Pilsner: The Beer That Made Beer Famous
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2024
- This video traces the origins of pilsner, the events and technological innovations that made its development possible, how the popularity of this beer spread throughout the world, and how it is gaining popularity again among American craft brewers.
Reference material used in this video can be found here:
drive.google.com/open?id=1dkB...
Music by by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
A full list of images and music used under the terms of Creative Commons can be found here:
drive.google.com/open?id=16kz...
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:58 The History of Beer in Plzeň
2:44 New Brewery, New Technology
5:38 Pilsner Spreads Across Europe, and the World
9:30 Pilsner Gains Footing in Craft Market
10:26 Conclusion
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Large numbers of Czechs setteled in central Texas along with a lot of Germans. There's a local brewery named Shiner from Shiner, Texas. The brew many old world style beers. But the funny thing was their advertisements. A sign on the side of the road says. " Our Beer passes through many quality Czechs everyday ".
Yep! I've been in Texas a lot this past year, and the craft-brewers there do a good job with the old-school German & Czech beers.
Shiner makes some good stuff, was disappointed to learn Frost was discontinued.
@@BevGeek Pilsen and Burton upon Trent gave us two pale beers.
Pale Lager also has a poor reputation in Ireland and Britain.
There is a little town outside of college station named snook. They were famous for pastry but not beer.😢
"Large numbers of Czechs setteled in central Texas along with a lot of Germans".....
And Gov Abbott hasn't deported them yet?
Oh yeah, forgot they are not brown people...
I work for Pilsner Urquell and I must say this video is brilliant, well explained good sir!
Thanks! 🍻
I salute you and your craft
I also work for Urquell but my banker says I should bring home cash instead 🙃
Thank you for your service
I tried one for 2023. Either I'm getting older or my taste buds are changing to notice it tastes a tad sweeter ?
My father was born and raised in western Czechoslovakia and came to the US in 1945. I drink a Pilsner Urqell every Christmas to honor him.
Good for you, but who cares? Did he eat pizza too?
@@georgeburns7251Hi stranger. I do, I think it was a nice story. What now?
Respect! I'll raise my next Plzeň (that's how we call them here) to him as well, sir!
aw, thats really nice! cheers to you and him.
Cheers, Mr. Sparrow!
As an old swedish man, I have always loved czek's as the perfect resistors in icehockey ever, due to good skills and fair play, Those matches many years ago, were nerve thrilling, and the best memories of my youth. I adored their spirits, and skills just like the swedes.
I would have love, that our countries were closer together, but the geography says what it is.
The Pilsner developing is just one of their brilliant skills, but a good evidence.
I send my love to the people there. 🥰
Respect from Czechia!
As a young Czech man, cheers. Quite enjoy watching the hockey matches as well.
My family emigrated to Sweden from Tjeckien in the 80s during the cold War when I was ten. Now I live in England but I have the best memories of Sweden, the incredible generosity and kindness we received as asylum seekers, Sweden and the Swedish people are the most amazing, kind and generous people I've ever met. Thank you Sweden.
As an old Canadian, I agree.
Thank you for such a beautiful thought towards Czech people and spirit!
Much love to Sweden from Czech Republic!
In summer of 1994 I sat in a hotel lobby in Budapest and some Czek guests had opened up their cooler to my friends and I to try their local Pilsner. It is still the best tasting beer I’ve ever had. It had a green and white can with some red on it. We knew Pilsner Urquell, and it wasn’t that. They had so much fun practicing english with us and they were so proud about how much we loved their beer. good times 😊
1795 or Radegast?
@@nox5555 don’t think it was those. they made it sound like it was a small brewery in their small town. I really wish we could remember, because we talked about it for a year after and looked at every Czek beer for at least 2 years and never saw it. I’ll have to email some old classmates and see if any of them ever found it.
Staropramen sometimes comes in a green and white can with gold on it, but even if it isn't the one you're looking for, you should try it
Bernard fits this description, one of my faves, give it a try!
Definitely Staropramen 🍻
My Grandfather was in the Army and fought in WW2 from Normandy to liberating the encircled troops at the Battle of the Bulge. When VE day came his unit was stationed in and around Plzeň, for the rest of his life in Central Texas his favorite beer was Pilsner Urquell.
The old Pilsner Urquell. Hardly the modern version. Read my comment above.
@@mattiaspettersson788 "read my comment above" unfortunately RUclips UI doesn't work that way. Perhaps this is what you were referring to?
"The most prominent and widely reported change came in 1992, when the brewery replaced its traditional oak fermentors with shiny new stainless steel vessels - a move first contemplated as far back as 1929. Although the brewery conducted extensive taste comparisons and claims to have preserved the original character and flavor of the beer, Pilsener aficionados still debate the topic."
But, sadly my Grandfather had passed before then.
I have been drinking,Urquell,for over 50, years,I am 75,it is Sunday,9 July 2023,I have 2,16.9 cans sitting on the counter,warming to around 45 to 50 degrees.Yes I agree that the beer is not the same as it was when they got rid of the oak casks,the head was like thick whipped crème,and a little better kick,still good,but like everything,time goes on!I love Sam Adams,Boston lager,they remastered it,why,still good but not as good!The company told me it is for the younger palate,Damn let us old people die in peace! I would not wash my feet in all or most of the beer made today!God bless the craft beer gods,not a big fan of IPA s but they still are good!Thomas A.Filipiak Old,Old,Old,Necter of the gods lover!
