Two Weeks-Long Festival Celebrates Czech Beer

Some 6,000 pubs and restaurants across the Czech Republic take part in the ninth annual Czech Beer Days (Dny českého piva) from September 14 to September 30.

The motto of the festival is “the Czech pub is part of our culture — our national identity.”

St. Wenceslas Day, the 28th of September, is a national holiday, celebrating Václav I’s legacy of helping unify Bohemia. But he is also considered the patron saint of beer.

Dozens of breweries and microbreweries are participating nationwide in the festival.

The event celebrates not only beer but pub culture as a whole. And so participating pubs around the country are offering up not only special beers but also unique menus featuring dishes such as roast boar served with a rosehip sauce.

“Czech Beer Days is a festival for all lovers of beer, pubs and gastronomy. With the festival, we want to promote the consumption of draft beer and also remind people of the unique traditional Czech pub,” František Šámal, chairman of the ČSPS, said in a press release.

Meanwhile, breweries are opening up their doors to visitors who will be able to see just how the beloved amber drink is made

“We believe that Czech Beer Days will help encourage people to go out more often for their favorite beer. Czechs love Czech beer and the Czech beer tradition. We know that favorite pubs, especially for smaller towns and villages, are the center of social and cultural life,” František Šámal, chairman of the ČSPS, said in a press release.

The festival is held under the auspices of Czech President Miloš Zeman and Agriculture Minister Marian Jurečka. The opening, where barrels will be festively tapped, will be attended by local officials and prominent personalities from public life.

The idea for tours of breweries on the closing night was inspired by similar nights for museums and churches.

For more about Czech Beer Days, visit their website or also on Facebook.