known in English \u2013 as Ji\u0159\u00ed Pekhart, export manager at Budweiser Budvar, walks me over to meet the brewery\u2019s legendary beer sommelier. The South Bohemian sky is powder blue; the iconic red font on the brewery roof bold against it. Resident hawks that have roosted in the old chimney for decades float on thermals above us.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Across the car park, we catch sight of Ale\u0161 checking over an unlikely looking vehicle: amid the forklifts and vans is a mint-condition, three-wheel Piaggio, decked out in Budvar branding. Ji\u0159\u00ed explains that this little tuk-tuk will soon be whizzing about town delivering unpasteurised bottles of Budvar\u2019s B:ORIGINAL lager to nearby stores. Turns out it\u2019s part of a new, Ale\u0161-inspired initiative designed to give local consumers tank-quality beer in a bottle. Because the beer is fresh and untreated, it has a short shelf life and needs to get to the shops quickly \u2013 hence the nifty run-around. It shows exactly the kind of vision, passion and commitment Ji\u0159\u00ed was just talking about.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Man Who Makes Beer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Yw1Sen6TXvM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd840b84a309 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>Before we can reach him, Ale\u0161 has climbed in the cab and is firing up the Piaggio\u2019s engine.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nI wonder for a second if he\u2019s leaving. \u201cNo!\u201d Ji\u0159\u00ed laughs. \u201cHe just loves playing with machines. Nearly as much as he loves beer. Did you know he\u2019s also a part-time tank commander in the Czech Territorial Army?\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIt doesn\u2019t take long to work out why Ale\u0161 Dvo\u0159\u00e1k is known, in brewing circles, as a bit of a character. Much like Budweiser Budvar itself \u2013 defiantly state-owned and brewed in here using the same methods since 1895 \u2013 Ale\u0161 stands out as authentic and independent in an industry dominated by vast, pan-European commercial breweries and profit-focused, investor-owned beer brands.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nHe drives tanks; he eats dinner with his own hunting knife; he fishes Czech rivers like a pro. He\u2019s also an expert on beer and, having worked at Budvar for 26 years, studying its traditional processes, he\u2019s become a sought-after ambassador for brewing culture the world over. Emerging from the Piaggio\u2019s cab, he admits to being a bit bleary-eyed having just flown back from judging the prestigious Beer World Cup in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1219\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Ales-and-Josef-talking-shop-1219x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Ales-and-Josef-talking-shop-1219x578.jpg 1219w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Ales-and-Josef-talking-shop-1219x578-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Ales-and-Josef-talking-shop-1219x578-768x364.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Ales-and-Josef-talking-shop-1219x578-1024x486.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1219px) 100vw, 1219px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd840df4a30a class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>Even jetlagged though, there\u2019s no question Ale\u0161 is the man to lead a tour of the brewery\u2019s hallowed cellars, where sampling its unfiltered, unpasteurised, 90 day-aged Budvar straight from the conditioning tanks is described by those-in-the-know as one of the greatest beer-drinking experiences on the planet. I\u2019ve been intrigued by this almost mythic reputation since reading about UK beer guru Pete Brown\u2019s visit: \u201cWhen it was time to move on I almost had to be dragged from the cellar, wedging my arms in the doorway, clinging to the door jamb with my fingernails until they broke.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nFor now though, the cellars will have to wait. As Ale\u0161 points out: \u201cYou need to know what you\u2019re drinking first.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nA short walk away, we stand by two innocuous-looking cylinders and a series of pipes. \u201cProduction of real beer is simple,\u201d Ale\u0161 says. \u201cWhen you think about it, it is just a few ingredients: water, hops, malt, yeast and time. So what makes the difference? It\u2019s the quality of those ingredients and how they\u2019re treated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd840f34a30b class=\"gallery-images align\">\n\n<gallery-images gallery-images=\"[&quot;https:\\\/\\\/budweiserbudvar.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Josef-Tolar-brewmaster-at-Budweiser-Budvar-for-26-years.jpg&quot;,&quot;https:\\\/\\\/budweiserbudvar.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Open-filtration-of-the-wort-in-the-brewhouse.jpg&quot;,&quot;https:\\\/\\\/budweiserbudvar.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-The-brew-kettles-in-the-brewhouse.jpg&quot;]\" block-styles=\"{&quot;background-size&quot;:&quot;cover&quot;,&quot;background-repeat&quot;:&quot;no-repeat&quot;}\"><\/gallery-images>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd841104a30f class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>All the brewery\u2019s water is drawn from an Ice Age aquifer 300 metres beneath us. It\u2019s a stable, impurity-free source that \u2013 Ale\u0161 estimates \u2013 should last a good few thousand years; in fact, it was the discovery of this underground lake that led to the brand building its new premises in this spot at the end of the nineteenth-century.