Pilsener Urquel

[old faithful]

I'd like to throw out some thoughts:

(i) the canned Urquel, counter-intuitively, is superior to the bottled version because impervious to light. While few canned beers appeal to me, Urquel is the big exception, it always tastes better in the can than the bottle, to me

(ii) despite some apparent production changes in recent years, Urquel is still the pilsener to beat. Very few beers come close

(iii) Urquel must come to Canada quite quickly since current samples are expiry dated almost a year hence

(iv) despite almost all samples being very fresh, they do vary somewhat in flavor, in my opinion, which probably reflects slight variations in barley malts and hops available at different times in the year. Some cans seem richer in taste than others, offering a heavy body, a honeyed quality and rich resinous overlay. Others seem lighter and sharper in taste with the "salty" quality some German pilseners have, but all are never less than very good and often superb


Comments?

Gary

[PRMason]

Urquell is still my favorite pale/golden lager. Because of its hopping rate (40+ IBU), it is an "ale drinkers lager". Bottle/can variation is very worrisome though, as is the substantial increase in production.
If I produced a lager, this would be my template for sure.

[old faithful]

In my view as a devoted 30 years+ beer fan, most commercial and of course microbrewed beers show small variations from time to time. This is something I regard as a positive provided the overall taste profile is maintained as is the case certainly with Urquel and most beers, in fact. I know many people prefer the glass bottle Urquel to the canned version, and who am I to say they are wrong? But I prefer the canned version, certainly. Guinness is processed quite well in the can, so is Newcastle Brown and some others. However many of the light-coloured pils-type beers from various Northern European countries seem not at their best in such a format. I don't know why since, if Urquel does such a good job of canning its beer, why can't these others...?. I have never had Urquel in Pilsen or its home Republic but I have had it on draft in Western Europe and I find the canned import here as good. The hopping rate is certainly part of it but also the flavor of the hops and malts used seems quite unique. Czechvar is a good beer and often comes close but in general Pilsner Urquel seems to stand in a class of its own.

Gary

[Beer Snob]

I have to heartily disagree regarding the 'quality' of Pilsner Urquel. As quoated in 'What's brewing' a little while ago, the spokesman, of the now South African owned Pilsner Urquel brand, claimed that the increased production and reduced lagering from 90 days to 30 wouldn't affect the quality of the product. Of course, taste is indisputable. I think that SAB have turned Pilsner Urquel into a mass produced swill with sales riding purely on past glories of what was once a classic. Chekvar is the still the 'real' thing and sadly the new benchmark for true pilsners.

[old faithful]

I have been drinking Pilsener Urquel for 30 years and have noted no significant drop off in quality from "back when".

Gary

[pootz]

I have been drinking Pilsener Urquel for 30 years and have noted no significant drop off in quality from "back when".

Gary

Same here. Been drinking Urquell for over 30 years as a confirmed Pils-head. Urquell was the first foreign beer I tried when it was one of a half dozen or so imports the LCBO stocked. I didn't notice quality problems in the old days but it was hard to get an unskunked bottle and many were oxidized because of handling and the flakey cork seal crown cap...things improved with the number of light struck deminished with newer packaging. I have noticed a distinct difference between the can and bottle and I always put it down to photo degradation...I have noticed the same effect with Beck's.

What is it in this beer that makes it so light sensitive?

[dhurtubise]

What is it in this beer that makes it so light sensitive?

Loads and loads of authentic hops (no hop extract in this beer my friend).

Sunlight and to some lesser extent incadescent light reacts with some of the hop extracted compounds to produce another compound (a carboxylic acid I believe) that is the same molecule secreted by skunks.

