Though copied and reinvented across the world, a true Bohemian Pilsner has little of the character most people, especially Americans, associate with the name Pilsner.

Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Bratwurst, Corn, Rice, Rhubarb Pie Style Profile Quick CharacteristicsĬlean With a Rich & Complex Sense of Malt Spicy Notes Slight Diacetyl TonesĬomplex Malt Spicy Tones Possible Diacetyl Clean, Noticeable BitternessĬlear Pale Gold to Dark Orange Gold Dense White Head And the rest, as they say, is (more) history…. The clear, light colored beer stunned a brewing world used to murky darker beer. Two years later the Pilsner Urquell brewery began operations.

Serendipitously (or maybe not) this event closely coincided with the arrival of Josef Groll, a Bavarian brewer hired to teach the Plzen brewers the lagering methods becoming famous in Germany. Maybe it was watching so much hard work go down the drain, but in 1840 a bottom fermenting lager yeast was smuggled out of Bavaria by a monk. In 1838, a group of brewers deemed 36 barrels of ale undrinkable, rolled them into the street, and dumped them. Also new malting processes were making it possible to create lighter, mellower malts.ĭespite these advancements, much of the fermentation process remained a mystery. The Czechs were supposedly the first to use the thermometer and hydrometer to any great extent. With the 18th century came advancements in brewing technology. History chugged happily (and not so happily) along for a while. Guilds formed around this most influential of professions and both the economic and artistic importance of brewing became so ingrained in Bohemian culture that King Wenceslas was raised to the status of patron saint of brewers. The first commercial brewery opened in 1307. Founded by King Wenceslas II in 1295, Plzen became a center of Bohemian brewing after its founder granted its citizenry the right to brew. The entire world owes a depth of gratitude to the brewers of Plzen (Pilsen), who, in 1842 created a beer that would take the world by storm.

Pilsner beer origin