The small Czech village of Krušovice, equal in size to Red Square, is famous for its brewery, which employs only 300 people. At the moment, the brewery produces 8 world-famous brands of light and dark beer. The most popular varieties are “Krušovicka 10°”, “Krušovicka 12°”, “Black”, “Musketeer” and “Malvaz”, each of which has its own unique taste.

Over its long history, which began almost five centuries ago in 1517, the brewery has faced both successes and difficulties. Its founder, Jiri Birka, sold his brainchild to the Czech King Rudolf II in 1583. Since then, a luxurious monarchical crown has appeared on the brewery’s emblem, and the king himself personally monitored the quality of the products. The sale document is carefully kept in the brewery museum, which can be visited by anyone.

Since then, the company has been in the hands of different owners. The “Time of Troubles” of Krusovice lasted more than a hundred years, until in 1773 the Fürstenberger family made the brewery famous not only in the Czech Republic itself, but also in Germany. Over the course of 170 years, the princely family modernized production and established exports to other countries. In the post-war 40s of the 20th century, the Czech state began to manage the plant, and in 1992 the royal brewery again passed into private hands. The current owner of the brand is Heineken International.

The distinctive features of the brewery's drinks are the centuries-old recipes and the uniqueness and recognizable taste. Another feature of beer is its exclusively natural ingredients. Firstly, it is clean water from the drinking springs of the Křivoklat forest, secondly, the famous barley malt, which grows only in Bohemia, and thirdly, Saaz hops.

At the moment, Krušovice beer is the most popular imported beer in Russia. Since 2006, the company has been producing about 700 thousand hectoliters of alcoholic beverage. About 40% of all beer is exported to 30 different countries. The largest importers of Czech beer were Russia, Germany and Slovakia. The most popular brands are Krusovice 10° and 12°. These cooling and refreshing beers performed superbly at one of the most prestigious beer competitions, the Monde Selection. Thus, the “ten” has won this award for the third year in a row, and the “twelfth” for the second year.

"Krusovice" - price in WineStyle

The popular beer "Krusovice" can be purchased in WineStyle stores for prices starting from 144 rubles. per bottle. This is how much the Imperial variety costs. Dark beer (Cerne) is slightly more expensive.

Not just inseparable - the Czechs created beer, and beer created the Czech Republic. There is no other country on the globe where beer participated to such an extent in the affairs of the state: with the active support of government officials, it helped create cities and prevent civil wars, participated in almost all the most important treaties and decrees, elevated or equalized rights, enriched and ruined. In general, he manipulated the state like a real “gray cardinal.”

It was the national love for beer that the Czech rulers played on, by allowing beer to be brewed exclusively in cities in the 13th century: thanks to such a monopoly, cities began to appear and grow like mushrooms after rain. They arose on the site of former fortress settlements or rural fairs, or simply farmsteads near a busy highway, and, like a magnet, they attracted craftsmen and brewers. Yes, in fact, they had no choice: according to "right mile" they were forbidden to settle within a mile of the city walls.

The local nobility and rural aristocracy were desperately jealous of the inhabitants of the royal cities, because they were only allowed to sell or buy beer, and then only in the cities. This envy gradually began to take very aggressive forms: the peasants, incited and financed by the nobles, moved from words to deeds, and a wave of uprisings swept across the country. The townspeople, hardened by the Hussite wars, also did not sit idly by - they responded to the villagers and feudal lords with dignity and mercilessness. So it was time for the authorities to decide something before they got to them. We decided to relieve the tension with the Treaty of Svatovaclas ( Svatováclavská smlouva), according to which the nobility shared with the cities the right to have their own representations in the Diet, and the cities agreed to renounce market privileges and a monopoly on the production of beer for sale.

This happened in 1517, and, of course, the nobles were not slow to take advantage of the results of the agreement. So in the village of Krušovice, not far from the town of Rakovnik in the Central Bohemian Region, a local brewery appeared. It should be noted that there was no way to brew bad beer in those parts: the fields surrounding the village of Krušovice were famous for their excellent soil, very favorable for growing barley, and the climatic conditions did not let us down either. So, no special personal talents were required from the owner of the brewery, and therefore his name was not preserved in the annals of history.

