Pilsner Urquell

Bohemia, the medieval crossroad of Europe, crucible of creativity, hub of intellectual progress. A city called Pilsen, a place that epitomises an adamant dedication to purity and perfection.
The people of Pilsen have always been passionate about their beer, so much so that unsatisfactory brews were unceremoniously emptied into the city’s sewers.
Because, of course, those were the days before our pure golden pilsner was born, days when beer was a dark and muddy concoction that varied wildly in quality.
Enter Josef Groll, a genius and a visionary who saw beyond the ordinary to create something that has withstood the test of time and inspired generations of imitators.
He created the world’s first clear and golden beer which, on 4 October 1842, the first golden beer was unveiled at St Martins Market.
Legend has it that the single strand of yeast used to produce our golden lager came to Groll by way of a runaway monk who smuggled it out his monastery. Today, centuries later, we can trace the pedigree of our unique Pilsner H yeast back to that single strand.
‘Pilsner’ soon became a generic term for any bottom-fermented beer, but the proud people of Pilsen would have none of that, and in 1898 they renamed their beloved beer Pilsner Urquell, meaning simply ‘The pilsner from the original source.’
For centuries our brewmasters have dedicated themselves to maintaining the integrity of our fine golden lager, passing the secrets of their brewing techniques down through the generations so that Pilsner Urquell has remained the uncompromised original that is so well loved today.
Pilsner Urquell – The pure, original pilsner from Pilsen.