The institute collaborates with breeding organizations, agricultural purchasing companies, barley growers, malt houses, breweries, producers of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and government authorities. In numerous research and development projects, VÚPS works with a wide range of other research institutions and universities, often extending its activities beyond the traditional domains of malting and brewing.

Our long-term commitment to barley quality—especially in the area of malting barley—has laid the foundation for the current export success of Czech malt and beer. We have developed a system that not only promotes the continual improvement of new barley varieties but also prevents the spread of unsuitable ones. Thanks to our ongoing care and expertise, Czech barley cultivation has remained at the forefront of global quality standards. The same is true for Czech malt, which retains its exceptional quality and continues to meet the growing demands of international markets, supported by our research.

We were the initiators of the idea to apply for the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Czech Beer” in Brussels. The PGI “Czech Beer” was officially registered in the EU Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications under Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1014/2008, dated October 16, 2008. VÚPS provided the key scientific documentation for defining the Czech Beer specification and remains the only institution authorized to recommend suitable barley and hop varieties for its production.

Beer production in numerous small breweries at that time was empirical, and brewing science was in its infancy. Its foundations were laid in the late 18th century by the brewer and reformer František Ondřej Poupě (1753–1805), who introduced practical innovations such as the use of a thermometer. In 1794, he published Die Kunst des Bierbrauens, and in 1801 he released a Czech-language manual titled Počátkové základného naučení o Waření piwa pro učedlníky, towaryše, sládky a pro každého hospodáře, kterýž té wěcy dokonale wyučen býti žádá (“Fundamentals of Brewing Education for Apprentices, Journeymen, Brewers, and Any Householder Who Wishes to Be Fully Trained”). Poupě’s work was later followed by Karel Josef Napoleon Balling (1805–1868), a professor of chemistry at the Prague Polytechnic. He specialized in fermentation chemistry, introduced the saccharometer into brewing practice, and in 1844 published Die Gärungschemie (“The Chemistry of Fermentation”).

With the advancement of scientific knowledge and brewing machinery, brewing rapidly evolved into an industrial sector. A major driving force behind this transformation was the shift in brewing technology from top fermentation to bottom fermentation, which became widespread especially after 1850.

The expansion of the brewing industry in the 1860s sparked efforts to establish an association that would protect the interests of brewers and support the education of professionals in the field. Among the progressive brewers was Jan Michael Schary (1824–1881), a graduate of the brewing school in Weihenstephan and owner of the “Na Slovanech” brewery in Prague’s New Town. Together with Ferdinand Urban (1825–1879), owner of the “U Herrmanů” brewery in Prague’s Lesser Town, and the Guild of Prague Brewers, he co-founded and financially supported the first public malting school in early 1869. In 1873, the Association for the Brewing Industry in the Kingdom of Bohemia was established. From its inception, the association’s agenda included, among other goals, the creation of a brewing research station based in Prague.

That same year, Antonín Stanislav Schmelzer (1844–1902), who taught at the malting school, founded and began publishing the professional journal Kvas at his own expense. Kvas soon became the official publication of the Association. Due to personal disputes, however, J. M. Schary launched a rival journal, Český sládek (The Czech Brewer), in 1878, which replaced Kvas as the official publication of the Association. In his opening editorial, editor Josef Tomáš Suk (1842–1878) stated that the journal would focus on the malting school and the development of the research station. In 1880, Český sládek ceased publication, and Kvas once again became the Association’s official journal. In 1883, Karel Tiller (1848–1918), also a teacher at the malting school, founded a competing publication titled Pivovarské listy (Brewery Papers). In 1879, the Association established its own laboratory, where routine beer analyses and microscopic training were carried out. At the same time, plans were underway in Vienna to establish an Austrian brewing research institute.

At the first congress of the Association for the Brewing Industry, held in August 1885 in České Budějovice, a major step was taken toward establishing a research institute. Within just thirty minutes, contributions totaling 1,600 gold coins were pledged for its creation. Professor of fermentation chemistry Antonín Bělohoubek (1845–1910), who headed the founding committee, drafted the statutes for the “Association for the Establishment and Maintenance of a Research Institute for the Brewing Industry,” which were officially approved by decree on August 1, 1886. Other members of the committee included Richard Jahn (1840–1918), co-owner of a brewery equipment company; Josef Kašpar (1833–1907), brewery owner in Práče; Josef Klička (1832–1893), representative of the Guild of Prague Brewers; Karel Urban (1855–1940), representing the Association for the Brewing Industry; and the editors of the journals Kvas, Antonín St. Schmelzer, and Pivovarské listy, Karel Tiller. The institute was to follow the model of established institutions in Denmark (Carlsberg), Munich, and Berlin, and was intended to support the successful development of the brewing industry and traditional Czech malting through scientific research and practical testing. In addition to its research role, the institute was to carry out raw material and product analyses, cultivate pure yeast strains, provide theoretical and practical support to breweries and malt houses, deliver expert lectures, and organize regular chemico-physiological training courses.