But what is known for certain is that in the 80s of the 16th century it was already owned by a certain Jiri Birka. Rumor has brought to this day information that the local nobility liked the excellent beer from his brewery so much that on the estate of this nobleman, from the town of Nasile, merry carnivals did not subside day and night. Either at the insistence of all the surrounding residents, or for health reasons, undermined by violent libations, Jiri decided to sell the brewery and surrounding lands in 1581, thanks to which he ended up in written sources. And he made a tempting offer not just to anyone, but to the King of the Czech Republic, Rudolf II himself (who is also the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire). Of course, the king could not refuse such a tasty morsel. The same sources report that by 1583 the king bought the brewery and annexed it to his own lands in the Křivoklát forests. And the brewery in Krušovice began to be called Royal.

« Noblesse oblige“- the situation was obligatory: the product of the royal brewery had to be impeccable, especially since it was now being delivered to the imperial court. Therefore, Rudolf II, without further ado regarding the recipe or improvement of production, nevertheless contributed to the quality of this beer, ordering the serving people to find a source worthy of the royal drink in their own forests. And the magnificent water from the wells discovered in the Křivoklát forests had the most beneficial effect on the Krušovice Royal Beer. Of course, Rudolf II did not have the opportunity to devote too much effort and time to his own brewery, but from time to time a messenger delivered a royal decree to Krušovice: “We know that His Grace the Emperor likes your beer, we deign to graciously demand for ourselves 3 barrels of white beer.” This is regular quality control.

The succession of successive kings of the Czech Republic (Matthias, Ferdinand II, Ferdinand III, Leopold I) and the 30 Years' War did not greatly contribute to the development of brewing in the Czech Republic in general and at the Krušovice Royal Brewery in particular. The turning point came only in 1658, when the Habsburgs were no longer interested in Křivoklát Castle, the land, or the brewery located on this territory. All of them were given by Leopold I first as collateral to the Schwarzenbergers, then sold to a representative of one of the most noble Bohemian families, Ernest Joseph von Waldstein ( Ernst Joseph von Waldstein). He equipped the brewery with a new malt house and a new mill. And finally, after his death, in 1773, his daughter Maria sold Krušovice to the princely Fürstenberg family from Swabia, who not only owned it until 1942, but also raised production to a very high level.

Thanks to this owner, steam engines, new furnaces, brewhouses, cooling systems and drying chambers appeared at the plant. Capacities were constantly increased and modernized, volumes increased, beer was now supplied to other cities - Teplice, Kladno, Prague. And the fact that the shortest trade routes to Prague ran through the provinces of Germany contributed to its expansion to the international level. In 1891, the exceptional qualities of Krušovice Royal Beer were awarded a gold medal at the Jubilee Industrial Exhibition held in Prague.

Of course, both the First and Second World Wars caused interruptions in the work of the plant, the owners of which were representatives of a prominent German family. And on November 15, 1945, by decree of the President of the Czech Republic, the enterprise was completely nationalized by the state. Since 1961, it has been part of the state corporation Breweries of Central Bohemia. In 1991, the brewery in Krušovice was separated into a separate economic unit, but still remained state property. It was transformed into a joint stock company on January 1, 1992, and the first line in the Czech Republic for the production of beer in kegs was installed and launched on it. This innovation allowed the company to launch production in the USA and Great Britain.

In 1994, the production was purchased by the German brewing group Binding-Gruppe (since 2002 - Radeberger Group), and its modernization continued. A year later, the name of the enterprise was changed: it was now called Königliche Brauerei Krušovice (Royal Brewery Krušovice), and a new logo appeared. In 1996, reconstruction of the plant began, in 1999 a completely new production complex was built, and two years later the old premises were dismantled.

In June 2007 Radeberger sold the ownership of the plant in Krušovice and the corresponding trademark to an international corporation, reserving the right to distribute beer TM “Krušovice” on the German market.

Today, the production capacity of Krušovice is 10 million decalitres of beer per year, a significant part of the product is exported. The sales geography of this brand of beer covers about 30 countries, but the leading foreign markets are Germany, Russia and Slovakia.

The assortment of TM “Krušovice” currently includes:

• Krušovice Desitka- light beer with a density of 10.2% and an alcohol content of 4.2%;
• Krušovice Černe- dark beer with an alcohol content of 3.8%;
• Krušovice Mušketýr 11°- light beer with a gravity of 11% and an alcohol content of 4.5%, brewed since the early 1980s using a mixture of special malts;
• Krušovice Malvaz- semi-dark beer with a density of 13% and an alcohol content of 5.6%, produced since 2010;
• Krušovice Ležák- light beer with a density of 12% and an alcohol content of 5%.

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This month, in my opinion, a significant event took place - the Heineken company began production of Krušovice beer in Russia. Why iconic? Beer "Krušovice", for some unknown reason, has a cult status among adherents of "real-Czech-beer". I have a theory why, but this is purely speculation.