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u201cA single point of origin for more than a century,\u201d Ale\u0161 says. \u201cThese things are important.\u201d It\u2019s the same story with the malts. In a huge, thrumming room where the whole malted (or dried) barley grains are being processed, I\u2019m immediately hit by that intoxicating, comforting, cereal smell \u2013 like a baker\u2019s shop first thing in the morning.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nAle\u0161 explains that the malts arrive here via train from three malteries in the adjoining region of Moravia, an ancient agricultural region to the east of the country where strains have been grown for generations. With a longer \u2018fermentability\u2019 these malts are different to those used in other European breweries where lager is produced as quickly as possible and can sometimes be on the road in as little as two weeks. Here, the three-month cold conditioning to achieve the smoothness and taste \u2013 the \u2018lagering\u2019 that gives the beer its name \u2013 demands more from its raw materials. It\u2019s slow lager, if you like.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nJust like the malts and the water, the hops are of the highest quality too. Along a corridor and into a lift, we descend down into a chilly, temperature-controlled storage room where sacks of the compressed flowers are stacked up on top of each other. Each is emblazoned with proof of its place of origin and a wax seal, stamped with a coat of arms. It denotes they are Czech \u2018Saaz\u2019 hops from a town called \u017datec to the north of Bohemia, acknowledged as one of the finest hop regions on earth.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1219\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Czech-noble-whole-cone-Saaz-hops-from-Zatec-1219x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Czech-noble-whole-cone-Saaz-hops-from-Zatec-1219x578.jpg 1219w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Czech-noble-whole-cone-Saaz-hops-from-Zatec-1219x578-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Czech-noble-whole-cone-Saaz-hops-from-Zatec-1219x578-768x364.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Czech-noble-whole-cone-Saaz-hops-from-Zatec-1219x578-1024x486.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1219px) 100vw, 1219px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd841354a310 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>\u201cWe never use processed hops, or extracts or pellets,\u201d Ale\u0161 tells me. \u201cOnly the whole cone or flower from the finest Czech noble hops.\u201d He opens one of the sacks and, with the swing of an axe, hacks off a great green slice.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u201cJust smell this\u2026\u201d he says, scooping up a handful of the flowers. I do and the aroma is extraordinary: citrusy, astringent, fresh mown grass and gooseberry. It has bite but softness too. I comment that it\u2019s wonderful, but it must be more expensive to use.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u201cOf course.\u201d Ale\u0161 replies. \u201cBut it\u2019s key to preserving the uniqueness, the tradition, the flavour, the taste and keeping the polyphenols in the hops at a maximum. They add an aroma and drinkability to the beer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd8415b4a311 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ca4a4f;\">BIGGEST CRAFT BEER BREWERY IN THE WORLD<\/span><\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd8417c4a312 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>The uniqueness of materials and brewing methods here earned the Budweiser Budvar a \u2018Protected Geographical Indication\u2019 logo from the European Union in 2004. It\u2019s an accolade only awarded to food and drink that remains deeply rooted in their place of origin and that is still made via traditional methods. And it\u2019s one proudly displayed on all their bottles and kegs. Even so, many drinkers outside the Czech Republic still mistakenly think this beer is someway associated with that other Budweiser \u2013 the colossal American brand that appropriated the first half of the name over a hundred years ago.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Moravian-malts-in-the-brewery-1219x813-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Moravian-malts-in-the-brewery-1219x813-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Moravian-malts-in-the-brewery-1219x813-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Moravian-malts-in-the-brewery-1219x813-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Moravian-malts-in-the-brewery-1219x813.jpg 1219w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd841f24a313 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>An hour with Ale\u0161 however, and you realise the brands are polar opposites. The production of the Czech Budweiser Budvar remains inextricably linked with this area, the landscape and its ingredients; it is created with near-religious devotion to age-crafted techniques handed down over centuries. I suggest to Ale\u0161 that \u2013 in that sense \u2013 the beer here has more in common with Parmesan cheese or Champagne than mass-produced lager.