PRAGUE – Budvar, the Czech brewer that has been in a long legal dispute with U.S. giant Anheuser-Busch over use of the “Budweiser” brand, increased output to a record last year, when the pandemic saw people drink less in bars and more at home.
Budejovicky Budvar NP, a 125-year-old state-owned brewery, said Thursday that its output rose 3% to 1.73 million hectoliters (45.7 million gallons) in 2020.
The brewer’s exports were up almost 3.5% last year, director Petr Dvorak said. Budvar sells its beer in some 80 countries and Germany, one of its key markets, grew particularly strongly in 2020.
Revenues also hit a record last year, growing 1% from 2.8 billion crowns ($130 million) in 2019. It did not release profit figures.