“A meeting of Korea and the Czech Republic” ... Czech state-owned brewery Budvar unveils Seoul Mate beer

[Financial News] “Three things are important for Czech lager: ingredients, water and serving. If even one is missing, it isn’t Czech beer. I hope you enjoy the Korean collaboration beer I’ll be serving this weekend.”
Radim Janobek, Budvar’s global ambassador, made the remarks at the launch event for Seoul Mate, a collaborative beer between the Czech Republic and Korea, held on the 7th at Seoul Brewery in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
As part of its global-local brewery collaboration, Budvar and Seoul Brewery are launching Seoul Mate Czech Dark Lager, made with locally grown black rice.
Budvar is the Czech Republic’s only state-owned brewery and currently produces and distributes traditional lager. It carries on brewing methods passed down since the 13th century, using clean water from an Ice Age aquifer 300 meters underground, along with premium hops and malt. The beer is known for its deep, rich flavor, developed through a cold-maturation process lasting up to 90 days.
The most distinctive feature of Budvar beer is its decoction mashing process. In conventional beer brewing, enzymes in the malt break down starch into sugar during fermentation. Decoction mashing, by contrast, involves removing some of the malt and boiling it before converting it into sugar again, bringing out the malt’s flavor, color and body more fully.
The Seoul Mate beer combines Budvar’s premium yeast and decoction mashing process with locally grown black rice, adding an element of Korean traditional liquor culture. It is characterized by the soft, subtle flavor of Korean rice.
The collaboration between Budvar and Seoul Brewery is part of Budvar’s global-local brewery collaboration campaign. Following projects in Denmark and Boston, U.S., since 2023, this is the campaign’s third collaboration and its first in Asia. The name Seoul Mate, reminiscent of “soul mate,” reflects how the two breweries—representing the Czech Republic and Seoul—brought together their brewing philosophies and distinctive styles to create a single beer.
To celebrate the new product’s launch, various programs will be held around Seoul on weekends this month. From the 9th to the 11th, visitors can try draft beer poured by ambassador Janobek at six Seoul Brewery locations, and from the 18th to the 23rd, the collaborative beer will be available at Seoul Brewery’s Seongsu location. Sales will begin this month through retail channels including CU and Lotte Mart.
Ambassador Janobek said, “It’s meaningful to see a beer made with a new blend of traditional Czech lager-brewing methods and local Korean ingredients,” adding, “I hope many consumers in Korea enjoy a beer with a Korean touch.” 
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