Pilsner UrquellBy John & Dad on September 29, 2008 @ 7 PM (45 Comments) For this week’s Thursday Father and Son beer session we decided to try the Pilsner Urquell, which states right on the bottle that it is “The Original Pilsner.” This one is a favorite of Beer Love neighbor Jerry who sent over some great history on the beer. For starters it’s brewed in the town of Plzen over in the Czech Republic. We’ll give you three guesses what they invented there. Because of it’s water source, Pilsner Urquell has been used throughout Europe by many people to help dissolve kidney stones and gall stones. The water source comes from the nearby city of Marianske Lazne (visit their official web site), which is a spa town where people go to drink the local spring water for it’s health benefits. Not just the plebians of the town, but world dignitaries, royalty from many countries and other famous people as well. The visits are actually doctor prescribed in many instances. The spa is actually the town’s main industry. Now for the beer – they say one Pilsner Urquell a day will do it to realize the health benefits. Note the “one” qualification there – everything in moderation here people. No other beer has this claim because of the water source. Now on to the review. For our test we used, naturally, a pilsner glass. We got an initial beer temperature of 44.2 F and our 12 oz bottle sports a 4.4% ABV. Our initial pour gave us an average 1 1/4″ fizzy white head that left virtually no head lacing as it dissipated quickly. It’s got a medium carbonation and the body is a clear sparkling yellow/golden color. It looks like a textbook pilsner. For the aromas we picked up a light biscuit (almost a sweet biscuit smell), citrus, grass, bread dough and some ginger. It’s quite a clean smell – very refreshing and crisp. Unfortunately the smell is the most intriguing part of the beer. On the taste side we were able to note the light biscuit, grass and some light lemon. Not much complexity here – you pick up some hops and it’s kind of like a Heineken on the finish – somewhat skunky and also slightly metallic. This results in a strange disconnect from the aromas to the flavor. The malts thin out significantly and the hop bitters edge on in. The finish is very sharp. For our initial flavor notes we get a light sweet and a very light bitter. The finish notes evolve to a light acidic and moderate bitter. The finish is average in length and it’s not a coating finish – one sip of water cleans it right out of your palate. The mouthfeel is watery and the tongue hit is right in the middle of your tongue. There’s no body lacing to speak of and on our malt to hop scale it comes in about a click and a half to the right of balanced on the hoppy side. For our bottom line notes we get a yes to drinkable, yes to repeatable and yes to balance. This means a no to harmony, memorable, wow factor and unfortunately a no to buy again. It’s a textbook session beer at 4.4% ABV and we feel like it should be done pretty cold to dull the taste out a bit. Maybe a thick walled cold, not frozen glass. It could be a good intro to a slightly hopped beer without a strong malt backbone for a craft beer newbie. We want to like it more because of the smell, but ultimately we’re just not big fans. 
« Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
The Great 2008 Beer Ratings Adjustment » | 
Sorry but i have to give it at least 8 out of 10, possibly the best pilsner i ever tasted
:D, “…citrus, grass, bread dough and some ginger….”.
I’m really sorry, but you haven’t got a clue :).
This is the best review on Pilsner urquell I’ve ever seen. Absolutely amazing :). I’m sorry, but I cannot stop laughing.
An average score by experts (not yanks) for this beer is 4,8 (out of 5).
You are not even commenting on where was your sample bottled, and when. (If you were unfortunate enough to have a SA bottle, I would perhaps understand something like 7-8/10, as they messed it up quite badly….., but 3/10:D).
If you comment was not a joke. (definitively made me laugh), you should consider to drink Budweiser (not the original,…you would not understand it :), try you american BUD….that taste like a horse piss, …and would score lot better on your page :D)
Regards Martin
Martin, Martin… Appreciate the feedback, I really do. It’s no joke though. We could really give a crap what the experts think – this is about what WE think. We don’t claim to be experts in anything other than what WE like.
And we’re not rating these things for “best in style.” I know Pilsner Urquell would beat the pants of Bud, Miller, Coors and just about any of the mass market stuff and that’s great – we’re just not into mass market stuff and I think we’ve moved on past pilsners. You’re right though, for the pilsner category – I’ve not had much better. But I want some meat to my beer, if you know what I’m saying. 3 out of 10 is how much we enjoyed it relative to what we like.
