History Lesson: Pilsner Urquell

On Saturday night, Mindy and I made some pulled pork in the crockpot.  It was fantastic.  About an hour before it was finished, I went to the fridge and was faced with the options for beer pairing, which is a deceptively complex task.  There are a few basic rules to follow when pairing beer with food: match strength with strength, create flavor harmonies (like nutty beer with nutty cheese), or play off of traditional contrasts (like hop bitterness balancing sweetness or fat richness).   I eventually decided on a beer my dad “used to drink a lot of,” Pilsner Urquell.  This beer has a very interesting story, I feel it’s time for another history lesson…

Like something out of a fairy tale

In 1842 Bohemia, in the town of Pilsen (or Plzen), residents were growing unhappy with their usual dark brews.  Elsewhere, the pale ale was growing in popularity.  The town hired Bavarian brewmaster Josef Groll to create a new brew for them, and they also invested money into a new mechanized brewery.  After a bit of laboring and discovery, a new brew was created, something original, the first golden lager.  This new brew was called Pilsener, named after the town of its creation.  After a few translations, the brew became known as Pilsner (the german name).  At the time, Czech beer was known only by the name of the town it came from.  Many breweries began selling variations of the Pilsener beer, riding the wave of popularity, but they weren’t truly Pilsener brews because they were not brewed in Pilsen.  In order to protect the name, in the late 1800s new marketing laws were drafted requiring the source and brand name to be put in the beer’s title. Thus the brand Pilsner Urquell was created, in Czechoslovakia it’s known as Plzensky Prazdroj.  Both Urquell and Prazdroj loosely translate to “original source” in their respective languages.  This beer, now brewed and bottled by the worldwide entity SABMiller, is a living piece history.  So, next time you drink a cold-fermented golden lager of any sort, you’ll know where the idea came from.  Pretty neat huh?

Henry Winkler is a huge history buff

Getting into the tasting, this beer poured about 2 fingers worth of head that dissipated fairly quickly.  I’d describe the color like a golden apple cider.  This beer didn’t really lace, there were a few spots that had patches, but nothing exciting.

This beer smelled very zesty from the hops, it was definitely the strongest note in the aroma.  This can no doubt be attributed to the Saaz variety of hops, well known for strong aroma and zesty qualities.

In the first taste, the barley malt made a big appearance.  It was very sweet and grainy on the front end.  After a second, you get more Saaz hops to maintain a very fine balance between sweet and bitter.  There is also a faint mineral taste, this is most likely caused by the famously soft water in Pilsen used to make this brew.

The beer has a mild finish, very easy to drink.  It’s not the hoppiest pilsner on the market, that’s for sure.

Overall, I’d give Pilsner Urquell 3.5 out of 5.  It definitely gets points for being the first ever Pilsener beer, however being the first doesn’t necessarily mean being the best.  There are other craft brewers that have copied the style of the Czech pilsner and created a more delightful brew.  At the very least, I’d recommend it based on its historical merit.  Knowledge of the past lets us appreciate the present, like watching cartoons of our childhood lets us realize that cartoons today suck.

With the exception of Adventure Time