Japan to Canada, brewing own Czech-style beer is a global phenomenon
Beer is famously one of Czechia’s top exports with a great deal of historical, cultural, and economic significance. Along with the beverage itself, the distribution of ingredients and diffusion of know-how has allowed brewers from all corners of the world to take a stab at their own Czech-style lager. As it turns out, with remarkable success.
The art of Czech beer-making has left a visible global impression, whether it be on artisanal microbreweries or on large industrial productions. Especially in the Land of the Rising Sun, one does not have to look very far. All of Japan’s “Big 4” breweries – Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo – use Czech malt and hops in their production.
Czech President Petr Pavel is currently touring the island country, and is set to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba tomorrow. Today, he is attending the Czech National Day at the EXPO 2025 in Osaka, where besides art, music, and technology, Czech beer will be one of the main attractions.
On the consumption side, Japanese beer culture traditionally largely revolves around “izakaya” – a type of local taverns. ‘Taiyo Sakaba’ is one of them. Nestled unassumingly in Tokyo’s ward of Shinagawa, the izakaya has embraced the culture of the Czech-style lager, with several choices on tap, served in traditional, thick handled beer glasses.
Czech Radio met up there with Veronika Vanišová, Agricultural Diplomat at the Czech Embassy in Tokyo, who spoke about the economic importance of this cultural exchange:
“The local beer market is very developed. Besides the four main breweries, there are also about 800 craft breweries. At the same time, the conditions for growing crops are not ideal here, especially hops. There are certain regions where hops are cultivated, but in very small amounts - more so symbolically. In 90% of the cases, maybe even more, hops are imported. The three largest importers of hops to Japan are the USA, Germany, and us,” she says.
Proving that Japanese brewers can compete on the playing field of Czech-style beer is Tachihi Brewery, from the city of Tachikawa in the area of Greater Tokyo. Their Pilsner was awarded at the prestigious World Beer Awards in 2023.
At the Taiyo Sakaba tavern, however, one of the Czech-style lagers travelled all the way from Canada. Quebec-born brewer Luc "Bim" Lafontaine, who Czech Radio also spoke to, imports all his malt and hops from Czechia. Each year, he selects and ships a large container of agricultural products from Moravia, near Olomouc, to his Godspeed Brewery in Toronto.
Lafontaine spent months perfecting his craft in Czechia, before bringing the art to Ontario. As a result, he produced two distinctive brews in partnership with the Czech government: ‘Bůh’ and ‘Sklepník’. For the past six years, the Czech Ministry of Agriculture has been inviting brewers from all over the world to Czechia in order to discover the production process of Czech-style lager.
On the other side of the fence, some Czech-born brewers have taken their brewing craft abroad themselves. Back in Japan, for instance, in the city of Toyama, brewer Jiří Kotýnek has been at the helm of KOBO Brewery for the past 20 years. A nod to how Czech-style beer has been able to gain a foothold in local craft beer scenes around the globe.
A growing popularity abroad has also bolstered the beer industry at home. According to Statista, the sector provides roughly 76,000 jobs, and accounts for 1.6% of the country’s GDP. As the self-proclaimed “world number one in beer tourism”, Czechia also consumes an annual average of 184.1 litres of beer per capita – more than any other country.
