Pivovar Samson a.s.
Native name
Budějovický měšťanský pivovar a.s.
IndustryBeverages
Founded1795
Headquarters
České Budějovice
,
Czech Republic
ProductsBeers and lagers
OwnerAnheuser-Busch InBev
1795 Original Czech Lager (formerly 1795 B.B. Budweiser Bier)

Pivovar Samson a.s., formerly known as Bürgerliches Brauhaus Budweis is a brewery founded by mostly German-speaking burghers of the city of České Budějovice (known as Budweis in German) in the Kingdom of Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire in 1795. Its beer was known as Budweiser Bier or Budweiser Bürgerbräu since 1802[1] and as trademark officially since 1899.[2] In 1894, the official company name was "Die Budweiser Bräuberechtigten - Bürgerliches Bräuhaus-Gegründet 1795 - Budweis".[3]

History

As early as 1875, beer from Budějovice was being exported to the United States. In 1876 Anheuser-Busch started selling beer named Budweiser inspired by the original Budweiser beer. In 1895, when Budweiser Bürgerbräu became official court supplier to the King of Württemberg, the growing Czech population founded local competition as a joint stock company, today called Budějovický Budvar. In the Budweiser trademark dispute, the three companies divided the rights to use the name, with the Europe-based companies giving up the Northern American rights to Budweiser.[4]

Shortly before World War I Budějovický Budvar exceeded production of Bürgerliches Brauhaus. During World War II 237 out of 387 owners of Bürgerliches Brauhaus were Germans, while 150 were Czechs. In January 1945, Bürgerliches Brauhaus stopped brewing and in March 1945 the brewery was damaged during US bombing of Budějovice. After WWII most Germans were expelled and both Budějovice breweries were nationalized in 1948 by the communist government. The German-sounding names of the Bürgerbräu company and its products were renamed "Crystal" or "Samson".[5] Accordingly in 1960 and 1989 the company was renamed "První budějovický pivovar Samson" (First Budweiser brewery Samson).

After the fall of communism, the company owned rights to "Crystal", "Czech Beer Crystal", "Biere Tcheque Crystal" and "Samson", but in 1991 reacquired national naming rights and international Protected Geographical Indication to "Budějovický měšťanský pivovar" and "Budweiser Bürgerbräu", and in 1993 to "Budějovické pivo", "Budweiser Bier",[6] "Biere de Budweis" and "Budweis Beer".

In July 2001, the company was renamed Budějovický měšťanský pivovar a.s. (Budweiser Burghers' brewery), which corresponded with the original German name. The company used German naming like "Budweiser Bier" also in Czech[7] and English,[8] also stating that the hops comes from the "Czech city of Saaz"[9] despite that city also having an old Czech name, Žatec.

Since 2005, due to the legal situation, the brewery offered its beer in the USA as "B.B. Bürgerbräu", described as "Budweis City Bier"[10] rather than "Budweiser beer". In 2014 Anheuser-Busch InBev bought the brewery and renamed it to Samson.[11]

Beers

  • Samson 10°
  • Samson 11°
  • Samson 12° Pale Lager
  • Samson 12° Dark Lager
  • Samson 1795 Premium Lager
  • Samson Bock
  • Samson HefeWeizen
  • Pito Budweiser Bier (alcohol free)
  • Samson Dianello (diabetic beer)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Centuries-old 'Budweiser Bier' heading for St Louis to take on American giant - 22-08-2005 13:02 UTC - Radio Prague
  2. ↑ On 10 August 1899 the trademark "Budweiser Bürgerbräu" was also registered. http://www.budweiser1795.com/index.php?s=2&a=1&l=2 Archived 2009-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Budějovický měšťanský pivovar, Budweiser Bier - History
  4. ↑ Both Budweis breweries had given up their rights to use trading and geographical marks Budweiser, Budweis and others for the territory of Northern America. - http://www.budweiser1795.com/index.php?s=2&a=1&l=2 Archived 2009-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ After the Communists nationalised the brewery in 1948, it was pressured into giving up trademark rights and into adopting less German-sounding names for its products, like Samson and Crystal. ... it was also told to reduce the alcohol content for these new "workers' brews." - http://www.radio.cz/en/article/69857
  6. ↑ "B.B. Bürgerbräu / B.B. Budweiser Bier". beeradvocate.com. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
  7. ↑ Budějovický měšťanský pivovar, Budweiser Bier - B.B. Originál světlý ležák Budweiser Bier
  8. ↑ Budějovický měšťanský pivovar, Budweiser Bier - Products
  9. ↑ "Bürgerbräu". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  10. ↑ "Centuries-old 'Budweiser Bier' heading for St Louis to take on American giant | Radio Prague International". 22 August 2005.
  11. ↑ "Pivovarnický gigant křísí slávu Samsonu, investoval už 400 milionů korun". August 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
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