František Šťástka, the Czech who serves the beer in Manhattan, New York, is the World Champion of serving Pilsen beer

František Šťástka from the New York pub “Hospoda” won the title of best bartender in the world during the eighth annual prestigious competition Pilsner Urquell Master Bartender. As a prize he took with him a travelling cup – an exact copy of the cup used by Kaiser Franz Josef I – to taste the Pilsen lager. As a reminder of the competition he got a piece of handmade chain from a mashing pan of the brewing house; one of the symbols of the unique brewing procedure of Pilsen lager. After the ceremony, the winner took over and finished serving the unfiltered Pilsner Urquell from the oak barrel.

„I am convinced that the victory, in front of so many fans of our beer, right in the middle of the brewery’s courtyard on the day of the anniversary of the first batch, was imprinted onto František Šťástka’s heart, and that he will keep spreading its fame overseas because the beer cannot just be made of high-quality materials but also served and taken care of with love,“ said Václav Berka, senior marketing malt-master and chairman of the jury of Václav Berka.

All finalists had to prove their rich knowledge of Pilsner Urquell lager’s history, production and care, and present the Pilsen beer according to the high standards of the competition. Czech contestant Tomáš Hrnčíř from Prague’s “Lokálu U Bílé kuželky” at Malé Strana, with his victory in the national round, won a great name for his restaurant and today, in the world finals, won third place. Second place went to Giacomo Fogli from Italy.

A cultural presentation of each contestant was also part of the competition. The best bartenders were supported by legends of Czech sports: Olympic participant Petr Koukal, hockey player David Moravec, an Olympic winner from Nagano, and many others. The entertainment provided was American acrobatic rock ’n’ roll, Norwegian ballet, Korean fan dancing, Slovak shepherd’s pipe, and Polish Mazurka. The visitors had a chance to taste cheese from Holland and Italian pizza.

Pilsner Urquell Master Bartender is a worldwide competition in the serving of Pilsner Urquell beer. It is open to all ambitious bartenders who know not only the history and theory of the production of the first golden lager, but also the different techniques of serving beer and how to present the beer as the Pilsen original rightfully deserves.

More info:

Vladimír Jurina, Plzeňský Prazdroj, tel.: +420 724 617 886

Plzeňský Prazdroj in social media:

Twitter twitter.com/Prazdroj1

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Notes for editors:

• With its total sale of nearly 9.9 million of hectoliters during the calendar year of 2012 (including licensed productions abroad) and with its export to more than 50 countries worldwide, Plzeňský Prazdroj Inc. is the preeminent beer producer in the region and the biggest exporter of the Czech beer.
• Plzeňský Prazdroj Inc. is the member of SABMiller plc. group. Pilsner Urquell is the international flagship brand of the SABMiller brand portfolio.
• SABMiller plc is one of the most significant world beer companies with 70 thousand employees in 75 countries around the world. It offers more than 200 beer brands including the world renowned brand such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft  a Grolsch, as well as important local brands such as Aguila (Columbia), Castle (South Africa), Miller Lite (USA), Snow (China), Victoria Bitter (Australia), and Tyskie (Poland).

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