Beer is usually the first thing foreigners think of when being asked about the Czech Republic. What are the reasons behind that? Grab a beer while you open this article and it will help you understand!
- Even though it is constantly declining during the last couple of years, the Czech consumption of beer per capita is still by far the highest in the world. Each person in the country (including babies) drinks an average of 140 litres of beer per year. It used to be 160. That is almost one VELKÉ PIVO (large beer) per day.
- The standard size of a Czech beer is 0.5 litres. Czechs like to have it in a thick glass with a handle.
- Czech people drink so much beer that they leave only a little for export. In contrast with the figures mentioned above, the country occupies only the 10th place in export of beer.
- Many Czech people are so into beer that they would choose non-alcoholic beer over soft drinks if they cannot drink alcohol. Many bars even have draught non-alcoholic beer.
- Czech beer is so cheap that the government once tried to pass a law forcing the bars to offer at least one non-alcoholic drink cheaper than beer in an attempt to control alcoholism. It is hard to say whether this effort was successful or not, as it seems this particular requirement has silently disappeared from the final version of the law currently in use.
- Czechs like to call beer their “liquid bread”. Anyone who has ever visited the country knows how essential bread is for the nation.
- Czechs are so proud of their beer that it has been chosen by popular vote among the “7 Czech wonders”.
- Draught beer is the no. 1 drink for Czechs visiting a bar. A real Czech would never order bottled beer in a bar.
- Many Czechs like to save money and drink beer at home though, in which case they would opt for the bottled one. Bottled beer forms 40 % of the local beer market and bottles should be returned to the shop once you finish them so that you get your 3 CZK per bottle deposit back. And it is more ecological than drinking from cans.
- You can get draught beer even in a coffee shop.
- Czechs categorize beer in “degrees”. More degrees mean higher alcohol content. The most frequently drunk beers are DESÍTKA (10°), JEDENÁCTKA (11°) and DVANÁCTKA (12°). DESÍTKA is good for when you are thirsty, DVANÁCTKA is for those who prefer a full taste.
- Many people actually drink beer just because they are thirsty. Beer is a solution for (almost) everything in “Czechia”.
- Czechs like to sit in HOSPODA (a bar, usually a beer bar), drink beer and complain about politics. It is their national “sport”.
- Another popular conversational topic when drinking beer is the taste of the beer itself. Czechs can be very picky about the taste of their beer.
- Taste is not the only important factor. Real beer needs to have proper foam!
- It is not unusual for the Czechs to have a beer already with their lunch. Some people even have it for breakfast. Don’t forget it is their “liquid bread”!
- Pilsner beer has its origins in the Czech lands, in the city of Plzeň (where the original one is still produced today).
- Before you start your beer, don’t forget to cling your glass with your drinking partner’s and say the toast: NA ZDRAVÍ (it literally means “to health”). Don’t forget to look in the eyes of the other person as you say that! Czechs take this very seriously. Rumour has it that if you don’t look into the other person’s eyes, you won’t have sex for 7 years :-)
Bonus point: If you want to impress your Czech friends when drinking beer with them, you can try learning a couple of phrases to praise how good Czech beer is. You can check the most useful one in our video: