Czech Republic: Czech pubs turning to technology to reduce energy costs on beer

With Czechs among the biggest beer drinkers in the world, brewer Plzensky Prazdroj plans to install sensors which will collect data on beer flow, as well as tube and tap temperatures.

This will be sent to a cloud database and analysed to make recommendations on improving a pub's systems, said Jakub Zaoral who is leading the Asahi-owned brewery's Smart Taproom project.

Plzensky Prazdroj hopes that by making adjustments its pubs will save up to 30% of the energy needed for cooling and tapping their beer, a goal made more pressing by rising energy costs.

"We will 'x-ray' and observe 45 pubs using 1,200 sensors which gives us the exact numbers, how our tapping system consumes electric energy and we will relate this with the beer flow and its consumption in the pub," said Zaoral.

The system uses Internet of Drinks solutions by start-up firm Smart Technology, which uses ultrasound metering and provides information on the amount of beer tapped, sanitation intervals and the state of the cooling system.

At Prague's Katr pub, where the system is already in use, manager Michal Reznicek is hoping for an impact on rising costs, which are impacting beer, food and staff.

"Our goal and wish is that this project helps us to exist further," Reznicek said.