Beer · Maker · Short entry

Burghers' Brewery, Plzeň (Pilsner Urquell)

Měšťanský pivovar

The brewery founded by the burghers of Plzeň where Josef Groll brewed the first pale lager of the pilsner type in 1842. It trades today as Plzeňský Prazdroj.

Location: Plzeň (Pilsen), Bohemia, Czech Republic

Status

Founding year not yet sourced from an opened document (1839 is widely given; see report). Owned by SABMiller from 2005 per the Oxford Companion; later ownership not covered in D1.

History

Beer in Plzeň had been brewed in turn by burghers who held brewing rights. In 1838 dissatisfied tavern keepers poured 36 barrels of local beer away, and the burghers financed a new common brewery. Its Bavarian brewer, Josef Groll, brewed the first batch on 5 October 1842, according to the brewery; the beer was presented at the Martinmas fair on 11 November 1842. The brewery registered "Pilsner Bier" as a trademark in 1859 and "Pilsner Urquell" in 1898.

Until the 1990s the beer fermented in open oak vessels and lagered for about 70 days in pitch-lined wooden casks; since then fermentation and lagering have moved to stainless steel.

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