According to its brewer Václav Berka, Plzeňský Prazdroj sold 7.4 million hectoliters of beer in the Czech Republic alone last year. But this year it will not be such a high number. Due to coronavirus, draft beer was often not where or to sell it.
“The decline was up to 40 percent, we caught up in the summer, but such a shortfall can no longer be made up, so consumption will be 100% lower this year,” says Petr Kofroň, manager of Plzeňský Prazdroj. That is why they will not increase the price of draft beer. In restaurants, prices should remain the same as last year.
On the contrary, some of their lagers and premium beers will become more expensive in stores from October. On average, prices will increase by 3.6 percent, ie by 50 pennies per pint. “We will increase the price of only bottled beers, that is, beers in glass and cans and probably in five bottles,” said Kofroň.
The national company Budvar or Břevnov will also become more expensive
The České Budějovice brewery is experiencing a similar situation. Dramatic decline in interest in draft beer and even greater sales of bottled for consumption at home. Even in the south of Bohemia, prices will rise. “Personnel costs are constantly rising, and energy prices have jumped significantly in recent years,” explains Budweiser Budvar’s director Petr Dvořák.
He does not yet know when and how much the national enterprise will increase in price. It will be clear over the next few weeks. They already know that in the Břevnov brewery. Customers pay about 10 percent more for bottled beer. “It cost seventy-five, now it costs 85 crowns,” explains Jan Šuráň, co-owner of the Břevnov Monastery Brewery, explaining the increase in the price of beer in a bottle.
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According to him, customers are responding well to the price increase. “They understand that the costs have increased significantly, there is a lot of manual work in it, so they tolerate it,” comments Šuráň.
Keg beer in restaurants, like large breweries, was hardly sold for about a quarter of a year.
While they brewed almost 3.5 thousand hectoliters of beer last year, this year they estimate that it will be ten percent less. “Nobody can afford to touch beer in kegs for restaurants now. The decline is great, so is the competition, “explains Šuráň’s decision not to increase the price of draft beer.
Price increases for other manufacturers
Czech Television addressed 41 breweries. When asked if and if they will increase in price, 35 of them answered. Samson wants to increase the price. Bernard Brewery will increase the price of bottled beer by a crown from 19 October. From the beginning of next year, the South Moravian Slavkov Brewery also intends to raise prices.
Two other breweries are considering raising prices. In Kácov, they justify a possible step with more expensive raw materials and lower demand for draft beer. The decisions are not yet in the Rakovník Bachelor. If it becomes more expensive, then from December. There, too, is the reason for the weakening of production and sales lasting since the spring. Other breweries have already increased prices this year. So far, they are either not considering a similar step or are waiting for what will happen next.
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