When american soldiers came to free Pilsen, they stole entire supply. This was not enough, so they went to neighbouring town, where champagne was produced (local copy with french expert establishing the production) and drank that too. While beer can be replaced in terms of months, the champagne was delayed in production by two years.
Your Grandfather was indeed a quality individual!
Anyone who has brewed beer knows that a perfect pils is the pinnacle of skills. Home brew and even micro brew batch sizes make this much more difficult, as one flaw will ruin the whole batch. Hats off to those early artisans who perfected this technique.
Indeed. Doesn't remove the fact that pilsner/lager are the worst type of beers behind IPA's.
@@jensclarberg6419 "fact"? Worst by what standard? Beer type is preference and subjective, you are free to like whatever you like, but do know that liking one type over the other does not make you better in any way.
I'll add that it isn't particularly hard to make, but rather harder to make well. But it probably wasn't as consistent in quality as it is today. The hardest part of brewing pilsner style beers is temperature control during the fermentation process. Other than that, the color, malt, everything else, has more to do with the unusually soft water of the pilsen river, than it does with any special "kiln" or technique. Just google how water mineral content affects the brewing process, and the reason for why beers from various cities are famous for a specific taste and color will become apparent. It's all biochemistry, enzymes, and starch conversion. Water profile affects brewing way more than most non brewers would guess. Later technology allowed brewers to control the mineral content of mash water, nothing to do with kiln technology.
@@Yourmomma568 You said it all. Bravo!
@@jensclarberg6419You sound way too old to not understand the difference between a fact and opinion lmao
Cheers from the Czech Republic :) Na zdraví !!
Very good video. I believe another reason for the Pilsners popularity at that time was that the Czechs were producing high quality clear glassware for the first time. This allowed for people to gaze upon the lovely clear golden beverage inside for the first time too.
Correct! Pilsners (and Czech lagers in general) did come about at the same time that the Czechs started mass producing quality glassware. This was actually in my notes for the video, but ended up getting cut in the script-writing process.
That’s an interesting theory?
Sounds viable, Bohemian Crystal is famous.
You are absolutely correct!! The glass ware was an important part of the presentation! 🍻
Thanks. Being a quarter Czech has its advantages I suppose ;).
7:13 Note that practically all French breweries are in the Alsace region.
This is important because for 500 years it was part of Germany (Holy Roman Empire), became French for 200 years and returned to Germany in 1871.
In at the end of WW1 in 1918 the locals had enough and declared their independence but France immediately invaded and annexed the region.
The people of the Alsace speak a German dialect, drink beer and white wine from traditionally German-shaped bottles and the local cuisine is typically German.
Aren't German Shepherds also known as Alsatians?
@@buckodonnghaile4309 German Shepherds were 'rebadged' as Alsatian by the English propaganda machine after Victoria died.
Quen Victoria herself loved everything German (Well she was German by blood and married a German) and even died in the arms of her favourite grandson Kaiser Wilhelm the 2nd von Hohenzollern while his cousin George and soon to be King Uncle Edward had to wait outside her room. I think cousin Nicholas II Romanov wasn't even present.
Even more impressive that propaganda machine managed to make the world prefer cheaply made dry French wine to very labour intensive and thus expensive sweet German wine.
In Denmark pale lagers was/is simply known as "pilsner". Only in the last 25-30 years, with the reinvigoration of the art of beer, have people started to refer to them as lager to differentiate from ale, the latter which had almost vanished.
(Kind of ironic that we almost lost our beer culture, since beer-making shaped the history of Denmark, with I.P. Jakobsen and Carl Jakobsen (founder of Carlsberg and his son) being instrumental in Denmark becoming democratic, and huge benefactors of science and the arts in ways which had very large implications for both Denmark and the world).
But also, the culprits in almost losing the beer culture, was Carlsberg which bought very many smaller breweries and closed them).
same in Norway , Pils is a synonym to øl ( beer in Norwegian) its common to just say "skal vi ta en pils" ( shall we grab a beer)
Same in Sweden as well, seems like an Scandinavian things apparently. My father still call all beers pilsner as an synonym. when I give him an new hipster IPA or something he always says he want an good old pilsner instead and often refer to an beer I would call an lager.
But you forget the immense gift of Emil Chr. Hansen (cultivating pure yeast) and Carlsberg to ALL beer brewers!
I like British Ales
Yuengling golden pilsner is my favorite beer. A few years ago the owner of Yuengling hired a locksmith to open an old iron safe that belonged to his grandfather. It contained a number of papers with beer recipes in German, one was for a golden pilsner. Yuengling started offering this golden pilsner about a year later and its been a real hit for them.
@@kellyharbeson18 Yuengling is Americas oldest brewery. My father is a big fan of Utica Club. This was the first beer to be sold after prohibition. Then there was Schaefer…
They used to have limited distribution. I have family in PA and bring some home to SC every year.
