News 2026 6 30

Summer relax at "Zadní Sladovna", "Zadňák" pond in Kout na Šumavě

Experiment with "voštiny", residue of the honeycombs.

Presentation about phenolic off flavours in beers, Carnivalle Brettanomyces.

Plot of land ready for planting.

Processing of elderflower.

The elderflower bush before harvesting.

Reorganization of cidrerie and preparations for moving.

Cirevalc diplom in the field of circular usage of food resources.

Český Krumlov.

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Greetings to all!

The development over the last month and a half since we greeted each other last time has been truly interesting. It is hard not to share our observation that within two weeks we had the pleasure of preparing both hot cider for you at events, when the daily maximum was a blistering 14°C, and having to make it through with thirty kilos of ice at a six-hour market. A temperature record was broken in the Czech Republic and a new one was set, 40.8°C. Well, it was just a ride, we tried our best.

For me, František Algoldor Apfelbeck, as a fermenter, the most gratifying was probably the very positively evaluated experiment with honey sparkle probiotic beverage (water kefir), with the flavor of elderflower, hibiscus and ginger. It took a long time before we finally managed to prepare this seasonal flavor, but our efforts were worth it! Another interesting experiment that is currently underway is our cider honey special, to which this year we added a rather unique ingredient, namely fresh residues of honeycombs/lids, obtained during honey collection from local beekeepers. Last year, I had the opportunity to taste for the first time from a colleague a distillate created by macerating residues of honeycombs/lids in alcohol, "víčkovice" and it was delicious, so we also started a small experiment for which we have a high hopes. If we had even a tenth of the enthusiasm for this project also for tax returns, customs declarations and the like, it would work out for us marvelously.

There is a short but important announcement, that after eight years of our cider production at Valcanville we are preparing to move part of our production within Normandie. The other part will be moved to Czech Republic.

As for events, from a commercial point of view, I would like to mention the ninth annual Cider Festival, Slavnosti Cideru, which took place in Prague in Riegrovy Sady. We won third place there in the competition for the most popular cider. The event was really successful for us. Another interesting event was the French market as part of Bonjour Budějovice organized by the Alliance Française South Bohemia. Considering that it was only fourteen degrees and partly raining, the result was a small miracle, confirming the good facilities, organization and popularity of the alliance.

In June, we also had the opportunity to visit Carnivalle Brettanomyces for the third time, which was again held in Utrecht. We wrote a short article about it, který which you can find here (CZ). Although we only visited one lecture, we had the opportunity to have a rich professional exchange with "kvasirs" across the fermentation world.

We would also like to mention that at the last minute we have managed to find a small plot, where we are now experimenting with crops such as topinambur, very interesting for kimchi, potatoes, onions, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc. It is the first time we have such a larger area, around a hundred square meters, so we are curious. For the time being, I was forced by circumstances to expand my personal list for me in comprehensive creatures created by God from mosquitoes and ticks to also include slugs.

Before we say farewell this time, we would like to invite you to Kvas 2026, which will take place in Koutě na Šumavě from 29/7 to 2/8/2026. This week we are starting filling in the schedule of events and when they will take place. If you want to stay informed, follow our pages to see how things will develop. If you want to help with anything, we will be very happy, thank you and contact us!

From Kout na Šumavě we wish you a beautiful and not too hot summer,

for Kvasírnu/Cidrerie Jara

František Algoldor Apfelbeck