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1219\" height=\"813\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ceske-Budejovice-Budweis-town-square-at-sunset-1219x813.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ceske-Budejovice-Budweis-town-square-at-sunset-1219x813.jpg 1219w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ceske-Budejovice-Budweis-town-square-at-sunset-1219x813-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ceske-Budejovice-Budweis-town-square-at-sunset-1219x813-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ceske-Budejovice-Budweis-town-square-at-sunset-1219x813-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1219px) 100vw, 1219px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd842134a314 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>\u201cExactly,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s true. Every Budvar comes from right here. We don\u2019t make it anywhere else.\u201d He shrugs. \u201cIn many ways we are the biggest craft brewery in the world.\u201d Our final stop before the cellars is the brewhouse. On the way \u2013 in between discussions about the film The Revenant \u2013 \u201cHe\u2019d be dead in one hour in those conditions. And you can\u2019t fire a flintlock twice with reloading!\u201d \u2013 and lessons on how to make wild boar salami, I\u2019m intrigued to know how Ale\u0161\u2019 journey to beer sommelier began.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1219\" height=\"813\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ales-in-brewhouse-with-hops-1219x813.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ales-in-brewhouse-with-hops-1219x813.jpg 1219w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ales-in-brewhouse-with-hops-1219x813-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ales-in-brewhouse-with-hops-1219x813-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Ales-in-brewhouse-with-hops-1219x813-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1219px) 100vw, 1219px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd842324a315 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>\u201cI was young when I developed my obsession for the beer,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cI said to myself \u2018you will be a brewer\u2019 one day. And here I am. I love it. It\u2019s a dream job.\u201d It was also perhaps a natural calling for someone who admits he found chemistry \u2018easy\u2019 and who grew up in a country where beer remains a source of national pride \u2013 but that\u2019s not to underplay the skill and dedication that\u2019s been involved along the way.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nAle\u0161 studied at the prestigious department of brewing in the faculty of food and biochemical technology at the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology. After graduating and serving his compulsory military service (where he developed his passion for tanks of the armoured variety), he joined Budweiser Budvar in 1990, initially as a technologist, before pulling on his \u201cgummy boots\u201d and cutting his teeth on the brewhouse floor and fermentation cellars, blending his modern scientific knowledge with the age-old art of brewing.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nOverseeing him then was Josef Tolar, the now ex-brewmaster at Budweiser Budvar and himself a world-renowned beer-making icon who began and ended his career at the brewery. Josef is waiting for us on the balcony of the brewhouse. Both men lean on the rail talking shop, surveying the heart and soul of this brewery \u2013 the huge copper brew kettles and open lines of running wort, helping give the beer its gorgeous and natural golden amber colour.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u201cThe priority for us is keeping these old traditions,\u201d Josef says. \u201cBut Ale\u0161\u2026he is an excellent man for new experiments too. He is a fountain of ideas.\u201d<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nOne such idea was B:DARK, Budvar\u2019s now much-celebrated dark lager. Fifteen years ago it was just a concept, but using his home-brewing skills and a love of experimentation, Ale\u0161 struck on a perfect balance of Munich, caramel and roasted malts. The beer he created, although brewed and conditioned in the same time-honoured style as all Budvar lagers, was an innovation. Not as sweet as other Czech dark lagers, it retained bite and smoothness in its finish yet carried full, rich, complex smoky coffee, chocolate and caramel notes too. Within a year, it had been named \u2018Best Dark Lager in the World\u2019 at the World Beer Awards.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n\u201cMaybe you should try it?\u201d Ale\u0161 suggests. He doesn\u2019t need to ask me twice.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1219\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-wax-1219x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-wax-1219x578.jpg 1219w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-wax-1219x578-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-wax-1219x578-768x364.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-wax-1219x578-1024x486.