Language and Culture Taster: Pivo, pivovary a pivovarnictví: a cultural and linguistic tour of the Czech Republic and the language of beer!

Beer has a long-standing history in the Czech lands (and specifically in Bohemia), with the earliest official records of brewing dating from 993 AD, and it is deeply rooted within Czech culture and society as well as being a matter of great national pride. The Czech Republic typically tops the list of countries for beer consumption per capita, many Czechs regard Czech beer as the best in the world and the hop-growing fields around Žatec in Northern Bohemia have been recently (2023) added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This taster session will focus on the history of Czech beer from its origins, through its significance during the Czech National Revival in the 18th and 19th centuries to its role and status in contemporary Czech society. You will be introduced to a number of beer-related terms in Czech and especially to those that you are likely to encounter as a tourist in the Czech Republic and which are sometimes misunderstood or mistranslated.

All welcome – no previous knowledge of Czech (or beer) required!