Pilsner Urquell – Guided tour of the brewery

Plzen and Beer!!! Since 1842, the world-famous Pilsner Urquell has been brewed in Plzen. We set out on a quest for discovery during a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery.

During our visit to the historic underground of Plzen, we had already learned a bit about the city and its beer.

Plzen gets a good beer It is hard to believe, but there was a time when Plzen had the worst beer in the region. At the beginning of the 19th century, the city’s citizens with brewing rights decided that this had to change. They wanted to build a new brewery and brew a modern, bottom-fermented beer there. However, the people of Plzen didn’t really have the expertise, so in 1842, the Bavarian Josef Groll was appointed as the first brewmaster of the “Bürgerliches Brauhaus” (Citizens’ Brewery).

Groll was quite successful. Shortly after his arrival in Plzen, the first golden Plzner beer was available. He brewed Pilsner Urquell, which has been registered as a trademark since 1859. The beer was a revolution among beers in its time. Refreshing, spicy-tart and with a beautiful color, it enchanted the people in Plzen.

Only a little later, the first barrels of beer reached Prague. In the pub U Pinkasů (still exists today) it was served and enthusiastically received.

In 1873, the first barrels were shipped to the United States. A really risky venture. The beer could not be transported in refrigerated tanks, as is customary today. These did not yet exist. And so the barrels went on the road with the hope of not arriving with spoiled beer. It was a success.

The production volume grew and grew. In 1913/14, they brewed 1 million hectoliters a year for the first time.

In 1996, the Pilsner Urquell Brewery already exported the beer to 50 countries, and here, too, demand increases year after year. And of course it is not only sold in barrels, but also in the typical green bottles.

After several changes of ownership, Pilsner Urquell has belonged to the Japanese brewery group Asahi Beer since December 2016.

Pilsner Urquell brewery tour

We enter the grounds of the Pilsner Urquell brewery through the large, impressive entrance gate. Beyond it stretches a vast open area that is freely accessible. This is also where the brewery’s modern visitor center is located, which serves as the starting point for the many guided tours.

We didn’t have to wait long before our tour in German began. Several tours in different languages (German, English, Czech) are offered here daily. These are often well-booked, so it is recommended to reserve tickets online in advance. Very important: be on time! The tours are tightly scheduled and start promptly.

While you wait, you can look around the large visitor centre and, of course, watch a promotional film of the brewery. I found the motorbike and the replica of a house much more exciting.

The actual tour begins on the upper floor of the visitor center. There is plenty of historical information to listen to before heading out together onto the brewery grounds. At a large factory gate, where an old horse-drawn carriage and a railway wagon are stationed, you learn more about the water tower located on the site.

The Beer Bottling Plant

During the brewery tour, a shuttle bus took us to the bottling facility. In the entrance hall of the bottling plant, a large map is used to explain how the facility works.

And that’s just as well, because as soon as I enter the visitors’ gallery, I can hardly understand a word. Even though only one of the bottling lines was running and we were standing behind a nearly sealed glass pane, there was an incredible clattering noise. The bottles are transported on long conveyor belts where they are sorted, washed, filled, capped, and packed. I hardly know where to look first; so much is happening all at once.

Hier ist die Fortsetzung deiner Übersetzung:

In addition to the bottle filling station, there is also an area where cans are filled. This was just as exciting to watch. Here, the filled cans rushed across the conveyor belts at an incredible speed.

I found it very interesting that it’s not only Pilsner Urquell that is bottled or canned in this facility. For example, Kozel, Gambrinus, and Birell are also bottled here.

The Brewing Process

Next, we head to the old brewhouse. We ride several floors up in the largest passenger elevator in the Czech Republic and enter a panoramic cinema. During a film screening, the production of Pilsner Urquell beer is explained.

n 1842, while brewing the first Pilsner Urquell, Josef Groll used a method that has since become the standard in the world of brewing. The beer needed – and still needs – 35 days until the entire production and maturation process is complete.

This process is illustrated during the subsequent tour through a multimedia exhibition within the brewery. At the beginning, you learn about the ingredients and the production process.

Typical of Pilsner Urquell is the use of Saarz hops. Groll already used only this type of hop, which comes from the small town of Žatec. The fields are not far from Plzen, so they brew with regional products. The hops are known for not tasting so bitter and having only a low acid content. Groll chose exactly these hops because he was convinced of the wort. He thus created a beer that tastes unmistakable: not too bitter with a light caramel note, tangy and refreshing.

During the brewing process, the hops are added three times (triple-hopped). The brewing of the Pilsner beer takes one day. Following that, the beer is fermented for 10 days. After a 24-day maturation period, it can be bottled and sold.

To ensure this doesn’t remain just dry theory, things get a bit more hands-on in the following rooms. The ingredients are presented, and the brewing process is clearly illustrated. You can see brewhouses from three different centuries. They are particularly proud to be able to show the original 1842 brew kettle, in which the very first batch of beer was produced. Brewery employees made it possible for this kettle to survive two World Wars unscathed.

Path through the brewing process

Afterwards, we headed deep beneath the brewery buildings. We walked through the historic brewery cellars. Here, you learn about the storage process, visit an ice cellar, and finally enter a room filled with massive wooden barrels.

Now begins the part of the tour that everyone has actually been waiting for: a freshly tapped beer! Each participant takes a glass from a pallet, and then you have to be quick. A staff member opens a tap, and the beer begins to flow. Hand over your glass, walk around the staff member, take your full glass, and whatever you do, don’t break the chain. Not a single drop should hit the floor, and the tap should remain open if at all possible.

Holding our freshly tapped, unfiltered, and unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell, we stood around a table in one of the neighboring cellars. By now, it has become quite chilly, and there isn’t much time to enjoy the beer in peace. You can already hear the next group approaching. What a delicious flavor flowing down our throats! For me, this freshly tapped beer definitely tastes much better than the bottled version. After so much “beer history,” it was exactly the right way to conclude the tour.

On the way back through some cellar corridors, we learned a lot about barrels, barrel production and barrel cleaning.

We made our way back to the brewery grounds through the souvenir shop. By the way, the souvenir shop can be visited even without taking a tour. In addition to beer, there are numerous other products featuring the brewery’s logo available for purchase.

A Beer to Finish

After visiting the Pilsner brewery (or even before), it’s a great idea to have a beer or two and a bite to eat at the Na Spilce restaurant.

The restaurant is located right on the brewery grounds. With its large dining rooms, there is plenty of space for many visitors. The service is fast and friendly, the beer flows in abundance, and the food is exactly what you would expect from a brewery tavern.

After our final beer, we left the grounds through the Jubilee Gate. The brewery erected it in honor of Josef Groll, exactly 50 years after the creation of Pilsner Urquell.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. It was very informative, our guide was easy to understand, and she made a real effort to answer any additional questions.

Visitor Informations

Address

U Prazdroje 7,
301 00 Plzeň 3,

Website

Book your tour

Disclosure: The brewery visit was part of a research trip to Pilsen.