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1219px) 100vw, 1219px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd842584a316 class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>The cellars beneath the brewery are labyrinthine and cold. Lights flick on down tunnels trailing with pipes. In rooms off the main corridor, great, cream, submarine-like tanks sit, one on top of the other all the way to the roof. \u201cThis is where the real magic happens,\u201d says Ale\u0161. \u201cThe most important thing is time. Time for the carbon dioxide to naturally bubble through the beer, removing impurities, achieving that smoothness and clarity. All our beer is in these tanks for 90 days. You can\u2019t shortcut that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd8425f4a317 class=\"gallery-images align\">\n\n<gallery-images gallery-images=\"[&quot;https:\\\/\\\/budweiserbudvar.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-The-man-who-makes-beer-brings-people-together.jpg&quot;,&quot;https:\\\/\\\/budweiserbudvar.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-Pint-of-Budweiser-Budvar-Original-in-Masne-Kramy.jpg&quot;,&quot;https:\\\/\\\/budweiserbudvar.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/11\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-The-hallowed-cellars-and-conditioning-tanks.jpg&quot;]\" block-styles=\"{&quot;background-size&quot;:&quot;cover&quot;,&quot;background-repeat&quot;:&quot;no-repeat&quot;}\"><\/gallery-images>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd8427b4a31b class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>Selecting a tank \u2013 a batch of fresh B:DARK with dates and strength chalked on the side \u2013 he fills two glasses from a little tap and passes one over. The taste is nothing short of incredible; unlike any lager I\u2019ve drunk before. It\u2019s so different, in fact, that I taste it and taste it again, trying to get a handle on it, gulping down the beer. It\u2019s the cold, crisp, freshness, the unpasteurised wonder of it; and it\u2019s the same as we work our way from tank to tank, sampling the equally divine B:ORIGINAL and a punchy, six-month-aged brew made with fresh hops from a 2015 harvest.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1219\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-dark-1219x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-dark-1219x578.jpg 1219w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-dark-1219x578-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-dark-1219x578-768x364.jpg 768w, https:\/\/budweiserbud.wpenginepowered.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2019\/11\/stories-man-who-makes-beer-Beer-dark-1219x578-1024x486.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1219px) 100vw, 1219px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd842924a31c class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <p>Now I understand the Piaggio in the car park and why Ale\u0161 has a thing about getting this beer out to drinkers in its freshest form. And just like Pete Brown, I find it almost impossible to leave.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nLater on, I catch up with the brewery team in central Budweis. Beer has been brewed on these streets in earnest since 1265 when the town was first founded by King P\u0159emysl Otakar II. He endowed it with significant privileges, including the right for every citizen to make beer and brewing has been in its veins ever since. After today, I fully appreciate exactly why safeguarding its quality and heritage remains so important.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nCrossing the market square as the sun sets, I join Ale\u0161 and Ji\u0159\u00ed for a Budvar at the bar of the historic Masn\u00e9 Kr\u00e1my restaurant. The atmosphere is buzzing, the ancient room filled with noise and laughter. As Ale\u0161 goes to order the beers he is quickly surrounded by people wanting to chat. Even the barman comes over to shake hands. Ji\u0159\u00ed leans over. \u201cYou see, in the Czech Republic, beer is much more than just a drink,\u201d he says. \u201cThe man who makes beer, he is a hero. He brings the people together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div data-block_5dd8429e4a31d class=\"text-block text-block align\" style=\"background-color: \">\n  <h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #c39f56;\">I&#8217;ll raise a glass to that.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He drives tanks; he eats dinner with his own hunting knife; he fishes Czech rivers like a pro. He\u2019s also an expert on beer and, having worked at Budvar for 26 years, studying its traditional processes, he\u2019s become a sought-after ambassador for brewing culture the world over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4272,"template":"","categories":[1],"class_list":["post-4271","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beer"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>THE MAN WHO MAKES BEER - Budvar | UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/blog\/story\/the-man-who-makes-beer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THE MAN WHO MAKES BEER - Budvar | UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"He drives tanks; he eats dinner with his own hunting knife; he fishes Czech rivers like a pro. 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