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 Bohemian city of Plzeň (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

Belgique - Louvain-la-Neuve - Gare - Quai - Belgian beers - 03

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 p ...

. 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 constit ...

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 "storag ...

, 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. 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 List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. In 1856, it came to Vienna 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 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

brewery fermented its beer using open barrels in the wine cellar, 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. Pilsner style lagers are marketed internationally by numerous small brewers and larger conglomerates.

Styles

;Czech-style Pilsner:In the Czech Republic, only

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

, Budweiser Budvar Brewery, Budweiser Budvar, Gambrinus (beer), Gambrinus, Velkopopovický Kozel, Kozel, Radegast (beer), Radegast, Staropramen Brewery, Staropramen, Starobrno Brewery, Starobrno and Royal Brewery of Krušovice, Krušovice. ;German-style Pilsner:Light straw to golden colour with more bitter or earthy taste – such as Beck's Brewery, Beck's, Bitburger Brewery, Bitburger, Flensburger Brauerei, Flensburger, Fürstenberg Brewery, Fürstenberg, Holsten Brewery, Holsten, Jever Brewery, Jever, König Brewery, König, Krombacher Brauerei, Krombacher, Radeberger Brewery, Radeberger, St. Pauli Girl, Veltins Brewery, Veltins, Warsteiner, Wernesgrüner and Einbecker. ;European-style Pilsner:Has a slightly sweet taste, can be produced from grains other than barley malt – such as the Dutch: Amstel Brewery, Amstel, Grolsch Brewery, Grolsch and Heineken or Belgian: Jupiler, Maes pils, Maes and Stella Artois ;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.

References

External links