Pilsner Urquell

I’ve had this in the can in the US and on draft in Plzen. There is a big difference. The canned version in the US is much better than bottles, but it still pales in comparision to draft in the Czech Republic. Grassy hops and a balanced matliness. Dry finish.

In a nutshell, if it wasn’t for those wonderful Czechs and their love for beer, what we know and love about a large majority of our beers, the other side of ales, might not even exist. Truly, if it wasn’t for Pilsner Urquell, our modern beer world would be quite different.
Hail to the brew master.
Pilsner Urquell pours a sweet golden straw in my pilsner glass, practically exploding into a gorgeous 2 fingers thick minimum head of luscious foam. Wow. She eventually fades into a small ring around the glass with a few clouds floating on top. A couple swirls and she foams up nicely. The nose speaks beautifully of grassy hops with lemon and citrus esters. A quaff of her sweet and slightly creamy body yields a richly crisp array of hop oils and sweet, freshly cut grass sit up front while lemon and citrus mingles in the background. A clean finish with only a mild afterimage of hops and grass. Light on the tongue and in the mouth, there is enough body to put Pilsner Urquell above a light lager, just as she should be. Further quaffing reveals an almost perfect balance between the grassy, citrusy, oily hops and the undertones of sweet malts for that slightly nutty caramel soft palate. Sometimes I like to savor my beers, but I find myself quickly at the end of my glass of Pilsner Urquell and wanting another.
While Pilsner Urquell is available domestically, it is a pasteurized version available for import. Supposedly over the years, Pilsner Urquell has lost a bit of her initial bite. Whether that was/is for international purposes in regards to export, or just design decisions by the brewmaster(s), one may never know. Even so, Pilsner Urquell still stands tall as one of the premier examples of the Pilsner style.

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.