Pilsner Urquell

Brewed by Plzensky Prazdroj (SABMiller)
Style: Bohemian Pilsener
Plzen, Czech Republic

50cl Bottle @ home. Clear golden, white head. Aroma of grass and malts, hops. Flavour is dry, a bit sweet and grassy, bitter finish. Just a very good crisp pilsener.

I do love this beer. The hype and rep lead many to expect too much from it, but as the model pilsner, I think it holds up well. Great looking in the glass, golden with a white fluffy head, spicy nose, and strong malty flavour with the perfect followup of aggressive hops leaving a long dry finish. Makes me happy that it’s easy to obtain this world classic here in Hamilton, NZ.

Pours straw-color with small head. Aroma citrusy, spicy, herbal, and yeasty, very enjoyable. Flavor is very herbal and yeasty up front with some sweeter citrus notes in the back. Nothing too special here, but I think pilseners get a bad rap in general, so it might be worth a try for a solid pilsener.

Bottle. Pours a straw yellow with white very short-lasting head. Aroma is citrus, but in a very sour way. Mouthfell is just wrong, and the taste is, well, morning urine. Nope, didn’t like this pilsner either.

Draft. Pours a golden yellow color with the perfect sized head. Smell is a little funky, but not very strong. Taste is crisp, well balanced, yet weak. Somewhat of a skunk flavor as well, but not too bad.

Bottle. A light sour and quite hoppy smell, also a light smell of soap and grass. A large white creamy head and a golden body. The taste is moderate bitter with a average duration. The body is light to medium, very dry and light creamy with a soft carbonation and a light metallic and quite astringent finish. A good Pilsener.

Draft. Lighty straw color with a big soapy, foamy, white head. Weak aroma, though not bad with some bitterness and hay. Light flavor, some sourness with a nice hop kick balancing things out in the finish. A sharp, refreshing mouthfeel. Not an amazing beer, but solid for the style and one of the better mass produced pils you’ll find at a lot of bars.

First real notes on this one, and from a bottle. Gold with a nice white head. Light and crisp like every Urquell I’ve ever had. Slightly bitter hops balance out the bready malts. Classic all the way. I remember the tap being better, though at the time I was also sitting outside in 70F after moving for two hours. Still, a delightful beer for the warm months no matter how it’s served. This would be wonderful at a baseball game.