Beer has been brewed in Pilsen since the town was founded in 1295. But the real Pilsner, as the world knows it, is connected these days with name of the Prazdroj brewery (Pilsner Urquell) which was built in 1842.
Pilsner Urquell, the largest Czech brewing company, controls over 27 per cent of the Czech market, and is continuously expanding abroad. It is currently the most important beer producer in Central and Eastern Europe. More than 400,000 hectolitres were exported to 53 countries worldwide. The largest importers are Slovakia, Germany, USA, Great Britain and Poland.
The story of the beer known as
"Pilsner", or rather
"Pilsner Urquell", is famous yet also slightly mysterious. The circumstances surrounding its origin, the raw materials used, the secrets of production, its long-term tradition, and unrivalled fame have encouraged many people to visit Central Europe. More precisely, many have come to the western part of the Czech Republic to find the capital of world beers, the town of Pilsen (Plzen).
Mr. Stelzer, an architect, was commissioned to plan the construction of the brewery. He approached his mission with a great sense of duty, and sought to bring in the experience of neighbouring countries. In Bavaria only bottom-fermented beer was brewed. Stelzer's mission was to construct the most modern and efficient brewery of the time. His fact-finding mission also resulted in something very precious. Stelzer didn't just bring in the needed experience and know-how - he also brought in
the master brewer, Josef Groll. He was charged with brewing the bottom-fermented Bavarian beer he once brewed in his country, only now he was using new ingredients: Czech malt, hops, and Pilsen water, exclusively.
Josef Groll was willful and rude, so the story goes. Nonetheless, as a brewer, he was a genius. He understood that his unique task was not to conform to tradition. He subsequently made a controlled
technological "failure". Nobody can tell today whether he himself knew exactly what sort of beer would come from his recipe, but it was delicious! Such as no one had tasted before! A new mysterious recipe was born, inherited over the generations, brewer to brewer. The date was October 5, 1842. The
"Burghers Brewery" began its victorious journey through both the Czech and the world brewing industry. The Campenhaus brothers who were the brewery's Berlin representatives gave the Pilsner lager beer.
How real Pilsner was brewed and drunk in the past, can be seen at
the Brewery Museum, the oldest one of its kind. The museum is considered to be the top of the world in its field. It is situated in an attractive environment of a historical house whose several owners used to have the right to brew and Gothic malthouse adjoining it. Hundreds of unique showpieces connected with the history of brewing and consumption of beer are exhibited there.
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