Pilsner Urquell Brewery

Lore & Background

The brewery was founded in 1839 by both local Czech-speaking and German-speaking citizens in the Bohemian city of Plzeň as a citizens' brewery, later translated to Měšťanský pivovar in Czech. The first beer was brewed in 1842 by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll. In 1859, “Pilsner Bier” was registered as a brand name at the local Chamber of Commerce and Trade. In 1898, the German trademark Urquell and Czech trademark Prazdroj were created to underline the claim of being the older, original source of Pilsner beer. The brewery merged with Plzeňské akciové pivovary in 1932 and was nationalized in 1946 under the name Plzeňské pivovary. After the fall of communism in late 1989, it became a public share company and was renamed in 1994 after the Czech name of its famous beer, Plzeňský Prazdroj. In 1999, it began merging with Pivovar Radegast a.s. and Pivovar Velké Popovice a. s., and became part of SABMiller. In 2017, as part of regulatory agreements for Anheuser-Busch InBev's acquisition of SABMiller, the brewery was sold to Japan-based Asahi Breweries.

Reader's Guide

Pilsner Urquell Brewery holds a foundational place in brewing history as the originator of pale lager, a style that now accounts for more than two-thirds of global beer production. Its flagship beer, Pilsner Urquell, has been brewed in the same brewery using the same recipe and traditional methods—including triple decoction and parallel brewing in wooden lagering barrels—for over 175 years. The brewery has been the largest exporter of beer produced in the Czech Republic since 2000, when its production surpassed that of Budějovický Budvar. It was chosen to take part in Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, to showcase its brewing heritage. The brewery also operates a museum in an authentic medieval brewing house with malt house, declared a cultural monument, which includes a late Gothic malt house, kiln, drying shed, and cellars hewn from the Plzeň substrata. The museum is an anchor for the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The brewery hosts an annual two-day beer festival called Pilsner Fest, featuring music by local bands on four stages.

Did You Know?

• Pilsner Urquell was the first pale lager ever brewed, created in 1842.
• The brewery was founded by both Czech-speaking and German-speaking citizens of Plzeň in 1839.
• The trademark 'Urquell' and 'Prazdroj' were adopted in 1898 to emphasize the brewery's claim as the original source of Pilsner beer.
• Pilsner Urquell was sold to Japan-based Asahi Breweries in 2017 as part of regulatory agreements for the acquisition of SABMiller by Anheuser-Busch InBev.