Major beer companies and breweries in the Czech Republic have signalled increases in prices of their products in the near future. Citizens of one of the world’s biggest beer drinking countries might need to dip slightly deeper into their pockets to enjoy their nation’s signature beverage. Photo credit: Casadei Graphics.
Brno, Sep 14 (BD) – Without a doubt, beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the Czech Republic. In 2018, average beer consumption per capita in the Czech Republic was 137.3 liters, according to stats from Statista, an online market research and statistics portal. The Czech Republic consumes more than double the European per capita beer consumption of 62.7 litres.
Revenue of CZK 34,731,740.97 from beer has been recorded in the Czech Republic in 2018 so far, according to the same source. A hike in prices for this much-consumed popular drink is expected in the near future, according to Radio Praha (“Price of Beer To Go Up”, Sept. 11, 2018).
At the beginning of this month, the big players in the Czech market such as Pilsner Urquell, Primator, and Bernard, announced rises in beer prices in the next few weeks. Pilsner Urquell announced a 3.7 percent hike in the price of its bottled brands as of October.
High productions costs are the reason for the coming increases, according to company spokeswoman Jitka Nemečková, quoted by Radio Praha. While some companies have decided on a margin of increase, other breweries are waiting for the prices of ingredients to stabilize before deciding on the exact percentage of price increase.
Recent droughts in Europe due to less rainfall than previous years have caused a drop of around 30% in production of the hops used in Czech beers, which is expected to lead to changes in beer prices in the Czech Republic, according to the same article.
Agriculture in the Czech Republic – as well as the rest of Europe – has been affected by the recent long and frequent droughts. The decrease of water sources directly affects agricultural products, and therefore cost of production. But although beer price rises are just around the corner due to rising production costs, nature has been kind to vineyards and wine producers this year. The hot summer gave the winemakers the chance to harvest their grapes earlier than usual and boost wine production.
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