Whenever i read or hear "Yuengling" my first connotation as a German is "Who is this Chinese"?😂 The anglicization went a bit wild with a Y on the name "Jüngling".
@@sunrae3971 It’s actually a fairly common Pennsylvania Dutch name even with that spelling. I knew a guy in grammar school in New Jersey with that surname. His nickname was Ding-A-Ling. 😜
@@MultiPetercool 😂 sounds funny too.
I really like how we came full circle, people went from bland mass market pilsners to high hop IPAs and darker beers, then realised that it's not the Pilsner style itself that is bad, it's just the bad versions of it. So now people are returning to the higher quality Pilsners and realising exactly why this style of beer became so popular in the first place.
I've tried both Bitburger and Pislner Urquell and they're both great, slight prefference for Urquell but on a really warm day Bitburger is more refreshing.
Pilsner Urquell is a cheap mass market beer. I buy for 75c per 0.5l can when it's discounted. It's just also good.
And here I am in Prague, drinking Gambrinus and watching this. Thank you, it was most informative!
First drank Pilsner Urquell in North Bavaria in the 70s when I was in the Army. Fabulous beer. One of my favorites.
My great-grandfather Fritz was from a family of brewers in Bavaria. He emigrated to Milwaukee in the 1880s, and became the braumeister at Pabst.
Epic. I like Pabst. Everyone has some opinion on it. Grandpa's beer, hipster beer, cheap swill etc. If you put it in a pint and don't tell everyone likes it. It's well made beer.
Pabst still riding that blue ribbon from the 1893 Worlds Fair.
Waupaca area of WI here. I'd call Pabst the best tasting American macro brew, it has genuine flavor to it.
About 40 years ago my father gave me a Pilsner Urquell and told me the basic history of it being the original Pilsner. I love seeing this story enriching the details he shared.
I live in Plzen , and I approve of this historical video
As a Bavarian, that has been to Pilzen, in the Urquell brewery, I very much appreciate this video
Have had the pleasure of visiting both the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzen multiple times + the historic brewing tunnels. The brewery tour includes a tasting from a freshly tapped barrel in the chilly tunnels. Best beer I've had in my life ...The draft pilsners they drink every day in Czechia are unbelievably better than the bottled exports, but the freshly tapped pilsner is heaven! Add it to your bucket list!
And BTW Plzen is a wonderful medium size scenic city that is extremely welcoming to all international travelers. A great place to spend a long weekend or a full week. Bring your walking shoes though!
There's a small brewery in Montréal, L'amère à boire, that has been doing an amazing Czech-style pilsner non-stop since 1996, the Cerna Hora. They had managed to sneak a vial of yeast from the Czech republic just as the Iron Curtain was unraveling, and it's been the cornerstone of their production. I've been drinking it since the late 1990s, even before the big Craft renaissance that brought the IPA juggernauts (which have never fully fed my fancy). It never ceases to amaze me how good a pale lager can get, and I have this Cerna Hora to thank for.
Greetings from Czech Republic ! I'm delighted to read that one of the oldest (possibly THE oldest) breweries in our little country is known all the way in Canada.
The first mention of the Cerna Hora (Black Hill/Mountain) beer is from 1298, the brewery itself is first mentioned in writing in 1530. over 700 years of beer history !
@@Dung30n There is another case of Canada-Czech beer friendship with the brewery Cheval Blanc (white horse), which has a pub named Bílý Kůň.
Wow! This is probably the best explainer of the pilsner beer I've ever seen. I'm Czech myself and work as a tour guide in Prague and even doing a beer tours with trips to Pilsner Urquell brewery in Pilsen. I have to honestly admit your explanation of the pale lager is much clearer and more straightforward than my typical beer tour guiding routine.
I took a tour of the brewery back in ‘01. As a joke, they gave us all samplers of unfermented wort 😂😂😂
His explanation is actually wrong. Beer in pilsen was so light because the water from the river is some of the softest in the world. It has to do with biochemistry, enzyme efficiency, and starch composition. But sufficed to say, the harder the water, the darker the malt required which is why traditional regional beer styles all have different hues. Dublin being very dark with very hard water, vienna being red, with a high sulphur content, etc. Later brewers were able to control the mineral content of their mash water, and were able to mimic the color of pilsen beers, which were very rare at the time, because their water was rare in its softness, and people in the 1800s associated lighter colored foods with purity and healthfulness.
So is beer time to time in moderate portions really unhealthy?
@@bag2963 ? I should have been clearer. People in the 1800s associated lighter colored foods with health. They thought white potatoes, white complexions, white bread, was all healthier. And they thought the light colored beer of pilsen was healthier. In reality, all of this is wrong. No beer is healthy, but it's also not very harmful to have a drink every once in a while, and I personally think it's a waste of your life not to enjoy it. I'd rather have a few beers, and die a few days earlier, than live like an ascetic for 100 years.
@@Yourmomma568 Yeah I agree I love beer once in a while too. I just thought it would have some nice health benefits because of how they are brewed (talking only about high quality beer. Cheers
I live in Kenya and I'm 23 years old now. Pilsner was so popular here when I was younger around the early 2000s together with our own beer Tusker. It's not as popular anymore but still a cult classic, I'm happy to learn about it's history now.