Pilsner Urquell is serviceable to us – would be a good session beer for most of our friends and to people who only drink light lagers (which are most of our friends), but it doesn’t stand out amongst all the other beers and beer styles in the world for us. Hell – I bought a 6 pack and wound up giving some of them away to friends. We prefer our sessions to have more malt, more bold flavors and more lagniappe (I’m from Louisiana – look that one up). Thanks for posting what you think though – we love for people to share their real feelings and we take all the input seriously. But as for this one, I say to each his own – there’s a beer out there for all of us!
I found a recipe for ribs that called for Pilsner Urquell. I was wondering what your thoughts were about using this beer in a fruity BBQ recipe. Lastly, would you tell me where to buy it? Thanks!
Dear Aimathena,to borrow a phrase ” there is no fruit in BBQ” which is why it is in a food group all its own. The real groups are food, beer and BBQ. Seriously I think it could give a nice hop kick to a sauce but I wouldn’t cook the sauce to long after putting in the beer. Any decent liquor store should have it. It should be with the imports. I will plug Red Stripe as an excellent beer to serve with any Q. Good luck.
First off, Martin, congratulations on being a snobby, probably Eurotrash, elitist ASSHOLE! John I’m just saying what you were thinking. Way to go on keeping your cool while squaring him away. I’ve never had Pilsner Urquell and just heard about it today. I’d love to try it soon, though. Sorry about the profanity but if there is one thing I can’t stand is wine and beer snobs who don’t know how to decide what they like with their own tongue. Taste is just what it means. Everyone has different taste in everything especially when it comes to adult beverages. Some people like the commercial stuff because they’ve never had good beer and some people like other beer because some douche bag told them to. Martin, you’re a pussy. Regards, Erik
Interesting, well-written review, and to each his own. Live and let live.
But still, LOL. This is the only serious review I’ve ever seen of P-U that doesn’t give it very high marks; most say it’s the best pilsner in the world, with several saying it’s the best BEER in the world, which I agree with and Guinness being the only real competition. And please everybody save it about you local brewery’s whatever-whatever being the “best in he world”.
I mean, like WOW, man. Maybe you just caught a bottle or keg that got left out in the sun by accident?
Nice site. Enjoy your reviews. I must say disagree with your take a little, but that is only my tatse. I think for this category of beer – mass produced, inexpensive, light lager, this is quite decent. Definitely not great, but very enjoyable. WIthout a doubt you are correct that there are many Pilseners that are better, but I would give PU an easy 6.5/10. However, it is a subjective rating. Thank you again. I enjoy PU, buy often and really enjoy. Good, steady beer, if not grand. Thanks again man.
I agree with the Doctor! Skunky & metallic on the finish – I thought I had a Heineken. I’ll let the ‘experts’ drink it.
you suck!
3 out of 10 ???? Are you kidding me, Pilsner Urquell is one of the best and purest beers that exist.
Comparing it to Heineken which is one of the worst-made and worst-tasting massproduction beers in the world is totally crazy! You clearly have no idea what beer is all about!!
3 out of 10. You gotta be kidding!
This is either a rubbish review or you got a bottle from a bad batch.
Tivole (That’s czech for bullshit) I have to side with Stevie on this one!!
Pilsner Urquell is definitely the best overall beer i have tasted. I have lived in many countries and currenly reside in the Czech republic. Hands down, best beer country in the world. These guys drink beer to assist in exercise like americans drink Gatorade. I biked from Prague to Vienna – they do pitstops where they hydrate with tapped Pilsner U. They simply know their stuff when it comes to beer. This pilsner is creamy, tasty and delicious. I am actually drinking one right now from a 0.5L bottle, 4.4% alcohol and there is an expiry date. Maybe the one you drank was past due. The locals know this beer has a 12% gravity rating that gives it the delicious flavor it has. Gents, I’m sorry, but to give a 3/10 means one of two things – you dont know your beer, or you didnt do your homework. I personally found i had to have a few bottles before i became addicted to the taste. Having lived in Canada, I tried this beer from the local beer store, didnt taste the same . . .I leave you with one last thought. Having tried hundreds of different beers, full bodied and memorable as can be, I can tell you if I had only one to pick for the rest of my life, the choice would be easy. Pilsner Urquell.
