Starobrno Brewery

Starobrno Brewery (in Czech: Pivovar Starobrno) is a Czech brewery located in the city of Brno. It was built as a successor of the brewery founded in 1325, as a part of Cistercian convent. The brewery was named Starobrno Brewery only in the second half of the 19th century. In 2009, Starobrno Brewery produced more than one million hectoliters of beer. The same year, the brewery merged with the Royal Brewery of Krušovice and became a part of the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. History The beginnings of the brewery were connected with the Cistercian convent, built by Elisabeth Richeza of Poland, and located in the Old Brno district. The brewery was initially independent from the city council; it was managed by a burgher named Mořic. However, the quality of the beer was strictly controlled by the city councillors. During the Hussite Wars in the first half of the 15th century, the brewery and convent buildings were burned down several times, but were always restored in something like their old form. Following the Battle of White Mountain, in 1624, the city of Brno was forced to pay a special charge per beer, called "pivní tác". After the successful defense of the city against Swedish sieges in 1645, Brno was allowed to levy the charge for its own purposes.