How the World’s Beer-Drinking Capital Responds to a Shut Down

Hospital staff and rescue workers in the Czech Republic’s Liberec region got an unexpected token of appreciation for battling the COVID-19 crisis: bottles of non-alcoholic beer from the nearby Svijany brewery. This could be written off as a PR stunt, but it also reflects the expected integration of beer into every facet of local living. In the eyes of many Czechs—who claim the world’s highest per-capita beer consumption rate—“pivo je lék”.

Quality craft beer pubs

Of course, the Czech Republic and Prague are well known for their beer tradition and consumption – Czech beer is literally cheaper than water – but, that reputation is largely focused on mass production. This country boasting the birthplace of the Pilsner lager (not to mention the highest beer consumption per capita!), has also joined the current micro-brewery boom.