In 1886, during a General Assembly held on December 19 in the premises of the Malting School in Prague’s Na Perštýně street, the “Association for the Establishment and Maintenance of a Research Institute for the Brewing Industry in Prague” was officially formed. At a meeting of the Association’s board on June 24, 1887, it was decided to appoint a manager and assistant and to begin operations on October 1, 1887. By early December, the institute was already housed at Senovážné Square No. 871/26 in Prague. The institute occupied three rooms and a kitchen—one room served as an office, another was equipped as a chemical laboratory, and the third was designated as a physiological laboratory.

The official start of operations occurred at the beginning of 1888. By January, 108 analyses had already been conducted, and in February, the first pure yeast culture was propagated. In 1887, the institute’s total income, including its starting capital, amounted to 7,097.02 gold coins, while expenses totaled 4,034.43 gold coins (e.g., furniture: 940.80; equipment: 2,075.85; library: 5.50). In July 1888, the institute organized its first microscopy course. The institute’s first director was Antonín Kukla (1858–1910), with Jaroslav Šula (1865–1927) serving as his assistant. In 1891, the institute participated in the Jubilee Exhibition held in Prague. Among the exhibits were a brewer’s portable laboratory, the iodine method (used to reduce malt consumption), certificates, pure yeast cultures, and educational wall charts.

Information about the institute’s activities was regularly published in the journal Kvas. The institute also issued its own reports in the form of booklets. The first volume, published in 1889, included essays by Director Antonín Kukla: This Year’s Cloudy Beers, Assessment of Hop Spread (co-authored with J. Klička), The Quality of This Year’s Barley, Czech Malts 1888, and Large-Scale Propagation of Pure Yeast. It also included a paper by Jaroslav Šula titled Proposed Standards for the Trade in Brewing Raw Materials. More volumes followed in the subsequent year. In 1892, in recognition of its contributions, the Association for the Brewing Industry awarded the institute a gold honorary medal. At that time, the institute’s staff consisted of the director, three assistants, and three to five interns.

In 1893, the institute relocated to new premises at Pštrossova Street No. 1762/5 in Prague’s New Town. In 1895, the institute underwent reorganization, and in July 1896, František Chodounský (1845–1924) was appointed director. That same year, Alfred Jørgensen, director of the Copenhagen institute, donated a collection of microbial cultures to the institute. In April 1897, the institute moved again, this time to new facilities within the “U bílé labutě” brewery at Na Poříčí Street No. 1068/21 in Prague, where it remained for the next 40 years. The Association purchased a propagation station for cultivating pure yeast strains, which was launched in 1898 at the Shareholders’ Brewery in Smíchov.

In 1899, discussions emerged about reorganizing technical brewing education and consolidating various brewing organizations, although these proposals were ultimately rejected. In 1901, Jan Šatava (1878–1938) was appointed as the institute’s assistant. As early as the 1903 General Assembly of the Association, discussions took place regarding the construction of a dedicated brewery house. During this period, institute staff were engaged in teaching, laboratory work, and publishing. In 1905, the incumbent director stepped down, and Vladimír Čihák (1864–1931), a chemist and brewer, was appointed as the new director. In 1908, reports on the work of the Research Institute were regularly published in the Bulletin of the Research Institute for the Brewing Industry. Efforts were also underway to merge the institute with the malting school, and the establishment of a higher brewing school was considered.

