The Most Influential Beer Ever
This is purportedly Josef Groll’s original kettle.
We have a new episode of One Iconic Beer dialed up for you, and this is a biggie. Let’s start with Evan Rail, one of our two guests, who said of the subject, “I just can't think of another brewery that has been this important in in changing the way people drink, in influencing culture around the world.” Yep, it’s Pilsner Urquell, and you’d have a hard time making a serious argument Evan’s wrong. Today pilsner or one of its wan descendants is drunk in every country in the world—or at least those that let you drink any beer. Over the past 180-odd years, many styles have gone and come, but none has deposed pilsner from its perch atop the totem pole. And throughout all that time, the original brewery has stood where it was founded, as empires have risen and fallen around it.
Because it’s such a famous beer, you’ve probably heard some of the history. In this episode, you’ll hear more. Evan has lived in Czechia for the whole of this century, and no one writing in English knows more about the brewery than he does. We also have Kamil Ruzek along for a look inside the brewery. He’s been there nearly as long as Evan’s been in Prague, and gives us all the details about the old brewery and how it works.
If you need further inducement, I asked the two about the subject that most interests American brewers: why Czechs like diacetyl. Americans love Czech lagers these days, and a good number even like decoction mashing. They like LUKR faucets and the rich, creamy heads they create. They love the sturdy, faceted Tubinger mugs Czechs favor. They love everything about a traditional pilsner-style beer except, arguably, the one thing that makes them so distinctive in the lagerlands from which they hail. Evan and Kamil don’t dodge the question, either, so do listen and see how persuasive you find their comments.
I’ll leave you with a picture I took back in 2014, and given the slow pace of change at the brewery, I suspect it looks just the same today. (That bulbous tower to the right is the water tower Kamil describes at the end.)