Radegast is among the breweries with the lowest water consumption in the world. Over the past 15 years, they have managed to reduce water consumption in the brewery by 44% through technological adjustments in Nošovice. Radegast now uses only 2.29 liters of water to produce 1 liter of beer. This value is among the best in the world (the global average is 4.5 liters of water per liter of beer, and the Czech average is 3.4 l/l). With such low consumption, finding further savings is challenging and their effect is minimal. “Therefore, in recent years, we have focused on supporting projects that help retain water in the landscape. So far, we have participated in the construction or restoration of 83 ponds and wetlands, and in the vicinity of the brewery, we have built a system of brewery fish ponds for water retention. These measures collectively retain 40 million liters of water annually. By the end of the year, we plan to build another 28 ponds in cooperation with Lesy ČR, where we will further evaluate the volume of retained water. We aim to retain more water in the landscape by 2030 than we take from it,” explains Josef Jalůvka, brand manager of Radegast, on the occasion of World Day to Combat Desertification, which falls on June 17. Overall, Radegast has invested approximately 10 million crowns into water retention measures of this type.
Radegast also wants to involve the public in the Fight for Water. They have teamed up with the initiative Ukliďme Česko and will prepare more than 100 cleanup events around domestic watercourses over the coming months. “We are connecting the natural care of Czechs for watercourses with our activities for more efficient water management. Everyone can fight against waste, for example, by collecting rainwater. Therefore, we will reward the most active participants in the cleanup events with a total of 2030 rainwater barrels, which together will retain over 8 million liters of water each year,” explains Josef Jalůvka.
Vavřinec Hradilek demonstrated “water slalom on dry land”
This year’s Fight for Water campaign was launched on June 16 by kayaker and Olympian Vavřinec Hradilek. He demonstrated what water slalom would look like without water at the Troja Canal in Prague. During his ride, the water in the canal was gradually drained in front of the public's eyes, until he was left standing still. “Water has accompanied me throughout my life; it is intrinsically linked to the sport I practice. The draining slalom channel symbolizes what is actually happening to the Czech landscape; water is gradually disappearing from it. Together with Radegast, we want to draw attention to the situation with this strong gesture. I believe this event will help open a broader debate about how important it is to retain water in nature and how each of us, whether as individuals or companies, can contribute,” explains Vavřinec Hradilek, who has been collaborating with Radegast for the second year. As part of last year's campaign, he kayaked “on dry” down the Nusle Steps in Prague.
The brewery will distribute rainwater barrels
Cleanups of rivers and the surroundings of watercourses will take place throughout the summer and culminate at the beginning of autumn. “We expect that thousands of volunteers will sign up for the campaign to help clean the surroundings of rivers, streams, or water channels. Our platform has long-term experience with cleaning the Czech landscape; last year we successfully organized 4697 cleanups involving 185,000 volunteers,” explains Miroslav Kubásek from the Ukliďme Česko association.
Volunteers can register on the page www.bojovodu.cz and join an existing cleanup event or plan their own. After completing the cleanup, the organizers will fill out a report on its progress, and they can also add photos from the event. “We will evaluate the individual reports from the cleanups. The number of participants, the scope of the cleanup, and the level of involvement of individual volunteers will be important. We will give a total of 2030 rainwater barrels to the most active participants, each with a volume of 200 liters and bearing the Radegast logo. The desire of Czechs to care for their surroundings aligns with our commitment to maintaining water in the landscape and caring for watercourses. We believe that the motivation in the form of rainwater barrels will further support the activity of volunteers,” adds Josef Jalůvka.
Radegast brewed a limited batch of the lager Rezist
The Radegast brewery is also continuing activities that improve water management in the cultivation of basic brewing ingredients. Within the Plzeňský Prazdroj, this specifically involves the projects Pro Ječmen and Kytky pro chmel, which, with the help of regenerative agriculture, contribute to better rainwater infiltration in the fields, return nutrients to the soil, and increase the resilience of barley and hops to weather fluctuations. The amount of water that can be retained in the landscape through these activities is currently 58 million liters. Since there are plans to expand these activities to other locations in the Czech Republic, the volume of water retained in the landscape will increase further.
Another result of this effort is Odolchmely, new hop varieties developed in collaboration with the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting and the Hop Institute. These varieties have much higher drought resistance. Radegast brewed a limited batch of beer Rezist, a full-flavored 11-degree lager with a bitterness of 39 IBU. Visitors to this year’s Rock for People festival were able to taste Rezist, and it will also be available at the Colours of Ostrava festival and during the summer in the Billa retail chain. It will also be included in various consumer competitions.
