Here we have another of the beer world’s OG’s. This is the beer that inspired every other pilsner that has been brewed since, still going strong and one of the best you’ll get to taste.
In the 1830’s the city if Plzen commissioned a new brewery to be built with the goal of overcoming the population’s growing dis-satisfaction with the poor quality beers the city’s brewers were known for. Enter Josef Gross, a German master brewer from Bavaria who brewed the world’s first pale lager on October 5th, 1842 at the Plzen brewery.
He is known as the ‘father of pilsner’, having set the standard for making the beautifully clear, crisp bottom-fermented pale lager. All the world’s pilsners would go on to model this famous beer, and over two-thirds of the world’s beers are now pale lagers. But ironically Groll’s contract was not renewed in 1845 and he returned home to Bavaria!
So, what do we make of this world class beer?
It pours a crystal clear, dark golden colour. Not much to the aroma, with some bready grain and a green, floral character. The taste is a lovely balance of that grainy malt body with a zesty bitterness from the Saaz hops. And it is the balance that carries right the way through to the end that has just enough spicy bitterness to almost force you to take another sip.
Did you know? The word ‘Urquell’ is German for ‘original source’, in naming the beer as the ‘Plzen Original Source’, Pilsner Urquell gives a slight nod to the heritage of its creator.
