České Budějovice Budvar Brewery: Where Bohemian tradition meets world-class flavour

České Budějovice, better known in English as Budweis, is the home of the original Budweiser Budvar. Many visitors arrive in this South Bohemian city with the sole goal of taking a brewery tour in Budweis and enjoying the freshly brewed beer right at the source. We couldn’t wait either!

We had booked our tickets for a German-language tour a while before our visit. Anticipation grew as we entered the modern visitor center. Before the start, there was still enough time to browse the shop with its many “beery” items and get ourselves in the mood.

Tip: The brewery’s bottling plant does not operate on weekends. So, if you want to experience (and hear!) the gigantic facility in full operation, you should take the tour on a weekday.

Starting Shot in Yellow: Off to the Brewery Grounds

The approximately 70-minute tour started with the distribution of yellow high-visibility vests. Since this is an active industrial facility, vests are mandatory and you must stay strictly with your group. In practice, this proved to be a bit bumpy: Our group was quite large, and the walking pace of the participants varied greatly. Often, our guide would already begin his explanations even though half the group hadn’t even arrived yet. A bit of a shame, but we still tried to soak up as much as possible.

A Sip of History: How Budweiser Budvar was Created

Our first stop took us to a small museum in the visitor center. Here we briefly dove into history. Budweiser Budvar was founded in 1895 as the “Czech Joint-Stock Brewery” to assert Czech brewing art against the German-speaking competition in the city. Particularly exciting: To this day, the brewery is state-owned and vehemently defends its name in trademark disputes worldwide.

Liquid Gold: Spring Water and Copper Kettles

Through a door, we finally entered the brewery’s operating grounds. First, our path led us to an inconspicuous but enormously important spot: the brewery’s own artesian well.

Arriving at another building, we climbed a long staircase into the brewhouse. Here it became comfortably warm and smelled wonderfully of malt. In the hall gleam huge copper kettles where the mash is boiled.

A fun fact on the side: The copper-colored kettles are only there for visual appeal today. Modern stainless steel kettles are hidden inside. It is impressive to see the dimensions in which they work here, while strictly adhering to historical recipes at the same time.

The Art of Brewing Beer: From Water to Budweiser

While we were looking at the brewing kettles, the guide explained the brewing process to us and what ingredients go into a beer from České Budějovice. Budweiser Budvar prides itself on using exclusively regional and natural raw materials for its premium lager beer.

• Moravian pale malt: Provides the golden color and the light sweetness.
• Whole-cone hops from Saaz (Žatec): Gives the beer its distinctive, slightly tart aroma.
• Crystal-clear water: From their own deep well.

During brewing, the malt is crushed and mixed with water to form the “mash”. Then the liquid (the wort) is separated from the solid components and boiled with the Saaz hops. After cooling, the in-house yeast is added and fermentation begins – the moment when the sweet liquid slowly turns into beer.

Descent into the Cold: The Secret Lies Underground

The path led us further into the lagering cellar. It gets really cold here. Temperatures are 2 degrees Celsius year-round, so I was glad I brought a jacket.

The true secret of Budweiser beer lies right down here in the dark. After fermentation, the green beer enters the extensive lagering cellars. The word “lager” is taken absolutely seriously here. While many modern large breweries accelerate the maturation process for cost reasons, the Budweiser Budvar Original is given a proud 90 days to quietly mature in the cooled tanks and develop its mild, rounded flavor.

The Highlight: Unfiltered and Straight from the Tank

As we walked past rooms with a few tanks, we slowly approached the long-awaited beer tasting.

In one of the cellars, the unpasteurized, unfiltered, and ice-cold beer awaited us. It is tapped directly from the spout of the huge lagering tank into the glass. The first sip was simply fantastic! The taste of this fresh Zwickel beer is incomparably full-bodied, slightly cloudy with yeast, and has a fine, soft bitterness. Why does beer straight from a brewery always taste so much better than at home from a bottle? We enjoyed this moment to the fullest and would have loved to drink a second glass. Unfortunately, we moved on quite quickly.

The Loud World of Bottling

Even though we were there on a weekend and the conveyor belts were at a standstill, our tour guide still took a look into the massive bottling hall with us. You can well imagine the deafening noise here on weekdays when countless machines fill, label, and package cans and bottles at record speed for worldwide export.

Our Conclusion on the České Budějovice Brewery Tour

A visit to theČeské Budějovice Brewery is more than just a promotional tour. It is a look behind the scenes of one of the best-known beer brands.

To be honest: For us, it wasn’t the first brewery tour, and unfortunately, it was one of the most impersonal. Our guide stuck very strictly to his memorized script; individual questions mostly received only vague answers. Anyone who wants to dive deep into the subject matter of the brewing process as a “beer nerd” might not be completely happy here. But for those who would like to get a good, broad overview of the dimensions of the brewery, appreciate the Bohemian brewing tradition, and above all, look forward to the unique tasting in the ice cellar, this excursion is absolutely ideal.

Our Final Tip: A Visit to the “Budvarka” Brewery Restaurant

After the tour, our stomachs were growling, so we went straight into the brewery’s adjacent restaurant. The dining room is modernly furnished, and the service is well-equipped even for larger groups. We were served lightning fast and very friendlily.

Of course, we opted for Budweiser Budvar. Where else would you get fresher beer than in its own brewery? I was particularly curious about the brewery’s Dark Lager, which I had never spotted on a menu in restaurants before. My impression: absolutely recommended! The beer is pleasantly full-bodied and, despite the distinct roasted malt aroma, thankfully not too sweet.

We ate two dishes from the appetizer menu. The portions were large and it tasted great, too!

Visitor Information

Address

Budějovický Budvar
Karolíny Světlé 4
370 04 České Budějovice (Budweis)

Published 4 October 2026