Are you a billionaire Prince who needs account details to deposit a few million dollars?
@@ami2evil I'd ask for yours but you're probably broke and in debt.
@@leavingthematrix1261 and?
I think I saw Tusker for sale in New Caledonia. I thought it must have been local to there, I didn't know it was Kenyan.
I personally have to credit to Anchor Steam in the 1970's for Americans to start rediscovering brewing quality beers. It started the microbrewery revolution that made really high quality Pilsner beers available again, at least here in the USA.
Sierra Nevada helped.
Agree. Too bad Anchor Steam is halting out of state sales. That was the first craft beer I ever had in the 80s.
@@johnvrabec9747 it’s still a very good beer, though. Set the standard for the revival of craft brewing, especially after the change in brewing laws in 1979.
I've done the Anchor tour with some of my buddies who are brewers in SF, great beer and great tour.
i love anchor steam. such a pride of SF. i used to live there and was new to drinking and bars. i never knew what i should order, but if i said "hey lemme get an anchor" id get something id like, and also the bartender would think i wasnt a total dweeb
If I were forced to choose only one beer to drink for the rest of my life, it would be Pilsner Urquell.
Yes, my friend.
Fantastic video! I absolutely love Pilsner Urquell! It is my favorite beer! I grew up in West Germany and as a kid [9 or 10 years old], my land lord would give my father Pilsner Urquell in exchange for Barcadi rum that my dad coul dbuy tax free on the US Army base in Fulda! Of course, I was allowed to sip this amazing beer at the local festivals ! Such great memories!
Near the Czech/German border where I was stationed 1969-71, Pilsner Urquell was available on tap. It was more mellow than the export version and a bit cloudy. It took a long time to pour because the head took a long time to go down. ( Ratskeller in Furth im Wald )
Schneeberg? Ich auch!
As a New Yorker, with central European heritage I only became interested in Pilsner thanks to my Czech neighbor. We are the same age and Bill Murray in Stripes is quite relevant to our lives experiences before the iron curtain fell.
30 years later he had to explain to me what beer was. There is a pub outside the gates of the brewery where they pump in unfiltered Pilsner Urquel. Served with rye bread and salted smaltz and you have reached nirvana.
We tried the hoppy craft beers and its just an exercise in experimentation. Somebody told me that IPAs are like spicy hot food: "you have to get used to it" .
The Czech culture of drinking 4-5% lager is everything. The difference between brands is a slight change in the balance between sweet and bitter, where Urquel is more bitter, but there is no real deviation. They drink so much that trying anything heavier would disturb the daily ritual of meeting friends for a beer (really means 3-4 on a school night there's no such thing as one .5 l pour)
After a few days my stomach just couldn't handle the amount of liquid.
Anyway, American Pilsner is usually a joke because they are ales, not bottom fermented lager.
Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood was an enclave for Czechs decades ago. Of course Pilsner breweries also flourished but it's all gone, only the name remains. A video on this history would be awesome!
I let my Czech neighbor guide me through fantastic pilsners! I have only been to Germany but its fascinating how clean and flavorful German beers are vs what is in the United States. I brew mostly what i drink. My beers have gotten so much better through the years but i still dont produce what i have abroad!
Went as a kid on a school trip to Pilsner Urquell factory in Plzen. Still remember all the smells and cold of the tunells.
Here we are, 3 years in the future and it really is the summer of crafty pilsners here in the US. So many tasty and complex pils out here on the streets right now.
Excellent history.
In the Netherlands a lot of the mainstream beers are Pilsner style. These are also the more popular beers within the country, and lagers such as Heineken are looked down upon for their bland taste. They just have a good marketing worldwide, so everyone expects them to be liked in the Netherlands.
loved the video, as I definitely prefer Pilsner over Lager.
In 1980 I toured the #Heineken brewery where they let college students drink as much as they could within 45 minutes!!! It was hilarious to see the ambulance awaiting 😢call just outside the mockup bar serving area.
Hah. As an American who is blessed to have access to the best beer the world has to offer because a local liquor store gets such a wide variety of domestic and imports, I always just assumed the Dutch made bad beer because Heineken was the only one I could get my hands on. When there are dozens of German, Belgian, and English beers lining the shelves of a massive liquor store, I just assumed that no Dutch beer is worth importing and Heineken is only popular because corporate mass production and marketing.
@@TheSpecialJ11there’s loads of great Dutch beers like Grolsch, Gulpener, Hertog Jan etc. And almost a thousand small draft beer brewery’s, it’s a bit like drinking Jupiler and assuming you know what Belgium beer is al about. There’s just not famous outside the Netherlands. Most European countries are very focused on their own beer culture.
@@TheSpecialJ11 I did not know that english make any beer, all the bars usually offer horrible crap like Fosters, Stella or Carlsberg. You have to pay extra for better stuff like Peroni or Moretti or bottled Corona.
Pilsners are my favorite beer. I like Efes Pilsen and Efes Malt the most, they just make me think of summer.
Pilsner Urquell is my favorite beer. The taste and finish is second to none.
