Velkopopovický Kozel
Encyclopedia
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
produced since 1874. In that year, Franz Ringhoffer founded a brewery in Velké Popovice
Velké Popovice
Velké Popovice is a village and municipality in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The municipality has a population of 2500 people. The village was first mentioned in 1352.- References :...
(Großpopowitz) near Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Their symbol is a goat (Kozel, „Großpopowitzer Ziegenbock“).
In 1995, the company was purchased by the Radegast
Radegast (beer)
Radegast is a Czech beer brewed in Nošovice, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic since 1970. The beer is named after the god Radegast. Stemming from the name for the beer is the slogan: "Život je hořký: Bohudík", a Czech phrase which translates into English as "Life is bitter: Thank God" .The...
Brewery, which merged with the Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s.
Plzenský Prazdroj, a. s.
Pilsner Urquell Brewery is a brewery in Plzeň, the Bohemian city which is known as the birthplace of the Pilsener beer style in general, and for Pilsner Urquell, since 1898 the name of the main product of this brewery...
Brewery in 1999, only to be purchased by SABMiller
SABMiller
SABMiller plc is a global brewing and bottling company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's second-largest brewing company measured by revenues and is also a major bottler of Coca-Cola. Its brands include Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell...
the same year.
Within the Czech Republic, Kozel is available as a Pale, a Medium, a Premium, and a Dark beer.
Production has been licensed in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, making Kozel the most popular Czech Beer outside the Czech Republic.