New to the Market – Kozel will Celebrate the 140th Anniversary of the Brewery’s Founding with Limited Edition „Retro“ Beer Labels

The Velké Popovice brewery has been making beer since 1874. This year, we celebrate the 140th anniversary of its founding. The brewery will introduce six limited edition bottles with retro labels as part of an anniversary celebration that will take place the whole year long. The labels will appear on bottles of Kozel Light, Kozel 11° and Kozel Dark. The limited edition bottles will be available starting mid-June.

As legend tells it, a French painter who was travelling around the world and happened to end up in Velké Popovice during his travels created the image that became the trademark of Kozel. The painter had enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Ringhoffer at his castle and in the brewery’s pub, and repaid that hospitality with a painting of a billy goat.

The billy goat has been featured on bottles of the traditional Czech beer since 1922, the year the brewery registered the trademark and the name “Velkopopovický Kozel.” The goat can be seen on bottles, cans, and billboards today.

“The limited edition retro labels are inspired by the rich history of the original billy goat labels used on bottles of the traditional Velkopopovický Kozel beer,” explained Velkopopovický Kozel’s marketing manager, Karel Kraus.

The limited edition bottles will be available in stores starting mid-June. The main anniversary celebrations will take place at the Velké Popovice brewery during the “Day of Kozel” on Saturday, June 14. Additional information about celebration events is available at www.kozel.cz and on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/KozelCZ.

Additional information for editors:

• The anniversary year started well for Kozel. In March, Velkopopovický Kozel 11° was an absolute winner and the Champion Beer of 2014 in one of the most prestigious home competitions, the Golden Cup Pivex. Last week, it was awarded a silver medal at the prestigious World Beer Cup in the United States. It won in the category of pilsner beers, competing with 53 lagers from around the world.

Other important events of 1874:

• The father of Czech national music and world renowned composer Bedřich Smetana started his work on the symphonic poem, “Vyšehrad”
• The first granite cobblestone sidewalks appeared in Prague
• Nearly a thousand Czech and Moravian breweries produced more than 5 million hectolitres of beer
• The first Velké Pardubice Steeplechase for 8,000 gold pieces took place
• Pope Pius IX beatified Agnes of Bohemia
• The first batch was brewed at Velké Popovice brewery on December 15, 1874. In only a year, 18,000 hl of beer had been brewed and sold there. Only a few years after that, the brewery had become the third biggest in the country. The brewery is known especially for its dark, strong beers. Velké Popovice brewery is a part of Plzeňský Prazdroj Comp.
• With its total sale of nearly 9.9 million hectolitres during the calendar year of 2012 (including licenced productions abroad) and with its export to more than 50 countries worldwide, Plzeňský Prazdroj Inc. is the preeminent beer producer in the region and the biggest exporter of the Czech beer.
• Plzeňský Prazdroj Inc. is a member of SABMiller plc. group. Pilsner Urquell is the international flagship brand of the SABMiller brand portfolio. SABMiller plc is one of the world’s most significant beer companies, with 70 thousand employees in 75 countries around the world. It offers more than 200 beer brands, including the world-renowned Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch, as well as important local brands such as Aguila (Columbia), Castle (South Africa), Miller Lite (USA), Snow (China), Victoria Bitter (Australia), and Tyskie (Poland).

Contact:

Kateřina Krásová

Plzeňský Prazdroj

+420 724 617 219

Velkopopovický Kozel in social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KozelCZ

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/KozelCZE

Plzeňský Prazdroj in social media:

Twitter https://twitter.com/Prazdroj1

LinkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/company/plzensky-prazdroj

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/PlzenskyPrazdroj1

Praha