Pilsner Urquell (; cs, Plzeňský prazdroj ) is a

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 "storag ...

beer brewed by the

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 ...

in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen),

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Pilsner Urquell was the world's first

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 ...

, and its popularity meant it was much copied, and named ''pils'', ''pilsner'' or ''pilsener''. It is hopped with

Saaz hops Saaz is a "noble" variety of hops. It was named after the Czech city of Žatec (german: Saaz). This hop is used extensively in Bohemia to flavor beer as the Czech pilsener. Saaz hops accounted for more than of total 2009 hop production in the Cze ...

, a

noble hop Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...

variety which is a key element in its flavour profile, as is the use of soft water. It is available in 330 ml, 355 ml and 500 ml aluminium cans and green or brown bottles. Almost all draught Pilsner Urquell is sold filtered, but small quantities are available unfiltered, in the Czech Republic and, in very limited amounts, in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. In recent years, the unpasteurized "tank" version of the beer has become increasingly available.

History

Pilsner Urquell was the first

, and the name ''

pilsner Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Bre ...

'' is often used by its copies. It is characterised by its golden colour and clarity, and was immensely successful: nine out of ten beers produced and consumed in the world are pale lagers based on Pilsner Urquell. The

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

name, which means 'original source', was adopted as a trademark in 1898. By 1839 most beer in Bohemia was dark and top fermented. However bottom-fermented lagers were gaining popularity. The people of Plzeň preferred imported cheaper bottom-fermented beers to local top fermented ales. The burghers of Plzeň invested in a new, state-of-the art brewery, the ''Měšťanský pivovar'' (Burghers' Brewery), and hired

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 ...

, a Bavarian brewer, to brew a bottom-fermented beer. On 5 October 1842, Groll had a new mash ready and on 11 November 1842, the new beer was first served at the feast of St. Martin markets. The brewery registered ''Pilsner Bier B. B.'' name in 1859. In 1898, they also registered names ''Original Pilsner Bier 1842'', ''Plzeňský pramen'', ''Prapramen'', ''Měšťanské Plzeňské'', ''Plzeňský pravý zdroj'' and finally ''Pilsner Urquell'' and ''Plzeňský Prazdroj'', which are in use today. Pilsner Urquell is today brewed solely in the Pilsen brewery. It was brewed between 2002 and 2011 in

Tychy Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Tichau; szl, Tychy) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city boders Katowice to the north, ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and between 2004 and 2017 in Kaluga,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

.Plzeň už opravdu jenom z Plzně. Výroba Prazdroje v Rusku skončila
/ref> File:Pilsner urquell mug.jpg, A mug of Pilsner Urquell File:Pilsner Urquell 330mL Bottle.jpg, left, up330 ml bottle of Pilsner Urquell

References

External links

Official website Pilsner Urquell

Official website Plzeňský Prazdroj

Beer production chart: an interactive scheme of the Pilsner Urquell production

{{SABMiller Beer in the Czech Republic Beer brands of the Czech Republic Plzeň Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court Asahi Breweries Food and drink companies established in 1842

History

See also

References

External links