Budvar soon to launch Pardal – a session beer

A session beer from Czech brewery Budvar is soon to be launched in UK pubs and bars and also sold through Morrisons later this Autumn.

At 3.8% ABV Pardál, “meets the emerging requirement of a lot of drinkers for a decent session beer with the added plus of coming from the celebrated Budvar stable”. Budvar believes it’s “highly quaffable, bitter taste and rich hoppy head” has the right profile for a British audience.

In the Czech republic, it now accounts for 18% of Budvar’s domestic sales and was subsequently launched in Germany where it sold 200,000 hectolitres last year.

The brewer said it was currently in talks with “one of the big” ontrade players to roll out Pardál on draught only

“Its success back in the Czech Republic and in Germany indicates that, without a shadow of a doubt, it will do well here,” said sales director Joe Laventure.

Pardal – which means panther but can also be loosely translated as ‘top man’ – was introduced in the Czech Republic four years ago by Budvar, which describes it as “blue-collar beer”. The brewer held meetings in Czech pubs and invited drinkers to say what they wanted from the product – and this research suggested that drinkers wanted a lower ABV beer — and Budvar Original weighs in at punchy 5% ABV.

It is the first launch in the United Kingdom from the Czech brewery since its yeast beer — the 4% ABV unpasteurised, unfiltered version of Budvar Original — was unveiled four years ago.