PILSNER URQUELL

Plzeňský Prazdroj, known internationally by the German translation Pilsner Urquell, is a bottom-fermented beer produced since 1842 in Pilsen, Bohemia. The beer is today a prominent brand of the global brewing empire SABMiller.

Pilsner Urquell has a heavier body but slightly less alcohol than typical American-style lagers (with an almost ale-like fruitiness in the malt body) and more strongly hopped than most pilsener beers. Saaz hops, a noble hop variety, are a key element in its flavour profile, as are the use of soft water and fire-brewing.

As its name claims ("original source" is the meaning of both "Urquell" in German and of "Prazdroj" in Czech) it is the world's original pilsener, the first lager beer with a characteristic golden color and clarity. Today, nine out of ten beers produced and consumed worldwide are made according to the Pilsner style or a style directly derived from it. In the 1840's, however, the standard drink in the region was a top-fermented ale, characterized by its dark color, turbidity, and variable quality. On one occasion, Pilsen's city council ordered that 36 casks of the ale be dumped in public. They decided to invest in a new, state-of-the art brewery, the Burghers' brewery, and contracted with Josef Groll, a Bavarian brewmaster, to come up with a better beer. He prepared a new mash on October 5, 1842, and it was first served on November 11, 1842, at the feast of Saint Martin in the hearth markets.