Pilsner (Czech pale lager)

In 1838 tavern keepers in Plzeň poured away 36 barrels of poor local beer, and the town's burghers built a new brewery. They hired a Bavarian brewer, Josef Groll, who knew the new cold-fermented lager method. He brewed the first batch on 5 October 1842 and it was presented on 11 November 1842: "the first truly pale beer ever seen in central Europe", in the words of the Oxford Companion to Beer. The pale colour came from the malt as much as the yeast: a kiln fired indirectly, probably with coke and possibly after English models, dried it without darkening it (malting).

Pilsner means "from Pilsen". The brewery registered "Pilsner Bier" as a trademark in 1859 and "Pilsner Urquell" (Plzeňský Prazdroj, "original source") in 1898. Pilsner reached the United States by 1874, and before the First World War the Plzeň brewery sued Bitburger over its "pilsner" label without winning outright.