Budweiser/Budvar Brewery

If you ask for a “Budweiser” in continental Europe, most likely you will not receive the famous American brand. That is because Czechia is home to a different company which claims to have far older origins. Another pale lager distinguished by a malt and vanilla scent and a slight taste of apple fruit, Budweiser Budvar is made from artesian water from on-site wells, Moravian barley, and Saaz hops. It is also lagered for a full 90 days, much longer than most mass-produced beers.

The country's “national beer” traces back to 1265, when the city of České Budějovice (“Budweis” in German) was granted brewing rights by the King of Bohemia. For a time, it was the Holy Roman Empire's imperial brewery, and 87% of the city’s revenue came from brewing in the early 16th century. When Adolphus Busch visited České Budějovice in 1876, he decided to make his own Budweiser in America, brewed in a similar manner. The modern brewery here was not founded until 1895, with the consolidation of several Czech brewers.

With both breweries having an international footprint, there have predictably been quarrels as to naming rights. Budweiser Budvar relinquished its rights to the U.S. market in 1939, but refused an offer to split rights globally in 1994. In 2010, Anheuser-Busch, which makes the American Budweiser, lost an attempt to trademark the name in the EU. As such, it has to sell their beer as "Bud" instead. On the other hand, those drinking Budweiser Budvar in the Americas will know it as “Czechvar.”