Brewmaster of the Year Award goes to Budějovický Budvar

This week, the Czech Union of Friends of Beer (Sdružení přátel piva) announced its awards for the best beers, best breweries and the best brewmaster in the country. The title Brewmaster of the Year went to Josef Tolar, the brewing and technical director of Budějovický Budvar. In addition to that, Budvar also received an award for the best dark beer of the year. Earlier today, I spoke to Budvar’s Josef Tolar and asked him what it is that makes their beer so special:

“Speaking about black lager, I suppose that it is an evaluation of the balance between bitterness and fullness of taste and the distinctive colour of the beer. And it is of course an evaluation of the way it appeals to different senses.”

Do you have any secret recipe for making good beer?

The same could be said about technology. We are using traditional technology and we are spending a lot more than average for producing one hectolitre of beer. That perhaps explains why the quality of our production is higher than the beer made using cheaper production techniques.”

How important is this award for you?

“From a personal point of view, it was an evaluation of my whole career, because I have been active in the brewing industry for a long time. I started in 1965. But I don’t take it as a personal award only, because one man in a brewery doesn’t mean anything. The quality of the product and the strategy of the brewery is not personified by one man only. That’s why I take this award as a prize for such an overall philosophy.”

And you take it as an award for the whole Budvar Brewery...

“Yes. For the whole Budvar Brewery, of course.”