Our story

Michael Král's first fateful meeting with beer took place years ago and coincidentally it was at the wedding of Pixman founder Tomáš Míka. At the time, Michael had no idea that beer would become his profession through a part-time job at the Matuška brewery and that, as an experienced brewer, he and Tom would one day hit it off and start a brewery together. That day came in the fall of 2021, but the path to it was not as straightforward as it might seem.

We'll take it slow

"The very first idea for our own brewery came about 7 years ago with Tom. We got together a few times, we talked about something, but in the end it fizzled out. And it's good, because at that time I still knew absolutely nothing," Michael laughs and continues : "For the second time, we came up with it with a friend and we discussed it again with Tom, but in the end the friend chose the path of certainty, brewing beer at Dvo kohoutů. Last year we started climbing with Tom and the question was on the table again. So the essential conversation went roughly like this : I'm climbing. Sure. Good. Brewery? OK, but we have to make it before Christmas."

And they did it. Michael put his brewing skills into it, the Pixmans took care of the logo (Honza Mikulec), the label (Dáša Karochová) and overall the visual style and mood of the Board brand. And they are also responsible for marketing and sales. "The first batch was only about 1,500 liters of beer, so as not to burn the beginning. And then we added social networks and the website. But of course the biggest spreader of the board is friends and satisfied customers. We are not going anywhere, it is important for us to maintain the high quality of the beers and we also want so that we can be happy about it.

Michael's driving force is the ability to do things his way, invent new tastes and not be bound by a prescribed procedure. "He wants to have full control over how the final product will taste, look and where it will be tapped,". Thanks to the joint venture, Pixmani stepped out of the "digital agency" box, smelled traditional craftsmanship and proudly supports golden Czech hands and a project that gives them joy.

The first beers from the flying brewery

The Board Brewery does not yet have any tanks or a brewhouse. It functions as a so-called flying brewery, i.e. a brewery without its own facilities, which rents part of the capacity of another established brewery. But he uses his own ingredients and has the whole process under his thumb - whether it is directly Michael's thumb or the thumb of a dedicated employee of the host brewery.

The first beer with the brand new Board brand on the label was IPA Paddleboard 15°, a semi-dark beer focused on straightforward bitterness, which is complemented by the subtle citrus aroma of New Zealand Waimea hops and German Melon hops. "At a time when double, triple hopped beers with almost zero bitterness and a lot of cloudiness are driving the world, we went the opposite way. Oldschool is cool," says Michael. Friends, acquaintances and business partners of the Pixmans were the first to taste the novelty, who gave it away as a Christmas gift beer.

During the winter months, it was Snowboard 14°, a bottom-fermented pale beer of the Pilsner type. It is hopped with Žatec semi-morning red wine and Saaz Special hops - despite the strange name, it is also a Czech hop. They give the beer a distinct bitterness that supports drinkability, while the aroma is slightly floral.

New this spring is the Longboard PALE ALE 12°. It's a light top-fermented 12 flavored with Enigma hops from Kangaroos and Americano Comet hops. These hops add currant, grapefruit and citrus aromas to the beer.

Can you imagine that? If your imagination ends here, check out the Board beer map - where you can buy Board beers and where they are on tap.

And how it went on...

What ideas does Michael have for the future of Board Brewery? "There is a simple answer to that: Set a good and constant quality of beer, so that it sells well and one day it results in a real brewery with its own technology. And so that it makes everyone happy."