I don't mind a cold beer on a hot day and although I was visiting Prague in December on what was definitely not a hot day, I thought I'd try a Pilsner Urquell at the Original Beer Experience to see what it was all about. Pilsener Urquell, or Plzeňský prazdroj in Czech, is a lager brewed at Asahi Breweries' Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Plzeň (German name: Pilsen), Czech Republic. It was the world's first pale lager and has therefore been much copied, with the name pils, pilsner or pilsener being used for this type of lager all around the world.
Anyway, enough of the serious stuff on to the important serious stuff, like the tour, the tastings and the gift shop. With Cindy and Charley going the cultural route and heading off to see the Banksy Exhibition, I headed off in search of the equally cultural The Original Beer Experience.
The Pilsner Urquell Experience is basically Disneyland for adults - except instead of Mickey Mouse, you get a bartender who pours beer with the precision of a brain surgeon and the judgmental stare of someone who knows you’ve been drinking supermarket lagers your whole life. No need to be so judgy, we all know that a can is under 50-euro cents in Mercadona.
A few highlights:
🍺 The “Beer Pilgrimage”
The tour starts off with an excellent interactive display all on the history of this golden nectar from the gods. The guide explains the brewing process with the enthusiasm of someone who has personally sworn an oath to hops.
🛢️ The Tank Beer Moment
They give you tank beer so fresh it practically introduces itself. You take one sip and immediately understand why Czechs drink more beer per capita than anyone else. It’s not a hobby - it’s part of their national heritage. While drinking this one, we watch the hologram story of the main man. I'll leave it at that cos I have no recollection of his name. He was a little round of girth and red of face as a true beer connoisseur should be.
🧪 The Foam Lesson
They teach you about the three official Czech pours: Hladinka, Šnyt, and Mlíko. You pretend to understand. You absolutely do not. But you nod anyway because everyone else looks like they were born knowing this. To sum up, beers are poured with a lot of head.
Once the learning part was done, I headed up to the bar with 2 tokens clutched in my hand. Having already had a Šnyt, I tried a Hladinka and a Mlíko. Having not had breakfast, I thought I'd better stop there and go off in search of the girls at our chosen restaurant for lunch - via the gift shop of course.
Verdict? Interesting and pretty good value - €24 well spent.
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