First time for everything! I’ve never commented online for ANYTHING…but you’re messing with my baby! My blood pressure is up and my heart is racing and it’s not from my Pilsner Urquell intake. I can see why Martin was so angry, but I will try to comment in a more adult way. (Nice mouth, Erik.) I LOVE beer! It’s what I drink with dinner and for pleasure. Always have. Am I the only female commenting? I love Pilsner Urquell! I’m a patriot to the core and I love America, but I didn’t know what beer was until I spent the last year in the Czech Republic. The Pilsen Brewery was minutes from my home. I visited several times and witnessed one of the classiest…yet humble operations in my life. Hard working people, and a beautiful historic old factory, impeccably maintained, without a hint of pretense. No snobbery! (Don’t let the neighboring spa town mar your review for a great beer from an honest, hardworking beer town.) I tasted THE ORIGINAL PILSNER, unpasteurized, right from the old wooden barrels in the cellar…and I’m hooked. You don’t have to love it, but be RESPECTFUL! A 3 out of 10 rating is just rude, when reviewing the original Pilsner; the Pilsner others still imitate. You say that you are not an expert and that you are only posting your personal preference. Next time, consider doing the research or leave the review for a gem like Pilsner Urquell to those who’ve done it and deserve the honor. (So, again to Erik, so tough on Martin. Lose the attitude toward Martin and Elitist Eurotrash as you so eloquently put it. He was defending his BEER!)
I’ve been drinking this stuff for more years than I care to remember. It’s been great, the best beer ever, one of the few Good Things of Life. I considered Pilsner Urquell to be truly the Champaign of Bottled Beer. However, over the last year (or two), the taste has changed. First, to point that it tasted like just another good but not really great beer. Just another OK craft beer, as opposed to the cat piss the big brewers churn out. The last 4-pack I bought was actually at bit nasty. What happened?
Bad Bob
I am curious, I have been drinking Pilsner Urquell for 30 years, started the enjoyment in Germany. I just got a batch that tastes like it does not have any alcohol in it. Perhaps the yeast is missing. The number on the bottle is 7231113001. The taste is raw. My husband had two and mentioned there was no effect. He checked the official web site for the company and could not see an area, where the quality control feedback can be found. Has anyone else experienced this?
Pilsner Urquell is my favorite pilsner beer. It is inconcievable to me that you could rate this beer so lowly. I must question your character!
Hi John – Try a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA next to your Pilsner Urquell and you’ll see why our rating is a bit on the low side. We rate all our beers against each other, not by style. Let’s just say we’ve moved on past Pilsners.
Almost went for a 6 of Bells from hometown Kalamazoo tonight but decided to try this after a hard days work.
Being a EU import and $2 less than a 6 of Bells which is made just 30 miles away in Kalamazoo, I really wasn’t expecting much.
Wow, this stuff is wonderful! I had to look it up and ended up here.
I’ve had a few Pilsners but this this is much better. Better balanced and it’s subtle carbonation is so nice. Not real hoppy nor malty to my buds. Possibly it’s lack of “wow factor” as the reviewer mentioned is it’s wow factor. It’s very drinkable. It’s simple and good.
The reviewer stated it’s kind of like a Heineken on the finish. I do not care for Heineken at all especially on the finish. Possibly a quality control problem at the brewery and he got a bad batch, less than fresh or the reviewer didn’t wash his glass from the last review and let it sit in the sun before pouring this wonderful stuff in it.
I will be buying this again!
Dude, I like people who love beer. But I don’t understand, how can you love beer while rating Pilsner Urquell 3/10. I mean, I don’t know where your love is. It’s probably better to say you don’t like pilsner in general.
Honzous – excellent point. Here you go – we’re really not fans of pilsners, in general. We will be re-rating the Pilsner Urquell soon though to see if we’ve changed our minds.
“I say to each his own – there’s a beer out there for all of us!”
____________________________________
Yes, and Pilsner urquell is the one for me!
Champaign of Bottled Beer
well said, drink up!
While I think the “3″ is a bit harsh, I am quite surprised at the rave reviews in the comment section. It is one step up from Bud, Miller, et al. Easy to drink with some taste but it is on the duller side compared to most microbrews.
looking at a six pack of cans. eew. doesnt aluminum ruinbeer and also lead to altzheimers?
