Founded in the 13th century, Plzeň quickly became one of the most important trade towns in Bohemia due to its location near the Bavarian border. The first breweries were established in the city in the 14th century, when King Charles I of Bohemia granted beer brewing rights to a monastery near Plzeň. Some of these breweries have even survived to this day.
In the late 1830s, the residents of Plzeň started to prefer imported Bavarian bottom-fermented (cold-fermented) beers to local top-fermented (warm-fermented) beers. As a result, sales of local beers dropped, and large amounts of beer went to waste due to spoiling. In 1839, the burghers of Plzeň with brewing rights founded Bürgerbrauerei (“Citizens’ Brewery”), a city-owned brewery that is now known as Plzeňský Prazdroj, or Pilsner Urquell Brewery. The new brewery was specifically designed to produce bottom-fermented beers with a long shelf life.
The brewery owners recruited Bavarian brewer Joseph Groll who had extensive experience with brewing bottom-fermented beers (lagers). On October 5, 1842, Groll produced the first batch of a new pale lager that would become known as Pilsner Urquell. The combination of soft local water, Saaz hops from the town of Žatec, and well-prepared barley malt resulted in a golden beer with herbal and floral notes.
The new beer was first served to the locals during the Saint Martin’s Day celebration on November 11, 1842 and was an immediate success. Soon the brewery started to export is pale lager throughout Central Europe. In 1859, Plzeň’s Chamber of Commerce and Trade registered “Pilsner Beer” as a brand name. The name Pilsner Urquell, which can be roughly translated as “the original source at Plzeň”, became a registered trademark in 1898.
The pale lager from Plzeň became so successful that many other breweries started to brew their own pale lagers imitating the original Pilsner beer, and now the terms “pale lager” and “pilsner” (or “pils”) are often used interchangeably. However, pilsner-style pale lagers brewed in the Czech Republic and Germany usually have a more pronounced aroma of noble hops and a drier finish than other pale lagers.
To celebrate the Czech Republic’s most famous beer, Plzeň hosts an annual beer festival. Pilsner Fest is held every October on the weekend closest to October 5 to commemorate the birthday of Pilsner. The festival takes place at Pilsner Urquell Brewery, where visitors from all over the country and abroad can enjoy the famous Pilsner Urquell pale lager, delicious food, and live music on four stages. The program of the festival also includes busking shows, culinary shows, beer-themed quizzes, and other exciting events and activities. For an extra fee, visitors can book a brewery museum tour with a beer tasting.
