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Musician Ludek Werner hasn't eaten for days, but he's not worried. Sitting in a smoky Prague pub, he holds up his glass of golden Pilsner and exults: "I don't need food, as I get all the vitamins and nutrition I need from this." No wonder Czechs refer to their beloved beer as "liquid bread." Czechs consume more beer than anyone else in the world: almost a half liter daily for every man, woman and child in the country. A glass of beer costs as little as 30 cents--less than a Coke. And Czech doctors have been known to prescribe beer for everything from stomach and skin ailments to stress and sexual dysfunction. "Why would we drink anything else when it tastes so good, is cheaper than other drinks and is good for us?" says Werner, knocking back his sixth pint in little more than an hour.
Why indeed? Beer is an indelible part of the culture, and Czechs are proud of their national brew. The country boasts the world's first beer museum, the first brewing textbook and some of the world's best beers--which, explains Werner's drinking buddy, Mirek Plachy, should be served at 7 to 8 degrees Celsius and topped with exactly three centimeters of foam. Pilsner patriotism extends to the highest reaches of government; President Vaclav Havel has taken visiting dignitaries--including U.S. President Bill Clinton--for a pint. And Prime Minister Milos Zeman has offended more than a few foreign leaders by mocking their national brews; he proclaimed Slovak beer "only good for soaking dentures in," and once referred to American beer as "brown water." At the Czech Republic's annual beer Olympics, participants compete in events like fastest drinking, bottle balancing and drinking a pint while standing on one's hands. Milos Kozeluh, a brewery worker who holds that last record (eight seconds), says that on a typical day he downs 20 glasses. "I love my beer like all real Czechs, and it goes with our sense of fun," he says.
But now brewers are worried. As young Czechs embrace a new Western lifestyle--complete with trendy drinks, a strong work ethic and disdain for all things communist--they are drinking less beer. New figures show that beer consumption dipped from 167 liters per head in 1992 to 156 liters last year. Output at 40 of the country's 54 breweries was down last year, with medium-size breweries seeing a 41 percent dip in production. In a fiercely competitive market, breweries have been forced to keep prices down, even as costs rise.
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So the industry is doing all it can to keep the beer buzz going. In March, the Czech Brewers' and Malt Producers' Association teamed up with doctors to launch a $90,000 media campaign touting beer's alleged health benefits: it can aid against osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and gynecological problems. Even foreign-owned Czech breweries are investing in slick marketing--including TV commercials that focus on younger drinkers. "We need to appeal to young people and women, not just the men drinking 10 beers in the pub," says Brewers' Association chairman Jan Vesely. "Youngsters just don't drink beer the way their parents did. We don't want a few people to drink a lot of beer; we want a lot of people to drink a little beer."
Beer buffs have taken up the cause, too. Subway manager Ivo Dvorak, for one, is campaigning to make sure Czech breweries don't go under. From his underground office, Dvorak runs the Friends of Beer Association, promoting the interests of smaller brewers, beer lovers and the Czech brewing tradition. The group even stood for Parliament 12 years ago, drumming up more than 1 percent of the vote. "There is a real danger that the Czech beer market will be left with just three superbrewers," says Dvorak. "Czech beer's tradition and taste could be lost."
Not everyone thinks that would be such a bad thing. Health educator Petr Skrla has criticized the new media campaign, insisting that publicity should focus on the dangers of drinking--not the benefits. Tellingly, no official figures exist for alcoholism, but experts say the problem is growing. "Alcoholism is on the rise, and children are starting to drink beer at an earlier age," says Skrla. Though the legal drinking age is 18, "it is fairly common for families to give their 5-year-old children beer and be proud of it. People don't consider beer to be alcohol, which exacerbates the problem."
Still, it's tough to imagine Czechs ever going cold turkey. Some employers even encourage their workers to drink beer on the job. Glass-factory owner Frantisek Novosad has set up an on-site brewery where his 160 workers can buy beer at 14 cents a pop. "Beer is the ideal way for workers to combat the thirst they build up working near a hot furnace," he says. "Most have between six and 10 beers a shift--and it doesn't affect their work." Werner, too, remains confident of the republic's frothy future. "Czechs will always drink beer," he says, raising his empty glass. Bottoms up.
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