Pilsner

What is Pilsner?

Pilsner, also known as pils, is a light lager developed in 1842 in the city of Plzeň in Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic).

The beer is known for its characteristic light golden colour and crisp, refreshing taste that is both malty and hoppy. Compared to other lagers, pilsner has a more pronounced hop flavour. 

It is one of the most popular beer styles produced by many breweries worldwide.

Origin Story

During the early 19th century, residents of Plzeň began voicing their growing dissatisfaction with the low quality of beer. This discontent reached its peak in 1838 when an entire season’s brew was ceremoniously poured out in front of the town hall.

As a solution, the citizens of Plzeň decided to join forces and establish a new modern brewery, Bürgerbrauerei (literally: citizens’ brewery), and acquire brewing skills and knowledge from their experienced neighbours in Bavaria.

The brewery hired Bavarian brewmaster Josef Groll, who, drawing inspiration from Bavarian lagers, crafted a new recipe using local ingredients, leading to the creation of the pilsner beer style. The blend of Plzeň’s exceptionally soft water, local Saaz hops, Moravian malted barley processed through indirect heating, and Bavarian-style lagering resulted in a clear, golden beer.

The beer became an instant hit both locally and beyond; other breweries soon began copying it. The Pilsner Bier trademark was registered in 1859, but by then, several other products on the market also claimed to be pilsner-style beers.

It wasn’t until much later, in 1898, that the Bürgerbrauerei registered the trademark Pilsner Urquell, meaning "original pilsner". The brewery became known as Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Plzeňský Prazdroj). Today, it is the largest beer producer and exporter in the Czech Republic.

 Pilsner itself is one of the most popular beer styles worldwide and is brewed practically everywhere.