If you didn't pick it up at 5:30 of the vid, České Budějovice, or Budweis, is the origin of Budweiser in Czech Republic, BUT it is believed that Adolphus Busch, who was Eberhard Anheuser's son-in-law, was known to travel around Europe for the latest brewing techniques, acquired/stole the recipe from Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu - Sampson in the 1870s, and had been brewing this regional pilsner-style since 1795. They were known to have exported limited amounts to the US as early as 1872, so Busch would've likely known of them and their then little known pilsner style. In 1907, Anheuser-Busch we're quite successful by then from that Czech pils recipe and started selling Europe which became confusing to customers, an impediment to the American market and frustrating to all the Czech Brewers in and around Budweis who laid claim to the name. In a nutshell, the result was that AB got the keep Budweiser in North America, but in Europe it was Budweiser Budvar, whereas Sampson was allowed to sell in the US as Czechvar. In Europe they are allowed to use Bud even in Czech Rep., but not the original Budweiser despite the distinct pilsner style coming from Budweis. Even the namesake Budweiser Bier Bürgerbräu had to change it's name to B.B. Bürgerbräu.
Very interesting DETAILS about
«Bud». Although I never drink it,
it's always good to know basics
about what used to be a classic.
Well, actually Budweiser Budvar is different brewery than Samson (which brews beer called - you would never guess that - Sampson, although both are located in Ceske Budejovice. Fun fact: Budvar is the very last national company (type of state owned enterpise, which used to be quite common back in the socialist era (when private ownership of any business was forbidden and thus didn't exist) and it's net profit is an income to the national budget. Ever since 1990 there is a dispute whether the state should sell it or not, but out of the fear that AB might get to own just for the sake of getting the right to use the name Budweiser all over the globe.
Proud Czech viewer here! Thank you for great informative video about our country! BTW: I dont drink alcohol, so its quite hard to live in Czech Republic. Haha!
😖
Germans built the Brewery industry in what is now Czechia.
In English, the name of the country is Czech Republic; Hitler referred to it as the Sudetenland, before that, Wilson had the Czechs join with the Slovaks, before that the Czech Lands (which is where my parents were from); the name Czechia is an insult adopted by the commie-luvin denizens of Silicon Valley. BTW, I don't care for alcohol either and yes, I spent seven years in Praha where Gambrinus seemed the more popular brand. Go Slavia!
That's literally impossible live here when you don't drink, I am not literally abstinent, but I am not looking for alcohol, I drink it only at festivals, concerts or other events and I know exactly what I can drink to not vommit and people can be very agressive when you already had 3 beers and you say you don't want another beer because you don't want to vommig and spend rest of your weekend in shits. I totaly hate this aspect of Czech culture, when you don't drink or you drink only little, you are literally excluded from society and you have serious problems with finding some friends becuase nobody understands that you just don't want to drink 5+ beers every day, they think you are offensive to them because you don't want to drink with them, they just can't understand that some people are not addicted to alcohol and can say "that's enough, I don't want another beer."
When youtubers make videos about how amazing Czech beer culture is, they should also say how terrible it is on other hand, we are nation of alcoholics, beying constantly drunk is a standard.
@@tizfrreecharm Name Czechia was used in many other European languages, it's much older than people think and we just don't have anything better, calling it Czech lands sounds ridiculous when we are not a kingdom anymore.
Okay, so I’ve loved good pilsners for a long time-especially in warmer seasons, AND I CAN NEVER FIND THEM. Now I know why! I feel free and much less aggrieved
Making niche vids are hard asf
I appreciate you for making this
The Pilsner is the Bourgogne of beers. Pilsners are hard to perfect that's why we unfortunately find some "not so good" pilsners. But the major difference pilsners and IPA's (besides from the obvious) is that you can camouflage your brewing skills in an IPA or other stronger tasting beers where as a pilsner reveals if the master brewer doesn't now his craft. But when you find a really good pilsner you'll experience heaven. My recommendation to any beer lover would be the Warsteiner Premium Lager Verum.
As a California resident, I'd have to say that my favorite pils that's brewed locally is Trumer Pils. To me the flavor to body ratio makes it very enjoyable without feeling like you just downed a meal
I'll have to check Trumer out the next time I'm in Cali!
Trumer is excellent. I wish it were available on the East Coast.
I have been on the tour through the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzen. Amazing. What was also amazing is the FACT that it is IMPOSSIBLE to buy a bad beer in the Czech Republic. I can recommend a visit to the country. Great beer, great food (it is a bad country to be a pig or a chicken).
We stayed in a little hotel off the square in the Old Plzen view. It had been a convent (years ago).
Ah, memories.
Agreed! The Pilsner Urquell tour is easily one of the best brewery tours I've been on, and all the beer in the Czech Republic is great!
Pilzner Urquell is a great beer. But there are so many great pilzners from Czechia, Slovakia, Poland.
Spent ten years in Germany and my favorite was Konigsbacher Pils in Koblenz. It was awesome draft. I can still Get Pilsner Urquell and Bitburger locally but haven't seen Budvar in years and enjoyed that also. It's always fun to pick up something new at the Aldi store near me as they have a good rotating selection over Pilsners I haven't tried.
