First Pilsner Urquell Brewday

On October 5, 1842, Josef Groll brewed the first batch of the new Pilsen beer at the Burghers’ Brewery in Pilsen. The brewery had been built after local dissatisfaction with the city’s older beer, and Groll had been hired as a Bavarian brewer with experience in bottom fermentation. This brewday became the origin point of Pilsner Urquell and the pilsner style. The beer combined Bavarian lager-brewing knowledge with Pilsen’s soft water, pale malt, and Saaz hops, creating a golden bottom-fermented beer that became one of the most influential beer styles in the world.