In the 90s, when both politically and economically our citizens had the opportunity to travel abroad, many people rushed to the Czech Republic. Before the 1998 crisis, there was even such a fashion to fly to Prague for the weekend and drink beer. And so, a former Soviet person who ended up in Prague and, along with a Czech visa, automatically received a “beer expert diploma”, sees that they are mainly selling Prazdroy, Gambrinus and Kozela. The beer is familiar to him from Soviet times (it was imported to the USSR). And at the same time, there is a certain mysterious Krušovice, which was not brought to the USSR. Once again, the Soviet stereotype comes into play - if it’s “tilke for sebe”, it means very good.

Well, plus the taste. Krušovice is not as bitter as Prazdroj or even Radegast. Its malt flavor is closer to what was produced in the USSR and then (and now) in Russia. It’s close, but cleaner, and there’s still some hop bitterness (which we almost never had and still don’t have). Thus was born the myth about the “most Czech-Russian” beer, Krušovice. And I must say that the Heineken company, when it bought the plant, very successfully began to operate it in the ex-USSR space.

When the Heineken concern purchased the plant in 2007, one of the terms of the deal was that production would be maintained and for some time (I don’t remember how many years), the Krušovice brand would be brewed only in the Czech Republic.

Almost immediately, as soon as the plant was absorbed by the brewing giant, rumors that Krušovice was now brewing somewhere under license arose constantly. To the point where I tried to convince one salesman from the bottling plant that if the label says “importer LLC... Odintsovo”, this does not mean Krusha is bottling in this city.

Now this bastion has fallen and believers in “real beer is only in the Czech Republic” can victoriously point their finger at their beloved “Krušovice” and lament - “it used to be... but now in St. Petersburg they’re making beer…”. Well, I’ll leave this right to them, and I’ll find out by blind tasting whether this is so.

But, before starting the test, I, of course, studied the labels and performance characteristics of the samples. We need to make sure that this is really the same beer. I studied it. It must be said that imported Krušovice and Russian licensed are TWO DIFFERENT BEERS!

Firstly, the imported one is called Krušovice Imperial, and ours is called Krusovice Royal. There is no “Royal” on the official website of Krušovice (another trump card for the guardians of originality). Secondly, the density of imported goods to Russia is 11.7% (that is, “twelve”), and licensed 10.3% (that is, “disitka”). By the way, the list of produced varieties includes “disitka”. Hence the conclusion - the Russian Krušovice Royal is nothing more than Krušovická 10°, which means it is not correct to compare them. Nevertheless, I will compare, because this is exactly what an ordinary buyer will do in his mind.

Krušovice Royal— 4.2/10.3 — The aroma of tap water through which a light malt trail can be discerned. The taste is malty, dryish. In the aftertaste, the grain also sets the main tone. Not a lot of hops. Yes, a little more than in most Russian beers, but the same Khamovniki Pilsen makes it easy. Overall clean and empty. Grade "C+"

Krušovice Imperial— 4.5/11.7 — Grain, malt aroma with a slight mustiness (beer bottling in September, as expected). The taste is also grainy, thicker than Royal. This is understandable - the density is greater. The aftertaste is malt and biscuits. A little more hops. Dry, grassy, ​​meadow-like. Grade "B-"

The flavor profile of both beers is very similar, but there is a noticeable difference. Even my son noticed it (no, no, I didn’t pour him beer!). In a “blind” tasting, he traditionally plays the role of a pourer. When he poured it into glasses and called me out of the room, he immediately said, “Dad, you can easily distinguish. It smells different.” The child turned out to be right. I immediately distinguished where and what. I think many people will also notice this, but will not go into details and make allowances for different densities. They will simply say “native is better” and they will be right in some ways.

Why would Heineken kill the brand's reputation? In my opinion, the answer is simple - sales of licensed Krušovice (priced 50-60 rubles) will be much higher than the loss of those who drank imported. Moreover, imported ones have not disappeared from sale and I think they will not disappear. And on the eve of the crisis, releasing such a popular brand under license is a very good commercial move.

Alexander Idzhon

Beer "Krusovice", reviews of which are extremely positive, is almost the most recognizable drink. The royal quality of beer is a distinctive feature of the world-famous Czech beer "Krušovice". On the road from Prague to Karlovy Vary, there is a village called Krušovice, where the history of the famous brewery, founded in 1517, began.

