Plzensky Prazdroj introduces two new beers

Special beers Master semi-dark and Master dark will expand Plzensky Prazdroj portfolio

Plzensky Prazdroj introduced two new special beers today. One is the 13° special lager Master semi-dark and the other is the 18° special, full-flavoured beer Master dark. These variety beers will diversify the market and offer a new experience to lovers of cultural beer consumption, who enjoy tasting and getting to know untraditional flavours. Plzensky Prazdroj also expects to export the new beers abroad.

“For many decades, the Czech Republic has been dominated by “pilsner” pales, divided into 10° and 12° types. However, special beers also play an important role, contributing to the greater diversity of the beer market. In surveys that we conducted among beer consumers when deciding to expand the variability of our portfolio, the greatest preference was declared for two different alternatives. One is 13° semi-dark lager, and the other is dark, strong, full-flavoured 18° beer,” says Derek Jones, Marketing Director for Plzensky Prazdroj, with respect to the decision to brew two various variety beers.

Hence, from 2004 Pilsen’s brewers, sales and marketing specialists have been working on new products, whose quality and overall form will complement the Plzensky Prazdroj brand portfolio.

“We have tested existing foreign beers and recipes for former Plzensky Prazdroj products. Inspiration for the resulting product came from research into historical beer-brewing literature, in particular the text of the book Old Memoirs of Czech Brewing or Of Beer and Its Production, Nature, Strength and Features by Tadeas Hajek of Hajek, dating back to 1585. Parts of this book very effectively describe a dark beer with a strong, luscious, bitter flavour that blends with a caramel sweetness, and differs from other beers. These notes on the striking bitterness of dark beer – we all know that Czech dark beers are known rather for their sweet taste – were a great inspiration for our brewers to distinguish both brands from the competition,” adds Vaclav Berka, the senior trade brewer at Plzensky Prazdroj with regards to the inspiration for the recipe.

Vaclav Berka, the senior trade brewer at Plzensky Prazdroj

Master semi-dark and Master dark brand names
The name of the Master brand contains a mysterious moment in history and the master craft of Pilsen’s brewers. While developing the new product, the high probability of exports of the new beer abroad appeared, with the support of the parent company SABMiller. Therefore, the name of Master was finally adopted for both varieties, semi-dark and dark, because it is easy to pronounce in most languages.

Both types of Master beer will be distributed in the CR exclusively in 15 litre kegs. They will be served in elegant stemmed glasses with a volume of 0.4 l.

Contact:
Vladimír Jurina
724 617 886
Corporate Affairs Department

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• With its overall sales exceeding 10.7 million hectoliters in the calendar year of 2006 and with exports to more than 50 countries of the whole world Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. is a major beer producer in the region and the largest export of the Czech beer. . The major Plzensky Prazdroj brands in the Czech Republic are Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Radegast and Velkopopovicky Kozel.
• Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. is a member of the SABMiller plc global group. Pilsner Urquell is the international flagship of the SABMiller brand portfolio.
• SABMiller plc is one of the world's largest brewers with brewing interests or distribution agreements in over 60 countries across five continents. The group's brands include premium international beers such as Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell, as well as an exceptional range of market leading local brands.  Outside the USA, SABMiller plc is also one of the largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products in the world. In the year ended 31 March 2006, the group reported US,307 million in revenue and profit before tax of ,453 million.  SABMiller plc is listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.

Pilsen