It’s Always Beer Thirty in the City of Pilsen in the Czech Republic

With an annual per capita beer consumption of 181.7 liters—yes that’s 48 gallons per man, woman, and child—Czechs know beer. To keep up with the demand, the Czech Republic boasts 429 breweries. No place in the Czech Republic is more identified with beer than the city of Pilsen, where you can tour breweries, do beer tastings, and even bathe in the stuff. During a recent visit to the city, I worked hard to research the various options to enjoy Pilsen’s liquid gold (it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it), and here’s what I discovered.

History of Beer in Pilsen

Beer flight photo credit Carole Rosenblat

First, let’s talk about the city. Located in the Bohemia region, Pilsen sits 60 miles southwest of the capital city, Prague, making it an easy day trip, but you should think about staying a little longer to visit some of the historical sites. Pilsen claims the second-largest synagogue in Europe and a 14th-century cathedral boasting the highest tower in the Czech Republic. But, c’mon, we know why you’re really here; it’s the beer.

Now for a bit of a beer history lesson as it relates to Pilsen. Records show that beer was brewed in Pilsen beginning in the 13th century but fell out of favor at the beginning of the 1800s due to a lack of standard recipes and quality control. Sales began to slow and so did taxes on the sales. Citizens became upset as they counted on those taxes to support the town. As an act of protest, locals poured 36 barrels of the lousy beer into a gutter in the square in front of the town hall. 

Townspeople, realizing their future depended on improving their product, contributed money to establish a brewery and, in 1842, Josef Groll, a brewmaster from Bavaria, Germany, was invited to town to produce the first batch. A bottom-fermented lager, it tasted nothing like anything brewed before and led to the establishment of Pilsner Urquell. This Pilsner brewing method became so popular that currently 70% of the beer brewed in the world, is Pilsner style.

Breweries & a Brewery Museum

Now that you know the history of the beer that made the city, let’s talk about beer-related things to enjoy there. Plan your trip with the Pilsen Beer Challenge. Pilsen is home to nine breweries, and their tourism board has issued a challenge to visitors to stop by each one. Take a tour and sample some beer but be sure to contact them ahead of time as some are small enough that you might need an appointment. 

Brewery tour vat photo credit Carole Rosenblat

You will probably want to start with a tour of the most famous factory in town. Pilsner Urquell offers 110-minute tours daily, sharing their history, brewing process, bottling facility, pouring methods (there are three), and, of course, sampling. You’ll even enter the cellars where the liquid gold is aged in wooden barrels. Be sure to book online as tours fill quickly.

Following a Pilsner Urquell tour, make a stop at the nearby Pilsen Brewery Museum. Located in a 15th-century brewing house, you’ll learn about the history of beer from the middle ages through the present, while seeing a laboratory, malt kiln, beer curiosities, and taste, well, another beer. You can book a tour or walk through on your own. 

A Beer Spa

Beer spa tub photo credit Carole Rosenblat

By this point, you might be a bit tired so it’s time to head to the Purkmistr Brewery, which also houses a hotel, restaurant, and spa. Sure, you can get all the traditional spa offerings, but this place also offers treatments with a local twist. How about a beer oil massage? Maybe a peat body wrap or a beer peel with malt? I tried the beer bath which had me soaking in a wooden tub filled with the perfect temperature of warm water, yeast, hops, and malt. Caramelized malt is floated on top for bathers to rub on their skin to encourage exfoliation. A tapped wooden keg of beer sits next to the tub with a glass beer mug allowing bathers to drink as much as they’d like during their 25-minute soak. A 25-minute rest in their relaxation room follows, allowing bathers to recover from both the internal and external beer enjoyment.

After a shower to rinse the hops off, head over to the on-site restaurant for a filling meal and more beer options. You can choose to order a simple glass of one of their many different types of brews, or a better idea might be to order a beer degustation (aka, a flight). The degustation includes your choice of six Purkmistr beers. My flight included: Lager (when in Rome), Semi Dark, which is a mix of lager and dark beer, the chocolatey Dark, the fruity White with a pleasant fizzy tingle on the tongue, the IPA with a very hoppy nose, and the Citrus, which was slightly sweet and very light and offered a nose of butterscotch. 

Beyond the beer, the Purkmistr restaurant provides a hearty meal of traditional Czech favorites as well as more current, lighter choices. Of course, they offer dishes that include their brews. Start with a traditional beer cheese spread with bread. Then choose from their take on traditional Czech specialties including beef cheeks slow roasted with black beer or pork shoulder roasted in dark beer.

Beer Schnapps & Beer Liquor

Beer Liquor photo credit Carole Rosenblat

A meal here wouldn’t be complete without an after-dinner drink of beer schnapps and beer liquor. Purkmistr’s menu includes four types of these: Velbloudice, this malty-smelling beer schnapps comes in at 38% ABV and is produced using membrane vacuum distillation of draft beer. Lázeňák is a 30% ABV beer liquor made with beer distillate and smelling like freshly cut grass. Lovečák beer liquor, 30% ABV, is an herbal liqueur containing bitter alpine herbs. Finally, Rouškovice, a 38% ABV beer brandy was created during Covid lockdown in order to use the beer they would normally sell in their restaurant. 

Following a good night’s sleep, you’ll want to sample more of the beer and, perhaps, tour some more breweries. Begin right where you slept, with a tour of the Purkmistr Brewery, where you’ll see some of the brews you may have tasted the night prior at varying stages of fermentation and conditioning, along with the opportunity to chat with a brewmaster. 

Next, head back into the center of town for a tasty (and very filling) lunch of traditional Czech foods (think pork, sausage, and beef) at U Salzmannů. Established in 1637, it’s the oldest restaurant and hotel in Pilsen and has served Czech presidents and U.S. ambassadors, and you can indulge in a nice, unfiltered, Pilsen Urquell. After a thorough investigation of all that Pilsen has to offer, you surely deserve it.