In the 1990s, scores of local Czech “pivovars” were shut down by mega international brewing corporations. Most were gone forever — dismantled or demolished. But in 2000, unemployed workers from the former Liberec Brewery in Northern Bohemia convinced investors to bring their once-proud factory back to life. Under the new name Konrad (honoring a 19th century brewer), this reborn regional takes on the big boys by producing firmly traditional and well-crafted Czech lagers, made to the historical recipes with water from its own wells, classic Zatec hops, and local barley.