Plzeň with the Pilsner Urquell brewery – and a detour to a charming microbrewery
Duration:
Approximately 8 hours. Starting time is
usually 9:30 AM. The tour is available on any day throughout the
year.
Aim: To visit the town of
Plzeň with the Pilsner Urquell brewery.
To sample beer from a much smaller brewery as well.
Focus: Czech beer traditions and brewing methods.
We'll learn about the world's first Pilsner beer and sample a
handmade version of it. We'll see the city centre of
Plzeň. To top it all off, we'll visit a quaint and unique
microbrewery and sample some of the craft beer sold there at
remarkably low prices.
Transportation: By car and by foot.
Meeting point:
Your address in Prague (if accessible by car)
Food/drinks: Lunch at the brewery restaurant with
low prices (not included).
Possibility of tasting craft beer on the way back to Prague.
Group size: 1-6 persons
Price: a total of Czk. 6.500,- (€ 260,- or $ 300,-)
for the
whole group. Surcharge: Entrance at the brewery:
approximately Czk. 250,- (€ 10,- or $ 12,-) per person.
You can enjoy this on your day trip to Plzeň with the Pilsner Urquell brewery:
Probably
the best known brewery of the Czech Republic is to be found in the
town of Plzeň - or Pilsen. The golden beer, Pilsner Urquell or in
Czech “Plzeňský Prazdroj”, is a deeply rooted part of Czech culture.
Urquell means "original source" and this particular beer is so to
speak the mother of all Pilsner type beers. It was brewmaster Josef
Groll, who in October 1842 started the first brew of a light
bottom-fermented beer, which turned out to be a great success - and
today, most breweries in the world have a variant of the type
usually referred to as a lager beer.
During
our drive towards Pilsen I’ll explain some of the details of Czech
beer culture. When we arrive in Pilsen, we’ll start by having a look
at the beautiful medieval central square, Náměstí Republiky
(Republic Square),
where you can enjoy the wonderful Gothic St. Bartholomew's
Cathedral. The construction of the building started in 1295 and was
finished by the beginning of 16th century, and the church boats the
tallest spire in the Czech Republic, 102,6 meters high. You can have
a stroll around the square, or we can take a break in one of the
charming cafés or pubs and have a cup of coffee – or a golden
Pilsner Urquell (not included).
Then
we drive the very short distance to the brewery, where we’ll have
lunch in the brewery’s own restaurant, Na Spilce (not included, but
cheap). Of course the visit to the brewery features an approximately
90 minutes guided tour including bottling
plants, boilers and basements and a sample of
hand crafted unfiltered, unpasteurized Pilsner, available
only here – and not for sale. The fee for the tour (in English) is
Czk. 250,- (not included). I recommend
warm clothing for touring the cellars: the temperature there is
around + 8° C. (at least bring a light jacket).
If you want, we can make a stop at the brewery's souvenir shop,
which has a very wide range of glasses, clothes, caps, bags etc.
There's no pressure to buy anything and you're more than welcome to
skip the shop.
On
the way back we make a small detour to Beroun, which hides another
gem for beer connoisseurs, the microbrewery Berounsky Medved – The
Bear of Beroun. We take a break for a taste (not included). There
are typically 6-8 craft beers, brewed on the premises, to choose
from - and you can buy the unique beer to go at surprisingly low
prices.
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