Whether
you realize
it or not, the first beer you ever tasted — sipped surreptitiously from the
dregs of dad’s poker game, downed on a dare during a high school party, or
quaffed in the first years of college — was almost certainly a Pilsner. Just
about every brand of beer you could possibly have imbibed — everything from
American standards like Budweiser, Coors, and Miller, to imports from Canada
(Labatt’s, Molson), Mexico (Dos Equis, Bohemia), and Europe (Heineken) — is
based on the Pilsner. Although we drink it every day (well, some of us only on
weekends, perhaps), very few people know what a Pilsner really is, let alone
its history and how it came to dominate the world beer market.
Where There’s a Pils…
The original Pilsner is named after a lager style of beer (that is,bottom-fermented, as opposed to top-fermented ales) developed in 1842 in the
village of Pilsn, Bohemia. Now part of the Czech Republic, Bohemia was a
German-speaking province of the Austrian Empire when the Pilsner was introduced
to the world. Pilsn had been a brewing center since 1295, and, as in many of
the German cities, the bottom-fermenting technique used to make lager-style
beers had been known there for years before the creation of the beer that takes
the town’s name. But in the mid-1800s, brewers at the brewery now known as
Pilsner Urquell combined technological advances in bottom fermentation with
Bohemia’s unique Saaz style of hops, a special type of malt from the
neighboring province of Moravia, and the brewery’s incredibly soft water to
produce the world’s first golden lager.
The refreshing golden beer was also clear. And, as Bohemia happened to be a
leading producer of the glassware that was replacing ceramic and metal
tankards, the sparkling Pilsner quickly spread throughout Germany and the rest
of Europe. The popularization of the Pilsner was also aided by another aspect
of the industrial revolution. Previously, lagers had been confined to the
mountainous Bohemian and Bavarian brewing regions, where it was possible to
store the beer in deep caves to ensure the cold temperatures they require for
fermentation and maturation. The advent of refrigeration introduced beer, in
the form of the Pilsner, to many countries of the world, as well as
popularizing it in the established brewing cities, particularly those of
Germany.
The 1840s also saw a wave of German and Czech emigration to the United States,
and much of this country’s brewing know-how (and tastes) can be traced to these
regions. But then Prohibition wiped out over half of America’s breweries; it
wasn’t until the advent of World War II that brewers began to take advantage of
industrial techniques and cheaper materials (like corn and rice), and American
beermaking hit its stride.
Of course, the need to appeal to the broadest possible palate enticed the big
brewers to dilute the Pilsner, removing the vast majority of the beer’s flavor,
and all beers were lightened somewhat for the ladies. The corruption of the
original recipe has continued unabated since the end of WWII, with the myriad
brands of “light” and “dry” beers watering it down even more. And that’s where
we are today. But the Pilsner wouldn’t have been so widely copied in the first
place if there weren’t more to it than the bland fizz of an All-American Bud,
and indeed the taste of a genuine Pilsner is a far cry from its overseas
cousins.
Take a Pils
The unique characteristics of the original brewing methods in Pilsn, Bohemia— the Saaz hops, the Moravian malt, and the especially soft water — combine
to produce a brew that is much more than simply a golden lager. A true Pilsner
should have a strong accent of hops mellowed by malt, giving it a dry finish
and a flowery aroma, and it should be clean, crisp, and sparkling in
appearance. So distinctive is the beer that many beer purists regard “Pilsner”
as an appellation of origin, similar to the system used with wines, and believe
it should never refer to a brew made outside of Pilsn. Some European countries
agree, and the name is altered to “Pilsener” or set off with hyphens (as in
Germany’s “Bitburger-Pils”) when produced elsewhere. Almost all Czech breweries
include in their product lines a golden Pilsner-style beer, but label it with
their own name.
Despite these unique attributes, there are readily available brews the world
over which do a better job than Bud or Coors of interpreting the style of a
Pilsner. According to Michael Jackson, the author of Beer Companion and
a noted expert on beers around the world, Belgium exports an excellent Pilsner
under the name Stell Artois. Originally from the Netherlands, Heineken and
Grolsch have an international following. Mexico’s Bohemia is a German-style
Pilsner while Dos Equis Special Lager is classified as a European-style.
Japanese brewers produce light Pilsners and export them under the names Kirin
and Sapporo. Bitburger was one of the first German breweries to adapt the
Pilsner style and still produces a Pilsner available in the U.S. New Zealand’s
Steinlager is also widely available.
“Real” Pilsners are still being produced by small breweries and brewpubs in
Bohemia using the original ingredients. In fact, the brewery that started it
all in 1842, Pilsner Urquell, is still operating at the same site in Bohemia,
and thanks to the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989 which introduced capitalism to
the region (and made Bohemia part of the Czech Republic), the brand is now
widely available in America. (Urquell was added to the name in 1898 to protect
the product’s identity, and means “original source.”)
The Plight of the Pils
While the Velvet Revolution made it possible for Americans to enjoy a realpint of Pils, however, the opening of these formerly Iron-Curtained markets to
the multinational giants has threatened the individuality and, perhaps, the
very autonomy of the old Bohemian breweries, and Pilsner Urquell is no
exception. In order to maintain their independence, the small breweries in the
Czech Republic are looking to American beer drinkers for help. By introducing
their products to this country, the Czech breweries hope to raise the capital
to modernize their aging factories, to establish distributors in North America,
and to encourage beer lovers to pressure the Czech government with letter
campaigns not to allow buyouts.
To this end, a group of English and American Pilsner fans have formed The
Campaign to Protect the Czech Brewing Heritage to assist the small breweries in
holding off takeover attempts by large corporations. “The awareness campaign is
to let Americans know that the Czech situation closely parallels the
microbrewery situation in the U.S.,” said Lynne O’Connor, the founding member
of the U.S. chapter of the Campaign and a second-generation Czech. When the
large breweries buy out the smaller ones, the consumer loses valuable variety
and choices, and the Campaign is attempting to help keep the beers available to
consumers while preventing the corporate control that could drown their
identities.
At the Great American Beer Festival and other international beer tasting
competitions categories have been added for German-style, Bohemian-style,
European-style, and American Standard Pilsners. The last category is for the
bland, mass produced beers from Budweiser, Miller, Coors, and the other giant
breweries. Yet once again, American microbreweries are coming to the rescue,
as many are finally attempting to tackle to the difficult and delicate task of
brewing a true Pilsner. Here in Texas, Live Oak Brewing Company, Austin’s
newest microbrewery, plans to have a Czech-style Pilsner available on tap by
October and in bottles by the first of next year. The brewery, located in an
old meat packing plant on the Eastside, will use a barley malt, Saaz hops, and
an open fermentation process similar to Pilsner Urquell, to make a golden lager
in the old-world tradition. n
This article appears in July 19 • 1996 and July 19 • 1996 (Cover).
