European Beer News (Issue 22)

by Max Bahnson

In 1997, Pivovar Svijany received its death sentence by its then owners Bass & Co. It was saved by its Brew Mater, who bought it. At the time, it was brewing less than 30,000 hl/year. Today, it's brewing close to 600,000, making it one of the biggest breweries in the Czech Rep. Now, they have announced plans to open a production facility in Tbilisi, Georgia with a capacity for several hundred thousand hectolitres a year, according to company representatives. This will make Pivovar Svijany the first privately owned Czech brewing company to expand production beyond the country's borders.

Speaking of expansions. Since opening in 2011, Pivovar Antoš has been considered one of the best microbreweries, and brewpubs, in the Czech Republic, and one of the few able to produce classic Czech lagers and ales with equal proficiency. The success of their beers, not only at the brewpub, but also in the increasingly more competitive distribution market, has encouraged the owners to build a new brewery from scratch; one that will increase Antoš's capacity by at least 600%. The brewpub will continue brewing, while the new facilities will be devoted to distribution and contract brewing.