The first bottles with the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) are entering the Czech market. One of the first brands to obtain the PGI were Heineken’s Krušovice, and Plzeňský Prazdroj’s Pilsner Urqell, Kozel, Radegast and eventually also Gambrinus.
Jan Veselý, executive director of the Czech Brewery and Malt Association, expects roughly one half of the 48 local industrial breweries will use the opportunity to put the PGI label, which guarantees that it is original and traditionally made, on their bottles. “Technically, as of [last Friday], every brewery can do it. With some it will help them sell beer. Others won’t see a difference,” says Veselý.
The EU approved the rules for using the “Czech beer” brand last autumn. It took breweries months before they used up their supplies of old labels and resolved fine-tuned the method of labelling their beers.
To be able to use the round, blue and yellow logo, the beer must be produced in the traditional way in the Czech Republic. The label also guarantees a certain minimal level of local products – mainly malt and hops – as well as a detailed description of the production method.