History and distribution

The legendary “Krušovice” is a beer that has been brewed since the 16th century; it was then that a law was passed that aristocrats could brew beer on their farms, which Jiri Birka took advantage of. But the most important date for the plant was the purchase of it by Rudolf II in 1583, from that moment the development of truly royal quality beer began. It is reliably known that from time to time the plant received requests from His Majesty himself; he asked for three barrels of light. Owner

The plant ensured that only the best quality raw materials were supplied, and also ensured that production volumes grew.

Things began in earnest only in the mid-18th century, when the brewery passed into the hands of Prince Fürstenberg, who equipped it with all the necessary modern equipment. From that moment on, the popularity of Krusovice increased - beer began to be supplied not only to neighboring cities, but also to Germany, and production reached volumes that had been incredible until that moment - 100 batches per year. They did not stop brewing beer even in troubled times; neither war, nor fire, nor plunder by mercenaries stopped this process. The highest sign of recognition for the royal quality of the Krusovice drink: the beer received this award in 1891 at the Anniversary Industrial Exhibition in But the First World War nevertheless forced, albeit briefly, to suspend the production of beer, although this even allowed for a further increase in production. Since 1945, the plant became state owned, but it still remained a leader among breweries. In 1993, the German food company Dr. Oetker completely privatized Krusovice and updated the equipment in accordance with world standards. The owner changed again in 2007, it became the Dutch company Heineken. Royal was recognized as the largest exporter of Czech beer. He, as before, is a national treasure and a source of pride for more than one generation of Czechs.

Quality fit for a king

Even the kings paid tribute to Krusovica - the beer has unique taste and beneficial properties, because only high-quality raw materials are used in its production, and technologists strictly monitor compliance with all technological processes. There are a number of nuances that provide the beer with a wonderful taste and aroma, for example, water is extracted from the purest Krušovice spring, and barley malt is prepared according to special secret recipes. The famous one is collected only by hand; it gives the drink useful bactericidal and tonic properties. Only natural ingredients, and no foreign additives. Even if Krušovice is not pasteurized, the beer can still be stored for a very long time. In Russia, we have only two main varieties available for free sale - light and "Krusovice", the price of which is low - a source of special pride for the Czech Republic.

According to legend, the Royal Brewery Krusovice can be considered one of the most ancient breweries in the world, because it was founded back in 1517 in the village of the same name. However, the first official document that mentions the brewery dates back to 1581. In this document, Jiri Birka proposes to buy the brewery along with the land to King Rudolf II. You can view the document on the ground floor of the old malt house, where you can also look at many other interesting exhibits and taste beer. In 1583, the brewery was sold, after which it began to be called the Royal brewery.

The location of the brewery turned out to be quite successful - the lands surrounding the village had fertile soil for growing various cereals, including barley.

The number of fans of this drink around the world is huge and constantly growing. After all, Krušovice has a unique taste and is brewed in accordance with centuries-old technology.

The brewery itself is located in the middle of fields, the soil of which is ideal for growing barley. Water used for cooking Krusovice, obtained in the forests of Křivoklát from special artesian wells, the water is very rich in minerals and has a unique taste, which, in part, it undoubtedly imparts to beer.

At the Royal Brewery Krušovice they use exceptional ingredients, such as Žatecký and Bohemia, and do not and do not accept the addition of various additives, including sugar. Despite this, the finished Krušovice beer can be stored for quite a long time, because the entire technological process is carefully followed during its production. Thanks to this, the taste of real Krušovice beer is unique and always recognizable among other drinks.

The main varieties of the brewery are light and . The alcohol content in light beer is 4.9%, with a density of 12%, and dark beer is 3.9%, with a density of 10%. Light beer has a pleasant golden color and persistent foam, its taste is distinguished by a sharp, pleasant bitterness. has a soft caramel taste and a special aroma of hop bitterness.

Only a few types of beer are produced under the Krusovice brand:

• Krušovice Desitka– light, the alcohol content in this beer is at least 4.2% with an extract density of 10.2%;
• Krušovická 12°– light beer, the density of which is 12% (hence the name), the alcohol content of the drink is 4.7%;
• Krušovice Černe– dark, drink strength is 3.8%, extract density is 10%, has a pronounced taste and aroma of roasted malt, an excellent example;
• Krušovice Mušketýr– light premium class, alcohol content is 4.5%, with an extract density of 12%. It has a golden color, a pleasant malt taste and a hop aftertaste;
• Krušovice Malvaz– this is a semi-dark beer, the first release of which took place in 2010, contains 5.6% alcohol, the density of the beer is 13%;
• Krušovice Pšeničné– a relatively new light variety for the company