REVIEW 143: PILSNER URQUELL

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Czech Republic

BREWERY:  Plzeňský Prazdroj

STYLE:  Pilsener

ABV:  4.4%

PURCHASE:  Case of 24 11.2-oz. bottles, $32.99

SERVING:  11.2-oz. bottle, poured into pint glass. Standard pour yielded a head of roughly an inch and a half. A slower one on Round 2 got less than an inch. A fast pour on Round 3 resulted in two full inches. Slightly above average retention.

APPEARANCE:  Transparent brass body with a very bright white head. Very faint bubbling. Lacing is minimal and in a broken pattern--when noticeable.

BOUQUET:  Soft malt notes, hints of noble hops, and a bit husky.

PALATE:  Classic pilsener, simple and relatively straightforward. Medium body that leans toward the light side of things. Carbonation is fairly quick to assert itself, but manageable. Starts grainy and husky, then segues into a mid- and back palate with slight uptick in noble hop bitterness. Finish sees a seeming touch of lemon rind enter the picture; I say "seeming" to acknowledge that this is likely a placebo effect in action. Aftertaste is somewhat sweet and sees a return to huskiness, but with an addition of what seems to be a very, very, slight spice note; this has to be the effect of Saaz hops. They're known for that. Stella has these same hops, but they work better here.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Introduced in 1842, this is commonly referred to as the "original pilsener" and the world's "first pale lager." I use quotes to allow for the possibility of historical inaccuracies. According to a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery undertaken by a group from the University of Economics, Prague, this is the beer that has inspired roughly two-thirds of all beers we drink today. 

It's significant in an historic way, no doubt. It was once one of the most prestigious brews in the world. And it's had a very, very, long run, akin to that of another famous Czech export:  Jaromir Jagr. He has now surpassed Mark Messier to become second to Wayne Gretzky in points for an NHL player. Jagr is 44 years old, and last year he led the Florida Panthers in scoring. And this year he is still producing better than most players half his age. But he's simply not the same player he was during his 1990s peak with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Like Pilsner Urquell, he's been surpassed by a new generation. There are pilseners out there comparable to Jagr in his prime; but this one is more like the Florida version.

Nonetheless, you can't help but savor what's still there.




GRADE:   B-