A higher brewing school affiliated with the Research Institute was officially established for the 1910/1911 academic year, which led to the discontinuation of the chemico-physiological courses that had been offered since 1895. In 1912, the Ministry of Public Works granted the Research Institute the authority to issue certificates in the fields of malting and brewing. In the summer of 1914, a reorganization took place, resulting in the closure of both the schools and the Unity as well as the Research Institute. At the founding general meeting held on September 13, 1914, a new organization was established under the name Society for the Maintenance of Scientific Institutes for the Brewing Industry in Prague. The first chairman of the new Society was Bohuš Svoboda (1848–1922), the oldest member of the former Unity, founding member of the Association for the Brewing Industry, brewmaster, and director of the brewery in Protivín. Adolf Bayer (1859–1929), head brewmaster of the Burghers’ Brewery in Plzeň, was elected chairman of the board. The managing director of the Society became Dr. Josef Fr. Hrach (1863–1936), director of all twelve Schwarzenberg breweries.

From October 1, 1914, the Research Institute, the schools, and the Association’s laboratory were renamed Scientific Brewing Institutes in Prague and continued to operate at Na Poříčí 1068/21. The Ministry of Public Works officially confirmed the transfer of authorization to the institute under its new name. At that time, Alois Stádník (1884–1935) was already a staff member at the institute. During World War I, the brewing schools were closed due to a lack of students, and the institute’s activities focused primarily on the issue of malt substitutes (such as sugar, potato flour, corn, beet, sorghum, and couch grass). After the end of the war and the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the Scientific Brewing Institutes faced significant financial difficulties. It was decided that the Malting School would resume teaching in February 1919, and the Higher Brewing School in January of the same year. As of September 1919, the Malting School was renamed the Lower Brewing School. In the same year, the publication of Pivovarské listy (Brewing Papers) ceased.

By the end of 1920, the number of students at the brewing schools had reached 110. A voluntary tax collected by the Brewing Commission for the benefit of the institutes raised 1.3 million Czech crowns between 1919 and 1921. This amount was allocated to the furnishing fund for building a new institute headquarters, which made it possible to expand scientific activities once again. In January 1920, Vladimír Čihák published an article in Kvas responding to the initiative to establish a new malting institute in Brno. He argued that, under the given circumstances, there was room for only one institute in the country and that efforts should be united to build a single, large, and comprehensive institute in the interest of both the brewing and malting industries. Until that time, malt analyses had been carried out at the Scientific Brewing Institutes.

In August 1920, at the initiative of Professor František Ducháček (1875–1931) and Vladimír Vavřín Žila (1889–1953), the State Research Institute of the Fermentation Industry was established in Brno, operating under the Czech Technical University in Brno. Its Malting Department (Malting Institute) began its activities in the autumn of 1921.

In 1927, F. Ducháček and F. Měšťan published the work Malting Analyses. A clear picture of the institute’s significance and scale can be drawn from a six-language historical brochure issued on the 10th anniversary of its founding, which includes a detailed description of its—by the standards of the time—very modern equipment, documented through numerous photographs. During the 1920s, the activities of the Scientific Brewing Institutes in Prague developed successfully. The institute increasingly focused on scientific work, which was entrusted to Professor Isajev of the Technical University and Alois Stádník. In 1927, a decision was made for the institutes to publish independent periodicals that would present the work of the research institute as well as that of collaborating individuals. The first publication of the Brewing Proceedings featured the work of J. F. Hrach: The Scientific Foundations of Modern Brewing. The second issue included Professor V. Isajev’s study: On Maltase.

That same year, it was announced that the institute would receive a state subsidy of 500,000 crowns for scientific, research, and educational purposes. In 1929, another issue of the Brewing Proceedings was published, containing A. Stádník’s work: New Methods of Hop Evaluation. That year, the institutes conducted 4,079 analyses and tests, and the equipment fund held assets valued at 2.3 million crowns. In 1931, the long-serving director of the institute, Vladimír Čihák, passed away. Alois Stádník (1884–1935) was temporarily appointed to lead the institute. In 1932, Jan Šatava (1878–1938), a university professor of fermentation chemistry, was officially appointed as the new director. At the general meeting held on April 23, 1933, the institute’s management was granted full authority to carry out a financial transaction for the construction of its own building. In the same year, the fourth volume of the Brewery Proceedings (Pivovarský sborník) was published, featuring the work of Dr. A. Stádník titled Study of Hopping.

At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Scientific Brewing Institutes on May 17, 1936, a proposal was approved to jointly purchase a building in Prague 2, at the corner of Ječná and Lípová Streets No. 511/15, together with the Protective Association of Breweries in Bohemia. The plan was to demolish the existing building and construct a new Brewery House (Pivovarský dům) to serve both organizations and generate rental income. The building was historically known as “U Pokorných”, and earlier as “U Sklenářů”. In the 19th century, it housed a popular garden restaurant mentioned in Ignát Herrmann’s novel Otec Kondelík and Vratislav Tůma’s book Kde se pivo vaří (Where Beer is Brewed).