Budvar is called now in America Czechvar.
One of the best I've had was Schell's Pilsner of about 6-8 years ago. I used to buy all I could until they re-invented it.
There's a good basement restaurant in an old building in Prague, my wife and I walked in one evening for supper. There was a sign that read "Beer 60 Kc", I asked what kind of beer and the waiter said, "Wheat beer, you'll like it." So we ordered two of those - we weren't expecting them to be a litre each. Two litres of beer for what converted to a little over $7 Canadian, and it really was very good.
Do you remember the name of the restaurant?
Had this in Germany and Czech Republic, pilsner urquell is my favourite draft beer
Pilsner Urquell is my spirit animal.
Best beer by far in my opinion.
I learned a lot ! Regards from Germany 🇩🇪
I always knew Pilsner Urquell is a great beer. Now I know why. Thanks!
Ive been there and had the tour. My favorite beer.They give tastings in half litre glasses . I dont remember how I got home.
Great video! When it comes to commercial brands, the only beer I still lay my hands on is Pilsner Urquell. It is indeed THE beer for me in terms of flavour profile. Then again, the many fantastic Czech microbreweries are clearly taking priority whenever I have the opportunity to sample their products.
It’s a beautiful facility with a wonderful banqueting space, and of course just the very best beer. On tap in Czech, it’s just amazing. Congrats!
I married. Czech and spent summers in our Prague flat. The beer is awesome and I only learned one phrase Yidno Pivo prosim. = one more beer please.
Nothing really scratches that itch like a German pils. I miss my time while stationed in Germany. Top grade world class Pilsner in every town. Just about every Land Kreise had some time honored brewery dating back a minimum of 400 years. I occasionally enjoy Colaweisen and still drink Radler in the summer.
Pilsner Urquell is the most delicious beer in my opinion. The unique refreshing bitterness is unmatched!
too bitter
Ever had Grolch, the flip top bottle ? That’s my fave other than Guinness
Since I moved to Germany, I actually felt in love with the very dark sweeter beer. Its very similar in taste to the Wheet beer, but is as dark as malt drinks
Try Salvator!
Bamberg --> Rauchbier, schlenkerla.
If you still don't know, now you have a scope in your german part of life
Worked for a small company that specialized in beer in wine at the beginning of the craft brew explosion. Always lamented the overlooking of pilsners and lagers. Great vid.
They can have their IPAs, give me a quality pilsner any day! Thanks for the great video on the history and legacy.
For me, Pilsner Beer was the first beer I ever enjoyed and is still the benchmark for me. Yes, there are a thousand styles of beer, but Pilsner is still my favorite, followed by Alt.
I lived a stone’s throw from the Bitburger Pils brewery in Germany. Both Bitburger Pils and Pilsner Urquell are excellent. My beer of choice is an English ale, but the real European Pilsner beers are a close second. Both English ales and European pilsners are more subtle and balanced, and clearer and brighter, than the hoppier styles.
Krombacher Pils is much tastier in my opinion. it’s not just drinkable, it’s downright quaffable.
Bitburger is IPA levels of hops and bitterness. Not my thing
@@Trenz0 I loathe Bitburger and shudder every time I see their sign. There's no excuse for what they did to Bockbier!
@@philomelodia I agree, Krombacher is my absolute favourite German pilsener. Worst I've tried is Jever or Becks. Even Astra is better than Becks... Bitburger is okay but too bitter in a bad way.
Dithmarscher and Flensburger are also quite good.
Everyone makes fun of me that I love pilsners but this video validated me!
I discovered Pilsner Urquel here in South Louisiana back in the early 80's and have loved it ever since. It used to be plentiful and found everywhere in my area. Then It became hard to find until just last year there are some places that have it and I am enjoying it once again.
Super good content! My favourite beer in the world is Pilsner Urquell! Not for lack of trying other stuff - ~1,500 beers in the last 4 years alone. Obviously, I am Czech and by the way thank you for calling us central European - that is nice.
I think one drawback of a pilsner is that pouring needs to be right, most of the pubs don't have the capability. E.g. I live in Australia and I might as well as buy a bottle or can in a pub as beer is soo poorly poured, starts oxidising immediately etc. etc. Somehow, I can tolerate poor pouring better with Ales - not sure if there is some science behind or it is just personal preference.
Thanks, Marek! I agree about the pouring. I noticed that in Czechia, the head is formed first, then the rest of the beer is drawn underneath it, preventing it from oxidizing and making it less bitter. The taps used also makes a creamier, longer lasting head...a must for a Mlíko pour, which is why most of these outside Czechia settle out way to fast!
If you haven't seen it yet, I have a video that talks all about foam (in beer and other beverages). I also have out-of-focus video of an American Mlíko-pour Pilsner in my Asheville beer video. Na zdraví!
@@BevGeek i havent! But will check it out.
Nothing like Urquell😊
@@BevGeek You actually count them, when I drink beer I can't remember what I had.
@@TheDaeris thats why the bavarians invented Helles, its totaly fine from the bottle
Hello, I come from the city of Pilsen. Pilsner urqell is of course my favorite beer and I use it as a benchmark for comparing the flavors of other types of beer I like to taste.
