Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of
pale lager
Pale lager is a very pale-to- golden-colored lager beer with a well- attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness.
The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid-19th century, when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brew ...
. It takes its name from the
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
n city of
Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...
(german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as
Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell (; cs, Plzeňský prazdroj ) is a lager beer brewed by the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen), Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the world's first pale lager, and its popularity meant it was much copied ...
) was produced in 1842 by
Pilsner Urquell Brewery
Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. (, known in English as the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, is a Czech brewery opened in 1842 and headquartered in Plzeň, Czech Republic. It was the first brewery to produce pale lager, branded as Pilsner Urquell, which becam ...
.
History
Origin
The city of Plzeň was granted brewing rights in 1307, but until the mid-1840s, most Bohemian beers were top-
fermented
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...
. Originally called in german: Bürger-Brauerei Pilsen ( cs, Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, en, Citizens' Brewery), it is now known as Pilsner Urquell Brewery. It was here they began to brew beer in the
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n style.
Brewers had begun aging beer made with
cool fermenting
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...
s in caves (
lager
Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage" ...
, i.e., german: gelagert
tored, which improved the beer's clarity and
shelf-life
Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a ...
. Part of this research benefited from the knowledge already expounded on in a book (printed in German in 1794, in Czech in 1799), written by Czech brewer (german: Franz Andreas Paupie, links=no) (1753–1805) from
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
.
The Plzeň brewery recruited the Bavarian brewer
Josef Groll
Josef Groll (21 August 1813 – 22 November 1887) was a Bavarian brewer, best known for being the first brewer of Pilsner beer. He is sometimes called "the Father of the Pilsner". The world's first-ever pale lager, Pilsner Urquell was highly succe ...
(1813–1887) who, using the local ingredients, produced the first batch of pale lager on 5 October 1842. The combination of Plzeň's remarkably soft water, local
Saaz Saaz may refer to:
*Saaz, the former German name of Žatec, a town in the Czech Republic
**Saaz hops, a hop variety used in production of pilsener style beer
**DSV Saaz, a former football club in Žatec
* ''Saaz'' (film), a 1998 Indian film
* Saaz ...
noble hops from nearby
Žatec
Žatec (; german: Saaz) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monumen ...
, low-protein Moravian barley malt prepared by indirectly heated kilning, and Bavarian-style lagering produced a clear, golden beer.
By 1853, the beer was available at 35 pubs in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. In 1856, it came to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and in 1862 to Paris. In 1859, was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzeň. In 1898, the Pilsner Urquell trademark was created to put emphasis on being the original brewery (''Urquell,'' meaning 'original source').
Some beers are labeled ''Urtyp Pilsener'' (UP) meaning they are brewed according to the original process, although many breweries use this accolade for their top beer.
Modern developments
The introduction of modern refrigeration to Germany by
Carl von Linde
Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde (11 June 1842 – 16 November 1934) was a German scientist, engineer, and businessman. He discovered a refrigeration cycle and invented the first industrial-scale air separation and gas liquefaction processes, whi ...
in the late 19th century eliminated the need for caves for beer storage, enabling the brewing of cool fermenting beer in many new locations.
Until 1993 the
Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell (; cs, Plzeňský prazdroj ) is a lager beer brewed by the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen), Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the world's first pale lager, and its popularity meant it was much copied ...
brewery fermented its beer using open
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
s in the
cellars beneath their brewery. This changed in 1993 with the use of large cylindrical tanks. Small samples are still brewed in a traditional way for taste comparisons.
A modern pale lager termed a ''pilsner'' may have a very light, clear colour from pale to golden yellow, with varying levels of hop aroma and flavour. The alcohol strength of beers termed pilsner vary but are typically around 4.5%–5% (by volume). There are categories such as "European-Style Pilsner" at beer competitions such as the
World Beer Cup
The World Beer Cup is an international beer competition organized by the Brewers Association, a trade group
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organizat ...
. Pilsner style lagers are marketed internationally by numerous small brewers and larger conglomerates.
Styles
;Czech-style Pilsner:In the Czech Republic, only
Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell (; cs, Plzeňský prazdroj ) is a lager beer brewed by the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen), Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the world's first pale lager, and its popularity meant it was much copied ...
is named as "pilsner". However, outside of the Czech Republic, Czech-style Pilsner is synonymous with any lager beers (including any Czech brand) that are golden colour, brewed with malt and Saaz hops – such as
Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Urquell (; cs, Plzeňský prazdroj ) is a lager beer brewed by the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen), Czech Republic. Pilsner Urquell was the world's first pale lager, and its popularity meant it was much copied ...
,
Budweiser Budvar
Budweiser Budvar ( ) is a brewery in the Czech city of České Budějovice (german: Budweis), best known for its original Budweiser or Budweiser Budvar pale lager brewed using artesian water, Moravian barley and Saaz hops. Budweiser Budvar i ...
