The original Budweiser brewery will pay $6.5 million to leave government control next year and link with its U.S. counterpart, a news agency said Tuesday. Budvar, the small brewery in the southern Bohemian town of Ceske Budejovice, known as Budweis in German, has brewed its namesake beer since the 19th century. Adolphus Busch, a Bavarian native, acquired the rights to sell the beer in North America early this century. St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., the world's largest beer producer, tried to set up a joint venture with Budvar in 1988, but Communist authorities nixed the deal at the time. Efforts for ties between the companies were renewed following last year's democratic revolution. Government authorities sought compensation from Budvar in exchange for independence and the right to use the famous trademark. Budvar workers went on strike Monday in an effort to speed up the talks. Antonin Kratochvile, general manager of the state-controlled brewery chain Jihoceske Pivovary, said Monday that Budvar had agreed to pay the group $6.5 million for independence. ``After long negotiations which lasted almost a year the conflict was finally resolved,'' the official CTK news agency reported. CTK said the brewery would be independent in January. ``The Budvar beer is being brewed again for local distribution and export as well,'' CTK added. Details of a possible U.S-Czech joint venture have not been disclosed.
