Pilsner Urquell

First Brewed: 1842
Brewery Location: Pilsen, Bohemia, Czech Republic
ABV: 4.4%

History & Availability: As should be apparent from the name of the city in which the beer is brewed, the genre of beer known as "pilsners" originated from this very brewery in the city of Pilsen. Pilsner Urquell is no stranger to this fact either, branding themselves as "The Original Pilsner." In addition, Pilsner Urquell also happens to be the first-ever lager beer, meaning that it is brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast in a colder environment than was previously common. The most entertaining part of the history of Urquell is how it was originally conceived - around 1840 the government in Bohemia decided their beers were not up to snuff, literally dumped dozens of casks of ale on the street, hired a brewmaster from Bavaria as a consultant, and told the brewers to try something new. And so they did, and the lager beer was born, which gave rise to such popular favorites as Budweiser, Coors, Corona, Heineken, and many more. Pilsner Urquell is brewed with soft water, meaning water that has had its naturally-appearing solutes (such as calcium and magnesium) reduced, which as a side-effect increases the water's tendency to contain more metallic elements like copper. Because of Pilsner Urquell's prominence as the origin of all pilsners, it is distributed worldwide, and chances are it will be easy to find at any local distributor.

Appearance: A very light shade of amber, perhaps a bit darker than many pilsners but much lighter than most ales. The beer pours very cleanly, leaving essentially no head. Carbonation is fairly prominent but this may also be due to the fact that it is a very clear beer.

Smell: Little to none. I am jamming my nose right into this mug and all I'm getting is a little hint of a metallic scent. This is a little disappointing for me, as a good beer (like a good wine) should stimulate both senses to create a fuller experience. Now, granted, I certainly don't have the right glassware for a pilsner, which may have something to do with it - but then again maybe not.

Taste: Similar to the smell, there is not much taste to be found here. There's definitely that hint of a metallic taste cropping up again, but besides that it's almost watery in its lack of distinction. There's essentially no aftertaste at all besides a lingering feeling like you've consumed a piece of iron.

Mouthfeel: Very carbonated. It's uncomfortable to hold in your mouth for more than a few seconds, which made picking out a specific taste even harder. Like all pilsners, this is one of the lighter beers you'll find, so big sips will not overwhelm you with weight. Leaves behind a thin film which dissipates easily with a flick of the tongue.

Drinkability: It tastes like water. Water is very drinkable. Therefore, this pilsner is very drinkable. With the fairly low alcohol content, you can feel free to have two or three in situations where you might only have a single stout. Sadly given the overall unremarkability of the beer, you may not want too many of them.

Overall verdict: C; a truly unremarkable pilsner.