Time to see what the view of Czech beer was from the DDR.
The two countries were the brewing specialists of the socialist block. Which was fair enough. They had by far the strongest brewing traditions amongst the socialist countries.
Beer at the neighbour's
The preference for beer is also gaining ground in countries that are not traditional beer producers. The CSSR and the GDR are leaders in beer production within the socialist community of states. Their experiences, which are passed on to the friendly countries within the socialist economic integration, make it easier for them to set up their own beer production. This also includes the delivery of machines and systems. In addition, beer exports and imports play a major role.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 53.
It's interesting to see these two countries held up as examples of modern brewing equipment and techniques. When many breweries there were effectively brewing in a pre-war way. Which is one of the reasons Czech beer, for example, was so good.
CSSR: Urquell - five times around the equator
Our southern neighbors are not only passionate beer drinkers, but also passionate brewers. Barley juice in Czechoslovakia has centuries-old traditions. It is not without reason that the Pilsner from the western Bohemian city of Plzen became a well-known type of beer all over the world.
In the USA, "Budweiser" was a type of mild beer, although it does not have to come from Ceske Budejovice. The Bohemian art of brewing has found connoisseurs, lovers and imitators everywhere. However, the happy harmony of high-quality brewing barley, the famous hops such as Zatec (Saaz) and Ustek, the ideal brewing water and the storage of the beers is not easily repeatable.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 54.
As today, the most famous Czech breweries were Pilsner Urquell and Budvar. No change there.
Another common thread is how Czechs were very enthusiastic beer drinkers. Amongst the thirstiest in the world.
From 2 million hectolitres in 1864, when the rapid development of brewing began, the annual production of Czechoslovakian breweries increased to the current level of almost 25 million hectoliters. “Pilsner Urquell” alone leaves the brewery in quantities of over a million hectolitres every year. This calculation is astonishing: if you wanted to fill this amount in the half-litre glassess that our neighbours use, you could span the equator more than five times. It is not surprising when you hear that the Czechs and Slovaks consume 155 litres of beer per capita per year. That was in 1979, but now it may have increased again. In any case, the CSSR surpasses most of the European beer countries in per capita consumption.
The world-famous companies that mainly produce export beers, such as the Staropramen breweries in Prague, Pilsner Urquell in Plzen and Budvar in Ceske Budejovice, have gone through years of reconstruction and modernisation, always striving to maintain or even improve the traditional quality while increasing production. There are also a number of renowned breweries that produce high-quality beer, such as the modern brewery in Nosovice, Moravia. The traditions of Bohemian brewing are also at work here.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 54.
155 litres a year was impressive when you consider that Slovaks were mostly wine drinkers. When Czechoslovakia split apart, the Czech Republic shot to number one position in terms of comsumption per capita.
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