Nice site, I disagree with the rating on PU BUT ….as you say each to their own :)
Being Irish I cannot abide Guinness …figure that one out rofl.
Keep the reviews coming ….and if possible list the store you may of gotten the beer at …Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC, Albertsons, etc.
Thank you,
Fred
Thanks Fred – good idea on listing the store we get the beer at – we’ll start including that in our notes.
Jenelle – cans are the new thing in beer and a lot of companies are moving towards them. We were surprised too when we found out that Guinness tasted better out of a can. Can’t remember if it leads to Alzheimers though, so….
I just bought a 12 pack of PU last week and I am thoroughly enjoying it. For me it is an 8 out of 10.
This is a nice change of pace because I have been drinking a lot of pale ales over past few months.
you dont know s**t about beer my friend!
Manny, cheers!
‘A no to buy again’?!
That is most absurd thing I have ever heard!
You have gotten a severely mishandled batch.
You owe it to yourself~ & your readers~ to try it again.
It is a very mellow & soft beer, yet it stands as one the great beers.
I worked for several years in a professional panel of sensory experts (in Belgium). I am just stating this so that you know that I have some backround. Whatever you think of Pilsner Urquell, it is one of the de facto “golden standards” in the world of lager beer brewers (at least in Europe)
The Romans already said: “de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum” (“There’s no arguing about tastes and colors.”). This review (with the resulting 3/10) is however nonsense. John is stating himself that they are not rating “best in style”. It just makes no sense to e.g. compare a lager style beer to a triple style beer and then say, I am giving the lager 3/10 and the triple 8/10.
I live know for 1 year in San Diego. There is the obious fact the the average American beer drinker/lover likes totally different beer styles compared to the European beer drinker. Americans tend to like unbalanced beers (I not talking about But, Miller, …) with one or two pronounced tastes in the beer. Personally, If I drink a beer, I and can immediately say: “This is heavy hop”, “this is candy sugar”, “this is heavy spiced”, “this is heavy citrus”…, then I think it is not a good beer.
Have to end this comment. I think Pilsener Urquell is a 9/10 (only 9/10 because the metallic aftertaste, but it is a very minor issue in this beer)
John and Dad: keep up the good work! I agree with most of your review on this beer, but I totally disagree with the 3/10 and the “not rating within style”
Kind regards,
Filip
HI Filip – We get beat up pretty badly for our PIlsner Urquell rating, we get that. Thank you for the civilized comment, we really respect and appreciate that. It’s not the norm.
That said, where we’ve coming from in rating it against all beers we’ve done and not just lagers or even pilsners, is “our site, our rules.” The site was started and is still intended for dad and I to have a reference of how much we personally like the beers we try. Not trying to be mainsteam, just trying to do our thing. If you want mainstream hit BeerAdvocate and RateBeer. And we’re definitely not saying all the experts are wrong, we’re just saying what’s right for us two beer drinking guys who happen to like porters and stouts more than lagers. To that end our 3 out of 10 may be low, but it does fit our definition of 3 out of 10:
———-
3 out of 10: Not too bad.
More points of interest and better balance. Could drink it again or not. Could take several and pretend to like if given to you.
———-
We’re not saying we wouldn’t drink a Pilsner Urquell if it was given to us, it just ain’t coming home in our shopping cart if we’re writing the check (not that anyone writes checks anymore). We’ve tried it once more since the review was posted as we started to doubt ourselves a bit from all the comments, but we still feel it reflects how much we like it.
All that said, I think it’s great that our reviews can encourage people to passionately defend their beers – craft beer drinkers should be passionate and you are my friend.
Cheers to that,
-John and Dad (The BeerFathers)
My buddy Karel, a Czech, introduced me to Pilsner Urquell a couple of decades ago. First, if you ever have it on tap it is much tastier and creamier like most tap beers are. It also seemed to contain more alcohol. While I have yet to visit the Czech Republic, I have had the Pilsner Urquell in England and it was a different beer. I’ve noticed this with other beers. Budvar/Czechvar was better in England. I used to have a house in the Bahamas. Down there Becks came in a clear bottle, had not the least bit of skunkiness, and while it wasn’t on the label, there was no doubt that the alcohol content was higher. You could taste it and feel it. I’ve had Grolcsh in Amsterdam, and it wasn’t as grapey as it is here and it too seemed stronger. Anyway, I think Pilsner Urquell is made here now, yes? There goes the benefits from the water.