,
Gambrinus
Gambrinus ( ) is a legendary European culture hero celebrated as an icon of beer, brewing, joviality, and ''joie de vivre''. Typical representations in the visual arts depict him as a rotund, bearded duke or king, holding a tankard or mug, ...
,
Kozel,
Radegast,
Staropramen
Staropramen Brewery (Pivovary Staropramen s.r.o.) in the Smíchov district of Prague is the second largest brewery in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1869 and the brand name Staropramen, literally meaning “old spring”, was registered ...
,
Starobrno and
Krušovice.
;German-style Pilsner:Light straw to golden colour with more bitter or earthy taste – such as
Beck's,
Bitburger
Bitburger Brewery (Bitburger Brauerei Th. Simon GmbH) is a large Germany, German brewery headquartered in Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate. Founded in 1817 by Johann Wallenborn, its beer is the Beer in Germany#Brands and breweries, third best-selli ...
,
Flensburger,
Fürstenberg Fürstenberg (also Fuerstenberg and Furstenberg) may refer to:
Historical states
* Fürstenberg-Baar, county (1441–1559)
* Fürstenberg-Blumberg, county (1559–1614)
* Fürstenberg-Donaueschingen, county (1617–1698)
* Fürstenberg-Fürsten ...
,
Holsten
Holsten Brewery (Holsten-Brauerei AG) is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager ''Holsten Pilsen ...
,
Jever
Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...
,
König,
Krombacher,
Radeberger
Radeberger started in 1872 when the brewery was founded as ''Zum Bergkeller'', in Radeberg, a town in the vicinity of Dresden. Radeberger ranks No. 9 among Germany's best selling beers.
History
This beer was also brewed for a period for the K ...
,
St. Pauli Girl
St. Pauli Girl :beers are brewed and bottled by the St. Pauli Brauerei, which is located within the Beck's brewery in Bremen, Germany. However, in the US, it is manufactured in St. Louis, Missouri.
The brand is not named after the famous St. ...
,
Veltins
Brauerei C & A Veltins () is a brewery in the west German city of Meschede-Grevenstein. In 2015, Veltins ranked fourth among Germany's best selling beers.
The small guesthouse brewery of Franz Kramer opened its simple wooden gates i ...
,
Warsteiner
Warsteiner () beer is brewed in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park outside of Warstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Warsteiner has been owned by the Cramer family since 1753. Warsteiner is Germany's largest privately owned brewery; its b ...
,
Wernesgrüner and
Einbecker
The Einbecker Brewery (German: ''Einbecker Brauhaus'') is a brewery located in Einbeck, Germany. Founded before 1378, it is one of the oldest still operating breweries in the world. The city of Einbeck is noted for its bock beer, and Einbecker, t ...
.
;European-style Pilsner:Has a slightly sweet taste, can be produced from grains other than barley
malt
Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air.
Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...
– such as the Dutch:
Amstel
The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam. Annually, the riv ...
,
Grolsch
Grolsch Brewery (Koninklijke Grolsch N.V. - "Royal Grolsch"), known simply as Grolsch (), is a Dutch brewery founded in 1615 by Willem Neerfeldt in Groenlo. In 1895 the de Groen family bought the brewery. They had started their own brewery in E ...
and
Heineken
Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star.
History
On 15 Feb ...
or Belgian:
Jupiler
Jupiler (; or ) is a Belgian beer introduced in 1966, now brewed by Anheuser–Busch InBev at Piedboeuf Brewery in the Jupille-sur-Meuse neighbourhood of Liège. Jupiler is the highest selling beer in Belgium, with around 40 percent share by vo ...
,
Maes
Maes may refer to:
People
* Maes (surname), including a list of persons with the name
* Maes (rapper) (born 1995), French rapper of Moroccan origin
* Maes Titianus, an ancient Roman traveler of Macedonian culture
Fictional characters
* Maes Hug ...
and
Stella Artois
Stella Artois ( ) is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is also sold in other countries like the UK, Ire ...
;American-style Pilsner: German immigrants brought pilsner style beers to America in the mid-19th century. American pilsners today are still closer to the German style, but the grist contains up to 25% corn and/or rice. The style generally has medium-low to medium sweet malt flavor, and medium to high European hop notes.
See also
*
Beer by region
This is a list of articles and categories dealing with beer and breweries by region: the breweries and beers in various regions. Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic drink, and is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and ...
References
External links
Gesellschaft für Geschichte des Brauwesens e.V. (GGB)Die Kunst des Bierbrauens
{{Authority control
Beer styles
Beer in the Czech Republic
German beer styles
Plzeň
Types of beer