The Town of Plzeň aka Pilsen December 11, 2019

I recently watched an episode of Underground Marvels on Science Channel that profiled the city of Plzeň aka Pilsen. Plzeň is located in the area once known as Bohemia, later Czechoslovakia now known as the Czech Republic. If the name Pilsen rings a bell, it's because the popular beer style Pilsner Lager takes its name from the town of Plzeň where it was perfected. I want to take a quick look at the history of Plzeň and how its earliest citizens laid the foundation for the brewing of Pilsner beer drunk the world over.

The town of Plzeň was established in 1295 by King Wencelaus II of Bohemia. The city was built on the confluence of four rivers: the Uhlava, Uslava, Radbuza and Mze. Plzeň would directly benefit from its proximity to the capital city of Prague (96km/60miles) and its location on major trade routes. 

It wouldn't take long for the area to become populated. A populated area needs entertainment and refreshment. Here is where the beer comes in.

Like many European cities of the Medieval era, alcoholic beverages in Plzeň were initially produced by the local religious orders. Soon thereafter, private citizens would brew their own beers and utilized the growing network of underground caverns, cellars, wells and storage rooms to store and mature their barreled beer. Beer wasn't solely used for entertainment purposes. As with other European areas during the Medieval period, plague was a constant and many of the germs that caused the disease could be found in the drinking water. Beer was encouraged for consumption by everyone (children included) since the fermentation process killed the germs that caused plague.

Brewers guilds would be formed in Plzeň by the townsfolk in order to protect the interest of the town's trade in beer and create a lineage for the production of beer. By the mid 19th century, the city elders wanted to have a unified beer standard for the city. Up to that point, individual brewers made their own beers to their desired tastes and specifications. It is at this point where beer history was made.

Joseph Groll (8/21/1813-11/22/1887)

The city elders created a centralized brewery in Plzeň in 1839 and brought in Joseph Groll to become its first brewmaster. Hailing from Bavaria (today's Germany) Groll was able to take advantage of the low alkalinity of the local water which is filtered naturally through the sandstone that is native to the area, to create the first golden lager. Today as it was then, the recipe called for the water to be combined with two other ingredients: Barley and Hops (as established by the German Beer Purity Law of 1516 knows as the Reinheitsgebot.) The recipe was perfected in 1842 and the Pilsner Urquell was born.

The beer would be stored in the natural underground caverns, the carved out cellars and storerooms that were located underneath the city. To further take advantage of these cellars, a system for cooling the rooms was created by building channels in the floor that would allow the melted ice water (from the many blocks of ice that were used for refrigeration) to flow into the adjoining rooms and cooling the granite floors, keeping those caverns cold. The desired temperature for the maturation of the beer was between 5° and 7° Celsius (41° to 47° Fahrenheit.) 

The beer proved to be so popular throughout Europe, that the term “Pilsener Beer” would become a registered trademark in 1859. The beer would be exported throughout the world helping to spawn many imitators but the Pilsner Urquell brand is unique.

Now I've only had Pilsner Urquell in cans and bottles but to really appreciate the beer as the city elders, townsfolk of Plzeň and Joseph Groll intended, the beer should be enjoyed in one of three ways.

Add these to the list of beers that I need to try at a beer hall. Any recommendations on where to go in the NYC area? Hit me up.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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