Budvar Czech Mates: The launch of the first UK-brewed Czech lager

Budweiser Budvar, the national brewery of the Czech Republic, has announced today its first ever collaboration lager to be brewed outside its home country. The lager is called Czech Mates and is brewed with Thornbridge, the original UK craft brewery, home to award-winning craft beers and ales.

Czech Mates will be available to purchase from May 16 from thornbridgebrewery.co.uk and selected retailers, and there are discussions with major UK retailers regarding a launch in early autumn 2023.

Bringing together centuries of Czech brewing expertise, the finest British ingredients and cutting-edge technology, Czech Mates is a Czech-style lager that aims to fuel a growing appreciation for quality, traditionally brewed lager across the UK.

Czech Mates is an aromatic, crisp and beautifully balanced 4.8 per cent beer, brewed to the same high standards as all Budweiser Budvar and Thornbridge products, and made at Thornbridge brewery, located in Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District.

The traditional Czech brewing method of decoction and long, slow maturing complement the British-grown Maris Otter malt and East Kent Goldings hops, while Budvar’s decades-old yeast strain makes the journey from Budweis to Bakewell to bring it all to life.

In addition, the famously soft water of the Peak District, just like that found in České Budějovice (Budweis), is ideal for brewing lager. As the most awarded brewery in the UK, Thornbridge are a perfect partner for Budvar, sharing a passion for quality, consistency and innovation.

As Thornbridge’s brewmaster, Rob Lovatt, says: “Budvar have a similar ethos to Thornbridge. They’re brewers of integrity, they don’t compromise, they use the very best ingredients.”

As Adam Brož, Budvar’s brewmaster, puts it: ‘Time is a very important feature of the lager. The long maturation brings the smoothness, crisp taste, and very high drinkability.’

The collaboration will be supported by a bold social media campaign based around the slogan ‘Mates Don’t Let Mates Drink Bad Lager’. The message is: with a new collaboration bringing together the 800-plus years of lager-making experience of the Czechs and the creativity of a UK craft beer titan, there is no excuse for drinking substandard lager anymore.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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