PU is hopped only with some really low alpha acid hops (the saaz variety typically weighs in at 2.5 - 3.5% as compared with other common bittering hops which are usually between 8 and 13.5% alpha acids). The alpha acids are isomerized during the boil and provide bitterness to the beer though this is not the compound that is light sensitive. This is what is present in hop extract and this is why beers that are hopped with extract such as Corona, Warsteiner and tons of others are not sensitive to sunlight. The compounds that skunk the beer are peripheral to alpha acids and are present in roughly the same amounts in high alpha as in low alpha hops. PU, which is pretty much approaching the bitterness limits found in lagers in hopped to close to 40 IBUs. This means that it already requires more hops than normal, but add to this that it is hopped only with this really low alpha acid saaz hop, makes it so that it requires somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3-5 times more hops than usual. This means that it will have a high density of this peripheral "skunk compound" ready and waiting for sunlight.

The last and most dangerous contributor is the green bottles which are very poor at blocking the spectrum of light which triggers the skunking reactions. This is why the canned product is WAY more consistent and better usually than the bottled version.

Having said all of that, I cannot say that I have ever had a truly skunked sample of the PU or the Sapormenen (sp) which are both Bohemian Pilseners in green bottles. I do know however that it is one of the most common complaints about the beer and that it is a common condition.

[Belgian]

While I love the beautiful green bottle, Urquell seems to not travel well; it may still be 'good' here, but it's just so perfect in the CZ. Floral, amazing hoppiness, no 'green' harshness. I will try the can, from a fresh high-turnover source like Cooper St.

I agree Prague's Staropramen is well worth picking up, not as 'sweet' as the excellent Czechvar.

[Belgian]

I want to add we're lucky at least the LCBO gets things to us fast sometimes and for cheap. If and when they get it.

[old faithful]

I would be interested, JK, in your take on the canned Urquel and how close it comes to the bottled Urquel in its home land.

I think you may be surprised how good the can is.

Gary

[Belgian]

That would be a really time-shifted taste comparison, but I'll try - just to see if the canned Urquell evokes a soft summer night on the Charles Bridge... man the taste of that beer fresh is tied to incredible memories, so we'll see.

[Mother G]

I have drank the freshest Pilsner from wooden casks in the cave's in Plzen, on Wencelas Square in Prague and in many differant pubs and bars in and around Prague (including right below the Charles Bridge). On several of those occaisons I drank Pilsner Urquell with one of the Brewmasters Vojtech Homolka. Gentlemen, it does taste dramatically differant there and it has everything to do with:

1) Time. They estimate that LCBO has the quickest route to market capability in the western world but it is still over 30 days at the minimum from vat to shelf.
2) Temperature. The SAB / Miller people take this stuff seriously. They put a thermometer in a container with a beer shipment and had it hooked up to some sort of recording system. It showed massive swings in temp. due to the heat and/ or cold of the ship and the loading areas that the product is exposed to en route from Czech. It has the effect of Cigarettes, Heroin and Vodka on a super model! It ages it before it's time.
3) Light. No question this is a killer! The cans they use today are lined with materials that virtually eliminate any tinny type leaching. Still their icon is the bottle and they want to profile it.

In Prague the majority of the big bars receive their draught Pilsner in bulk. It is hosed into pressurized "vats" with hermetically sealed bags inside that are changed with new drops of beer. It is fascinating! One bar was the size of the new side of C'est What and they sold only Pilsner on tap (three taps only) and sold 3K hls per year (6000 50 litre kegs for the love of Mike!). Czech has the highest beer consumption in the world per capita.

From everything I could see, things have not changed at Pilsner Urquell in Plzen. The brewery is still the only place where the beer is brewed and they seem to take great pride in the process and craftmanship.

Personally. I used to drink Pilsner on tap in the past when it was available here. I'd like to see that happen again but the LCBO has a policy about minimum keg lots per order and the demand was not there before. It is tastier when fresh in my opinion.

It is the Original.

[borderline_alcoholic]

They estimate that LCBO has the quickest route to market capability in the western world

An interesting estimate. While I would imagine that the capability might be there, is this in any way close to being the case in practise?

[shrike]

Here's a Pilsner Urquel commercial I found. Click on the audio/visusl link. http://www.nashvillecurling.org/