European Beer Drinkers Denounce Proposed Sale of Budweiser Budvar

Last week, the European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU) held a press conference to denounce the idea of privatizing the Czech state-owned brewery, Budejovicky Budvar, brewer of the popular export beer, Budweiser Budvar (Czechvar in the United States). Basically, their only argument was that they feared that the quality of the beer may suffer as a result. And why? Because the brewery will clearly be purchased by the American brewing giant Anheuser-Busch, brewer of the beer that much of the world knows as Budweiser, within in the next year or two. They offered no evidence as to why the quality would suffer as result of Anheuser-Busch purchasing the brewery. Only inference.

What the EBCU fails to accept or comprehend is the fact that the Czech government stewards of Budweiser Budvar have already done much to ruin the beer. They export much of their government owned Czech grown Saaz hops to foreign brewers (mostly in Germany) and import foreign and inferior hops to brew their Budweiser Budvar. These government caretakers at one point had even taken to using synthetic hops in brewing their Budweiser Budvar, but thankfully that practice has stopped (so we've been told!). Budweiser Budvar, by Czech standards, stopped being a high quality premium beer years ago. Today, it's just expensive.

The assumption of the EBCU that Budejovicky Budvar will be purchased by Anheuser-Busch is a correct one, but any assumptions as to what will happen to the brewery afterwards is merely guesswork. Anheuser-Busch is keeping it cards close to its corporate vest, as well they should. Any speculation about the future of an Anheuser-Busch owned Budejovicky Budvar is just that, speculation.