Czechs explained: The brilliant little beer hack born in Czechia

Czechs have given the world some brilliant inventions—from sugar cubes to contact lenses. A nation of innovators and DIYers, their “golden hands” have been making life easier for centuries. But some creations just make so much sense, it’s hard to believe we ever lived without them.

As beer garden season kicks off, a viral Reddit post from a couple of years back raised a pressing question: What’s that strange little clip on Czech beer cups? We dug into its origins and what it says about Czech culture, community, and beer-soaked ingenuity.

If you’ve ever grabbed a cold one at Prague’s Letná Beer Garden, you may have noticed something odd: a little handle-like nub sticking out from the cup. Is it a belt hook? A stacking aid? Secret beer tech?

Some thought it was a belt clip for carrying the cup hands-free when empty. Others suggested it’s designed to stack cups together or hook onto pitchers, helping waiters (or ambitious friends) haul several beers at once. One Reddit user said, “One beer in hand + two or three clipped to the cup I’m holding… WANT THEM!!”

Some said it makes cups easier to separate or helps bartenders unstack them faster during busy events. Others noted its role in eco-friendly systems—holding an empty cup until it can be returned for deposit.

So, what does the mystery clip actually do? The consensus: all of the above. It’s a cup-carrier, a belt hook, a stacking hack—and a very Czech solution to festival logistics.

The cup was invented in 2011 by brothers Michal and Martin Hanák, who were tired of wading through trashed plastic at festivals.

“Our requirement was a cup with a handle so that it could be hung on a belt or backpack, so that it would not bother a person when they finished their beer,” Michal Hanák said in an interview for Obnovitelne.cz.

The pair sketched a reusable, belt-clip-ready cup and, with plastic artist, David Dědek, they built a prototype. By 2012, they’d partnered with Plzeňský Prazdroj and launched the NickNack returnable cup system: pay a small fee (CZK 50-70), return them at the end, or clip them to your belt in the meantime.

Today, NickNack cups are used at major concerts, football games, zoos, and Christmas markets across Czechia—and in countries like Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, and as far away as Australia.

And yet why does this humble little invention feel uniquely Czech? Beer is a national priority. Czechs drink more beer per capita than anyone else. A hands-free pivo solution? Naturally. Practical, not flashy. The design is simple, sturdy, and quietly brilliant—Czech functionality at its finest. Invented by the Czechs, tested at Czech festivals, and embraced because it works.

The company processes up to 1.5 million cups a month, and some 90 percent of fans keep them as souvenirs, with many cups in circulation as collector’s items. “The cheapest merch you can get,” Hanák said.

And possibly the best thing to happen to Czech festivals since sliced bread met řízek.