I`d like to be able to say “to each their own” but I feel like you walked into my house ate my dinner and pissed on my dog….. then called my wife fat!
3/10 for pilsner urquell! really?? man I first tried this on draught in a bar in wimbledon two years ago and it was amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing. You guys are wrong hahaha
I was in the Czech Republic 2 years ago and had the opportunity to tour Pilsner Urquell Brewery. I had a few Pilsner beers and to this day, it is the best beer I have ever drank. Its the type of beer that goes down like water and the lingering taste is something you never forget. Good, Good Beer…..
Variable. When I first drank this beer it was excellent! Early 00′s Then the quality took a massive nosedive (U.K.) and tasted like the one reviewed here but worse, dirty, metallic with stagnant pond notes to boot.. I tried a few times (could have been a dodgy batch) and was put off (all well within bbf date btw) Chilling didn’t help.
Last bottle I tried (recently – it was free!) was pretty decent though, and had the nice clean gently fruity/hoppy character I remembered… However it is on a deal down the road but am still wary as I may get eight lemons!
May stick to wine today?
if you rate Pilsner Urquell under a 8 out of 10 than you must have a down syndrome no excuses
Jay – you’re a fucking idiot.
Cheers,
The BeerFathers
Bro, im very very very disappointed by your rating… One think is that im czech and our beer is what im really proud of
When Ive had Pilsner Urquell for first time, I quite didnt like it. I dont know if its because you have to drink more of it to find the taste, or because I was too young for this beer (like 16,17), or pipes were not in good condition, but then i started to go to one pub in Prague and everything changed. Since then this is beer number one for me, 10/10. One think is, that beer on tap tastes different than in bottles and Ive had most of this on tap, other thing is that some pubs can really f**k up their beer because of their pipe maintenance, way of poring or whatever. Was your PU brewed in Czech rep. or in USA ? That might make also big difference.
Now Im already 10 months in New Zealand and im sooooo much looking forward when i come back to CZ, sit in pub and have PU on tap. Here its really hard to get it, ive had it like 4 times and im starving for good beer. I can drink here Waikato, Steinlager, mostly im drinking here Heineken or Stella, but its just best option for me here and not really enjoying drinking it as I was enjoying Pilsner Urquell or some other Czech beers.
Seriously, you have to give it second chance, try to get one brewed in CZ, because this is the beer… and its taste is really something special, at least for me
Mark
Your website your rules. Who would really care then what you think…except you. That buzz word is coming to mind “narcissistic”. That really says it all. Your not including any one else in your purpose for reviewing. And Dogfish 120 IPA. Who can’t spill the salt shaker and ruin any good dish. But maybe you love salt? I would suggest you drink a 120 and then the PU. Maybe that was the dumb order you did this review on the PU. Not the best pilsner there is but a good example of one. We’ll it really used to be fine, until the Japannese bought it from the dumb Czechs that sold it. But hey… each his own biscuit.
Phillip – your comment was quite rambly and you really worked both sides of the fence – in it you said it’s our site and we can do what we want, but that we’re narcissists because don’t allow any one else to review with us. It also seems you really like Pilsner Urquell and think we rated it unfairly and then you say the beer used to be good but it’s not anymore. Really – not sure what side you’re on with any of this.
The stated purpose of our web site is plain and simple – dad and I do a review together. We allow anyone to come in and comment, as you did, and share their reviews, speak their mind, or offer whatever feedback/suggestions they might have.
For your oddly requested Dogfish Head 120 Minute interjection – I don’t know where to start – we’ve reviewed it and love it:
http://www.thebeerfathers.com/dogfish-head-120-minute-ipa/
Comparing it to Pilsner Urquell is not a level comparison, but it gets to the heart of our reviews – we rank beers against each other, not against style. Unfair? Our site our rules. And we happen to have a taste more for flavorful beers like stouts and IPAs than pilsners and our ratings will probably always reflect that. If you want to get thousands of people to validate PIlsner Urquell for you hit BeerAdvocate or RateBeer.
Cheers mate,
-John
I have to say Pilsner Urquell is one of my “go-to” pilsners along with some others like Bitburger Pils. In my opinion it is reliably crisp, flavorful with the right bite, just about right.