I can confirm that you are right, I also have some experience with brewing beer, and the production of quality Pilsner lager is really demanding on care and stability of conditions. I preferred to stay with IPA production, but after moving, I no longer have space for this hobby.
Thanks for sharing!
This is one of my favorite beers.
Pilsner is my favorite type of beer, I first drank it in Germany when I went abroad to study about sustainable business. Though in reality it was just drinking, occasional lecture, eating pricey food, and more drinking. It was in Northern Germany in a city called Lüneburg where I had, in my opinion, the best Pilsner which was called Lüneburger Pilsener
I went to West Germany in 1985 and introduced to Bittburger. It was fantastic. I noticed that they advertised everywhere. I remember noticing that as far as advertising goes, Budweiser could learn a thing or two about promotion from Bittburger.
Bitburger*
What a fantastic summary! Thanks so much for making this. I just learnt a BUNCH of stuff. And I *LOVE* Pilsners - and specifically, a good German Pils.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING CREDIT TO PILSNER URQUELL THE ABSOLUTE BEST EXAMPLE OF A PILSNER Shout out to STEAM WHISTLE FROM CANADA
Grew up in Prague. I miss czech beer so much. I home brew now and I'm trying to replicate urquel.... laggering at home is a challenge.
Great video. I love czech beers in general (Urquell, Staropramen, Krusovice, etc). Czech rep. and Germany's beer are much more complex and just tastier than most of the world. The US has an onslaught of micro-brews but most of them are forgettable and need another 200-400 years to hone their craft IMHO.
Budvar Budweiser, the original Budweiser, Czech lager is my favourite.
My comments when tasting micro brewery beer: “not bad…when will it be ready?” 🤣🤣🤣
I disagree. I’m American and might have agreed with you 30 years ago, but no longer. I have enjoyed local beers around the world and US beers hold their own. I think Belgium has the best beer, but the US makes great beer now.
It’s a common misconception. Anheuser-Busch actually opened for business in St, Louis before the Budvar brewery. Thats why Budvar lost the lawsuit and had to remove Budweiser from its name in the States.
@@jdziennik1 the city of budvar has been making beer for hundreds of years before the founding of the company
It's nice to have a lot of holes in my knowledge of pilsner filled in. I used to drink a fair bit, even while my friends were going all hipster for pale ales. Australia is still terrible for that these days, with 60%-80% of a bottle-o's beer stock being pale ales or the derivatives (mostly IPAs), and very few stocking any traditional Czech or German pils.
...the first time I tasted the REAL Budweiser (due to trademark problems it's called 'Czechvar' here in the states - hard to find but worth the search) - in Berlin in August of 1989- three months before the wall fell on the night of my 40th birthday - was an EPIPHANY!!! I had the opportunity to try Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen in Prague in 1994...WOW!!!
Accurate, well presented, entertaining - well done!
Just discovered your channel. This is really good content! you really did your research and I learned a lot. Keep the videos coming!
Thanks! 🥰
0:43 I’m American but lived in Nattenheim Germany for a few years, which is the town next to Bitburger brewery (Bitburg, Germany) 👍
I've long preferred Pilsner. Great to hear the history on this, placing it in its historical context. Thank you.
Extremely underrated channel! Hope to see more content in the future. Cheers from Germany
Thank you. Prost! 🍻
Being a northern German i like a good Pils very much. My favorite is Flensburger Pilsener or Störtebeker Pils or sometimes i like a Jever…
Since 1994, the Jever brewery has belonged to the Dortmund Brau-und-Brunnen Group, which since 2004 has been part of the Radeberger Group within the Oetker Group.
These huge companies make the beers more equal and i miss the individual styles of the former smaller breweries a lot.
I had the good fortune to have a Flensburger a few years ago here in the US. It was indeed a very fine beer and if I lived there I would not be at all disappointed to drink it regularly.
@@johndillon8051 Prost!
And Flensburg is also known for its trading of fine rum…
As a German I just buy Pilsner Urquell. It’s available everywhere.
Probably my favorite beer! Its a treat if you can find it on tap somewhere. Always have some Pilsner Urquell in the fridge.
Damn. Alright. This video made me get up and a get a Pilsner on a Saturday morning
Can’t believe I found such a fantastic new channel. Less than 350 subscribers. I’m stunned. This channel is gonna blow up fast. Incredible content. I’m just starting to brew my own. Thanks for all the effort you put in!
Thanks. Welcome aboard! 🍻
@@BevGeek when do we get more beer history??? I need more!
@@BevGeek the volume is good on this one
Beer can be traced back 5600 years. A bronzeage man is believed to have experimented with herbs in an open puddle of water. Left the place and forgot about it. Came back and found the place again, with the water having become tasty. Thats the scenario archeologists believe. Location somewhere in Hungary.
Hungry Hungarian people?
Hello, boy! As a.Moravian, I think beer is maybe older than anybody thinks... Of course that older beer had a very different taste from novadays beers for many reasons... Enjoy YOUR beer!
VB AKA Victoria Bitter, the Beer of choice for many working class Australians since circa 1854. A bit rough around the edges for some, but way more popular than Fosters. AKA tourist Beer.
