Pilsner Urquell

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

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

Bottled. Golden colour with a white head.Fruity aroma. Weak bitter and malty flavour. weak bitter finish.

Darker, but fully clear gold beer, good carbonation to good, reasonably persistent white head. Very clean barley malt nose, light but obvious aroma of warmed summergrain. Suspicion of noble hops. Taste is foremost sweet malt. There’s virtually no bitterness - more’s the pity. This has become a very polished product. Impression, both organoleptic and subjective of a very fresh, still warm, (snow)white bread - from an industrial oven. Light to medium bodied; finish is more watery (retronasal even a bit metallic, coppery). Not bad, but (too) sweet. All the same, a far cry from the gorgeously complex beer I drank at the Plzeñ brewery from the lagertank in tempore non suspecto.

On tap - Slaughtered Lamb Greenwich Village. A slightly creamy aroma more characterful than most pilsners. The colour is golden but over-carbonated. Flavour is slightly creamy and wheaty. Not bad for a pilsener and apparently much copied.

UPDATED: MAR 20, 2009 Unpastuerized (but still filtered) from tap at U Zlatého Tygra in Prague. Fresh, vibrant, crisp, wet, hoppy, then dry, grassy, slick, refreshing, etc. Really an amazing beer when had fresh. A few notches below the unfiltered (and wood) versions, and above the bottled version we get in the US, but to be honest, if you can get a fresh case of this in the US, cans or bottles, it can be spectacular... fresh, dusty, pungent, firm, full body, it’s awesome. Fresh bottles score in the 3.7-4.0 range, while old bottles can be as low as 2.5-2.8. Hey, if you’re buying this from the singles shelf chances are you’re not getting the proper experience.

UPDATED: MAR 27, 2008 A glowing hop horticulture first emits a halo of dry, bitter pollen...Dignified and syrupy malts cast large honey, caramel and biscuity shadows on the garden...Delicate resinous and wooden hops proceed into a cleanly-brewed minty, green hop bitterness...Caramel malts dominate and create a smooth and full mouthfeel with cookie malt toastiness...But thankfully, hopward ramifications consent to content my evident intents...

On tap at various places in the Czech Republic, this proved to be slightly better than the bottled and canned experiences. Tasty and balanced as always, but moreover not afraid of the hops flavor and bitterness. Easily one of the world’s best macros.

The tankovna version (non-pasteurized) drunk at U Zlateho Tygra in Praha had the usual frothy foam atop the mug and appeared to offer longer hop bitterness and a more present citrusy fruitiness like the unfiltered Urquell. The body was the same as the regular and, to be honest, the differences are quite subtle. You have to taste the two unfiltered versions (from stainless steel tanks and from the wooden barrel) to really get a different experience.

Aroma is grassy with a hint of maltiness. Appearance consists of a large, frothy, off-white head with deceenet lacing but lacks retenetion. Body is a burnt golden hue. Flavor is largely malty with sour and salty notes out back. Mouthfeel is watery with fizzy carbonation.

A nice fresh, clean pilsner with a long and dry finish. A solid, reliable classic.

UPDATED: JAN 21, 2005 Golden color, hoppy corny aroma and taste. Medium body.