The building was originally surrounded by a large garden, which was part of a vast orchard between Lípová and Salmovská Streets. The orchard, once owned by Count Christian Philip Clam-Gallas and adorned with pavilions and statues, was described by Alois Jirásek in the second volume of F. L. Věk. The orchard was abolished in 1868, when today’s Salmovská Street was cut through. Even into the 1880s, the area at the junction of Ječná and Lípová Streets retained a semi-rural character, with single-story houses and gardens. This peaceful setting came to an end in 1897 when Prague’s second electric tram line was routed through Ječná Street to Spálená Street. After the establishment of Czechoslovakia, a printing house (Lešinger) was built on the former garden site.

In 1936, the old building “U Pokorných” was demolished, and construction of the Brewery House (Pivovarský dům) began. The project was designed by architect Gustav Paul. The Brewery House is a six-story functionalist corner building featuring a short arcade. The reinforced concrete structure was carried out by K. Skorkovský, while construction and finishing work was completed by V. Nekvasil. The main entrance to the building was placed on Lípová Street, with a vehicle entrance from Ječná Street. By April 1937, the construction was completed and handed over for use. The Scientific Brewing Institutes moved in during June and July. The spacious basement housed an exhibition hall, intended to display brewing machinery, equipment, and various tools. The top two floors were designated for residential apartments. The ground floor featured retail shops accessible from the street. Offices were located on the mezzanine. The first floor was home to the Protective Association of Breweries, the second floor to the Scientific Institutes, and the third floor to the Brewing School.

The institute’s extensive library continued to grow with new technical publications and included a well-organized card catalog system. During the post-war reorganization of the education system, the institute’s educational activities were terminated in 1950. In the same year, the Prague Brewing Institute was merged with the Brno Malting Institute and the Plzeň branch under the current name: Research Institute of Brewing and Malting (VÚPS). Initially, in the post-war period, the institute was directly subordinate to the Ministry of the Food Industry. In 1958, it was incorporated into the Association of Breweries and Malt Houses, and the Plzeň branch was simultaneously closed. That same year, Jiří Maštovský (1904–1969), Chief Engineer of the Main Directorate of Breweries and Malt Houses, assumed leadership of the institute. Under his direction, a standards development unit and a technical information department were added to the institute, and in 1960, the brewing and malting division in Bratislava was also incorporated. In 1962, the institute expanded with the establishment of the Experimental and Development Center (PVS) in Braník, managed by Jiří Tarant (1918–1985). Three years later, the institute became part of the newly formed Trust of Breweries and Malt Houses in Prague, which later evolved into a state-owned conglomerate.

In 1970, the institute appointed its first female director, Olga Bendová, then head of the microbiological department. She led the institute until her appointment as professor in 1978, when Gabriela Basařová succeeded her. During Basařová’s tenure, a cutting-edge special analysis department was established to monitor foreign substances in beer for export purposes. In 1982, following her own appointment as professor at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, leadership passed to Jiří Cuřín, long-time head of the Braník PVS, noted for his research into sensory properties of beer. The institute then entered a period of stability, lasting until the political changes of the late 1980s.

Jan Veselý became director of the conglomerate and, after 1989, the organization was transformed into the state enterprise Pivovary a sladovny – výzkum a služby. In a 1991 competitive selection process, long-time VÚPS employee Tomáš Lejsek was appointed director. During the early 1990s, the service enterprise was privatized into a joint-stock company, which was renamed in 1994 to the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting (VÚPS).

At the time, the institute had two directors: Jan Veselý, general director of the joint-stock company, and Tomáš Lejsek, director of VÚPS focusing on research. In 1995, Lejsek left to join the Velké Popovice brewery, and Vladimír Kellner, then head of the analytical department, took over leadership. In spring 1996, the position of general director was abolished, and Karel Kosař, head of the Brno branch, was appointed as the sole director. Kosař led the institute for 23 years, until his retirement in June 2019. Following a selection process, Tomáš Brányik assumed directorship on July 1, 2019. Brányik is a well-respected expert and educator, also affiliated with the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague.

Today, RIBM remains a leading center for brewing and malting research, innovation, and knowledge transfer, serving the needs of industry professionals and contributing to the preservation and advancement of Czech brewing tradition.