Introduction to German Beer

Single bottle from a six-pack? Please tell me it's a brown bottle.

 

Years ago PU was exported in green bottles -- some members have reported still seeing them. Some who never knew Urquell switched to brown.

 

That bottle is nine months old; Pilsner Urquell to their credit uses a less than one year best by duration. Having stated that I personally would not buy Pilsner Urquell that is over 6 months old.

And if in the future you ever get to travel to the Czech Republic I would encourage you to travel to Plzeň and take a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. Below is a photo of Jacob pouring me a glass straight from the lagering barrel in the cellar brewery at Pilsner Urquell:



It doesn't get fresher that that!

Na Zdravi

 

It is one of the best beers I've ever had.

 

You can also obtain that same cellar brewed unfiltered/unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell beer at the Na Parkánu Pub in Plzeň. I was able to drink a bigger (0.5 liter) mug of this beer:



The ticket in the above photo is my ticket for the tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery.

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I went for a two week vacation in 2019. Plenty of great sightseeing in the Czech Republic (Prague, Plzeň, Kutná Hora, Český Krumlov, etc.) so even if you were not a beer drinker you would have a great time. But if you are a beer drinker the Czech Republic is a super place to visit. You can read about the beer side of my visit here:

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Czech_Beers

Also on a related note you can read my article The Family of Pilsners:

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Pilsen_Beer

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Jeff, I too thought it was a great beer. It made my list of favorite Bohemian Pilsners (Czech Pale Lagers) I drank during my two week visit to the Czech Republic:

• Bernard Světlé Ležák 12°
• Kamenice Světlé Ležák 12°
• Pilsner Urquell Nefiltrovaný (unfiltered)
• Únětický Světlé – both 10° and 12°

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Back in the day, Bernard Světlé Ležák used to be one of my favorite beers. I was thinking about it recently when I tried Dovetail Pilsner, which is one of the best Czech-style pilsner made in the US.

 

Since you stated "back in the day" I presume this beer is no longer available for sale to you? If so, when did it become unavailable? "Back in the day" could you consistently find this beer in fresh condition?

My favorite imported Bohemian Pilsner was a Slovak beer: Golden Pheasant. I discussed the beer in a past NBS thread as a side-by-side with my homebrewed Bohemian Pilsner:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-736.610176/#post-6441962

I had a very challenging time finding Golden Pheasant and more often than not it was not in good shape (i.e., it was old/stale). I was lucky that for the six-pack I purchased for the above side-by-side those beers were in very good shape.

Cheers!

 

I don't think I've ever seen Bernard in the US. I lived in Prague many years ago, and even there only a handful of places had it on tap.

 

My wife and I had the pleasure of drinking Bernard Světlé Ležák on the back of a boat docked on the Vltava River (the open-air market). Those beers were excellent!



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I just read on Facebook that Reissdorf Kolsch is back in town. Hopefully, it's reasonably fresh.

 

Let us know.

I have learned many times that just because my local beer retailer(s) just received a new batch of beer does not necessarily equate to that beer being fresh.

Cheers!

 

I will report back. If I can read whatever dating they use currently.

Edit: They are cans so there's that.

 

The Dovetail Helles is quite good... A short drive to New Oberfalz and there's a world class one...I still daydream about that beer