Pilsner Showdown – a blind tasting

Fresh from the source is always best. I’ve had Bitburger on tap 100 miles from the source and it was almost scathingly bitter (in a good way). Almost a completely different beer than what we get here. I’ve also had Pilsner Urquell in Plzen. Again, almost a different beer than what we get here.

But, he obviously can’t conduct a blind tasting fresh at six different sources side by side. It would have at least been nice to know the dates of each beer. Would have given some perspective around his tasting notes and rankings.

I enjoyed the video though. And @steveh you’re right, the color of PU is a dead giveaway.

 

Toss in a fresh Trumer too. My bet is that he can identify it.

 

Impressive that Nate managed to guess several of the beers. And it was nice to see that Radeberger was his first choice — by far my favorite pilsner at the moment. That said, it felt like cheating that he changed his mind about ranking only after he learned the names. As for the PU, unfortunately, Czech beers don't taste good in cans or bottles, even when fresh, and even in the Czech Republic.

 

The two bottles of Pilsner Urquell I had the other weekend must have been old then — they were delicious.

 

True...that would be a good suggestion...a little water in between....it helps a lot...I recently did a scotch blind taster with three different Highland single malts....I'm still learning to taste everything that comes in whiskey's but without a water cleanser between I'd have been lost...would have just blended together...

 

Here's another opinion - cheers!

-Pilsner Urquell
-Rothaus
-Weihenstephaner
-Paulaner
-Radeberger
-Bitburger

 

Well, maybe not - but somewhere along the line some of these YouTube reviewers should just say "What's the point? (Other than hits.)" But, at least, just don't wear that hat.

Really? That's really nuts. I can't handles these videos - I usually play the "How long can I take it" game, and click off long before the end. (Over 2 minutes on that one, might be a record of mine).

Hey, look why do I want to watch some guy drink beer? Can't he just write down his comments so I can quickly scan the article to see if he's offering some new info?

Did he do the "Pick up the can/bottle and thrust it closer to the camera so the viewer can (almost) read it?" thing? I love that "reviewing" technique. Reminds me of the 3-D bits on SCTV.

 

At least to my palate, I've found them to be quite tasty.

Czechvar and Pilsner Urquell when fresh have been good. Just as good as draft for both when I was in Czech Republic.

Note: These would have been pasteurized in normal kegs, NOT Tankovna style. That's much different.

 

I like this video a lot. Fun watching professionals blind taste test.

Just watched a couple additional videos they post on their channel, pretty interesting and funny!

 

Are you ok?

 

I looked at the video and was annoyed by the host extolling the great quality of all the beers. Maybe close to perfect, but the ones that I have tried are lacking in -- not in the Schlitz sense -- gusto. An interesting tasting would be of a current beer (say Pilsner Urquell) versus the same label beer from 60 years ago, transported to the present using the nearest time machine. Not likely to happen, but even chemical analyses of a beer over a span of years could be interesting. I remember a quote from a brewer at Pilsner Urquell from maybe 50-60 years ago that said that they closely evaluated all the new developments in brewing technology -- before rejecting them. I wonder when that policy changed?

 

This one?

Circa: privatization? (Sometime in the '90s, around the same period when they eliminated the wooden aging tanks and switched to hop pellets. Don't remember when the original cork disappeared as the crown lining).

Yeah, you'd need a different hat for that. Maybe one made out of aluminum foil...

 

GOOD ONE!!!

 

Yeah, that Rothaus Pils is fantastic. Was a available near me for a few months. Just long enough to get me hooked on it, then the bottle shop yanked the rug out from under me.

 

I stand corrected. Rather than judging from memory, I got a six-pack of Pilsner Urquell. It tastes really good. Of course, it only has a future date stamp of JUN2524, so it has to be 1-10 months old. My guess is it is closer to 1 month.

 

Molson Coors' (the US importer) "Best Before" dating for Pilsner Urquell is based on a 9 Month shelf life period. That'd make your bottle around 4 months out from bottling. I can usually find it - cans and bottles - a month or so fresher than that (of course, much older than that and I don't buy it).

 

Ditto. Hard to appreciate it accurately because it always seems to be near or past it's best by date. Have heard great things about it when fresh though.