I like it a lot.
🍺🍻
As an American being stationed in Germany for three consecutive terms, I have never found an American beer that is half as good as a good Pilsner German beer. I dislike every IPA I have ever tasted in America. But most Americans that have never traveled abroad are clueless when it comes to a good beer. Also German beers have a greater alcohol by volume compared to a watered down American Pilsner. And the Italian’s Peroni Nastro Azzurro pale lager, now owned by the Japanese company is my most favorite beer that is easily accessible in the US.
Well researched, thanks for methods used to try improving beer over the ages. Cheers 😊
You bet!
I was an American Ale and IPA-head for a long time (former home brewer as well). I've gone back to lagers and pilsners in particular like a lot of people apparently. One thing that was left out of the video was "decoction", (I believe Pilsner Urquell does a double decoction) because even though modern equipment negates the specific need for it, it still adds that extra malty flavor to balance the hops. Delicious!
As someone who recently started liking IPAs, as I've had more and more of them, I'm realizing us Americans are just sleeping on quality malt now. My favorite beers have always been and remain the "balanced" ones. I love a good malty beer, but I'll crave the sharpness of hops. I'll love the depth of flavor of the hops in an IPA, but find myself craving the smooth maltyness of other beers. Pilsners and pale ales are where I find that happy medium.
@@TheSpecialJ11 Amen brother! And most of the microbrews are now adding so many adjuncts to the mash or fermentation, it's kind of getting ridiculous. But the market always sorts itself, so we'll see. There's a beer for every occasion, that's for sure, I mean I'm almost 60 and I remember when all you could get was American and Canadian swill and mostly German imports, some of which weren't even imported, like Lowenbrau... It's a different (beer) world now.
For me as a Czech, IPA means isopropylalcohol.
@@Pidalin 😂 Good one sir. Considering that you guys consume more beer per capita than any other nation! Cheers!
@@keithbrown9198 I actually don't like beer that much, but when you are Czech, you can't deny beer, other people will force you to drink it. 😀
I first drank a Pilsner Urquell back in the 1980's. It was and is absolutely delicious.
Pilsner Urquell -- one of my favorite beers.
Compliments on your pronounciation! Our language is difficult for foregneirs, but you nailed České Budějovice perfectly
I drink bad beers and in one day I start to brew my own. Taste is so much better. I use Pilsner malt and my beer is like Belgian beers - rich in taste, balanced and sweet - naturally.
Greetings from Plzeň. Love your video mate!
Jever Pilsener is my favorite, greetings from northern germany :)
Great vlog! I do not drink. No Diet Coke either. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Norway! Here we have the same «Beer laws» as in Germany.
I love Helles & Pilsners and was getting bummed at all the hop forward IPA's that everyone was consistently making. I just came from a Brewfest and there were a few more Pilsners out there. Not enough, but some. 😀 I'd love to see more craft brewers try their hand at brewing a session beer.
I've found that craft brewers in the Midwest and Texas (areas with traditionally high levels of German imigrants) tend to do a better job of having more pilsners, helles lagers, bocks, and other lager beers on their tap list.
Just curious if the top ten selling beers are lagers why would you wine about craft ipa and other hoppy beers or should all beer be lager?????
The mass market for beer (i.e. the top ten brands) is heavily skewed toward flavorless, light lagers, while the craft market is heavily skewed toward heavily hopped beers. Some of the best beers I've had are between those two extremes, including domestic craft lagers (helles, pilsner) and lighter ales, and import macro beers (Pilsner Urquell from Plzen, Paulaner from Munich, etc.). I like good, hoppy beers, but throwing in some well-made lagers (i.e. not Bud, Miller, or Coors) into the mix is a good thing! 😀
Nice! Variety is the spice of life. Augustiner Lagerbier Hell is a very good example; a Dark Lager, Hefeweizen, ESB, Stout, etc. the list is endless. YMMV !!! IPA's have been done to death. Years ago I had the opportunity of visiting the Budweiser brewery & enjoying a glass right out of the fermentation tank, before it was canned, fantastic beer, 100x better than anything you buy in the store.
Man, this is well done. My buddies and I geeked at ~2010 with the craft beer craze, but a local German restaurant -- as well as our own forays in brewing -- helped us come full circle. I get seriously excited when I discover new and notable (non-adjunct) lagers and pilsners now 🍻
I was a homebrewer nerd in the early 90s and mocked the mainstream "American" styles at the time, not knowing all the details and history.
I saw this video in my list, so I watched it while drinking a Pilsner Urquell, purchased today.
I'm glad I have another one in the fridge! Lovely stuff on a hot summer night! Thanks for the cool video!
Bohemian immigrants came to Chicago a while ago and founded a neighborhood called Pilsen on the south side. Over the years, it was taken over by Mexican immigrants. It is now an iconic Mexican neighborhood with beloved and famous art murals throughout. I even lived there for a year. I guess it's the place to drink Modelo and Corona, Mexican pilsners.
I've heard of that neighborhood, but never been. If I recall, it's across the Chicago River from where the Union Stock Yards used to be. Immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe had a huge impact on the history of Chicago!