Pilsner Urqell

I don't often drink beers brewed outsiede of New Zealand these days, but there are a few classics that I go back to every once in a while. This is one of them, and takes me back to my backpacking days, to a hostel in Prague where this was on tap (and extremely cheap). 

This beer is hailed as the original lager, and there's perhaps a bit of a debate about whether a German or a Czech invented the style; but there's no doubt in my mind that the Czechs do Pilsners best. This beer is super hoppy, but in a completely different way to an NZ hoppy beer. Packed with the "old world" Saaz hop, this beer packs a huge bitterness that compliments it's complex but light maltiness, and results in a beautifully clean beer that's somehow easy drinking and light but packed with flavour. Much more bitter than just about any other classic imported European Lager you'll find on the shelf, this beer has had a huge influence on modern beer (for example, the name Pilsner).  

So let's do a made up trip into 1842 when it was invented, and some brewer must have loved the smell and taste of these Saaz hops in Czech. Loved them so much, indeed that he thought about brewing something with a ridiculous (by 1842 standards) amount of them to try and make a beer that had more bitterness and aroma than any other. A good strong malt backbone, and this is what they came out with. Fast forward 160 odd years and we're more or less still having the same spark of genious. 

pilsnerurquell.com

ABV: 4.4%

Brewery: Pilsner Urquell

Region: Plzen, Czech

Style: Pilsner ("the Pilsner")

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