Budweiser in Prague — Separate and Some Say Superior

"You have to try Budweiser in Prague," said my brother. "It's so much better over there for some reason."

I took my brother's advice and had a few Budweiser beers in the Czech capital, and I quickly realized it was too good to be the same brew. Something had to be up. Little did I know I would soon discover a global fight between breweries that's being going on for over a century.

Going back to the late 19th century, there were two breweries in the city of Budweis. First, there was Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu, who started exporting Budweiser Bier to the States around 1875. Though they fought to get it back, the brewery's name would change under communist rule so it's not commonly known by its original moniker. That's not the case for Budweiser Budvar, however, which also started in the late 1800s. It retained its name, and as was common in Bohemia, the name referred back to its geographic location. Just like Pilsner means "of Pilsen," Budweiser means "of Budweis."

Around this same time, German-born Adophus Busch paid a visit to Bohemia, and inspired by the local beers, he returned to his new adopted home in St. Louis to create a new brew for the town's German immigrants. Along with liquor importer Carl Conrad, he created his own Budweiser, a name that would resonate with the immigrant community because it harkened back to the Bohemian city. Needless to say, these were the early days of trademarks — let alone international trademarks — so it became a sticky situation when both Anhesuer-Busch and Budweiser Budvar turned into major successes. The century-long fight over trademarks has so far resulted in different rulings and arrangements according to the region. Anhesuer-Busch retains the Budweiser name in America, and it's often called Bud in European countries. Budvar landed the exclusive rights to the Budweiser name in Germany and the Czech Republic, and Great Britain ruled that both companies are entitled to use the Budweiser name. Finally, the Budvar brand changed its name to Czechvar in the States. Anhesuer-Busch tried to buy Budvar several years ago, and when that fell through, the trademark battles heated up again. Today, however, there might be a two Bud solution on the horizon. While they still battle it out in the courts, Anhesuer-Busch has actually agreed to market Czechvar in the States and elsewhere. Is it possible the two companies are sobering up to eventual realities? History lessons aside, let's talk about Budweiser Budvar. According to the brewery, Budvar is an exceptional beer because they use water from a spring nearly 1,000 feet underground and load up the brew with the famed Bohemian Zatec hops. It is essentially a sturdy, tasty, darker brew that even the beer snobs will love. Plus, since Budvar truly is "of Budweis," one could say it's the true Budweiser. Next time you are in Europe, try Budweiser Budvar and taste the difference. If nothing else, when your friends back home ask about your adventures in beer drinking, you can watch their faces melt in horror as you say how much you loved throwing back all those Budweisers.