Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj)
Plzeň, Czechia · Est. 1842
Also known as Pilsner Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The beer that conquered the world. On 5 Oct 1842 Bavarian brewer Josef Groll debuted the first batch — its brilliant golden clarity was revolutionary in a world of dark, cloudy ales, and it spawned an entire global category. The trademark 'Urquell' (Original Source) was registered in 1898 purely to fend off imitators. Below the city run nearly 20 km of 13th-century sandstone cellars where unfiltered Urquell is still poured from hand-pitched oak barrels at 6–7°C.
The founding thesisFrustrated by wildly varying local beer quality, the burghers of Pilsen pooled their money in 1839 to build a state-of-the-art Burghers' Brewery.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1839Burghers unite
Pilsen citizens pool resources to build a modern communal brewery.
- 1842First pale lager
Josef Groll debuts the world's first golden pilsner.
- 1898Trademark
'Pilsner Urquell' registered to protect against thousands of imitators.
- 2017Asahi era
Acquired by Asahi Group Holdings via SABMiller's Central European assets.
The People
Behind the beer
Combined local Pilsen ingredients with a smuggled Bavarian lager yeast to create the first pale lager.
One of the last places in Europe with active coopers building 700 kg oak lager barrels as in the 19th century.
The Beer Library
Beers
Pilsner Urquell
Year-RoundCzech Premium Pale Lager
The original pilsner; triple-decoction mashed, Saaz-hopped.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pilsner Urquell Nefiltrovaný
LimitedCzech Pilsner
The unfiltered version, served from lined oak lagering tanks in the cellars beneath the brewery. It is the closest thing available to what the world's first pale lager tasted like in 1842.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Excelent 11
CORE OR CURRENT BRAND RANGEPale lager
11 °P. Triple-hopped eleven-degree lager; production site treated as the Plzeň brewery portfolio.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Master Semi-dark 13
CURRENT BRAND RANGESemi-dark strong lager
13 °P. Current producer portfolio identifies the semi-dark 13 variant.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Master Dark 18
CURRENT BRAND RANGEDark strong lager
18 °P. Current producer portfolio identifies the dark 18 variant.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Travel Guide
Plan a visit
- Historic + 2004 brewhouse tour
- Unfiltered, unpasteurized cellar pours from oak
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1842Founded
Frustrated by wildly varying local beer quality, the burghers of Pilsen pooled their money in 1839 to build a state-of-the-art Burghers' Brewery.
- 2017Asahi era
Acquired by Asahi Group Holdings via SABMiller's Central European assets.
Today the chain tops out at Asahi Group Holdings.
Surviving objects
1 object held by Papal set: Vatican; duplicate collection: Pivovarské muzeum Plzeň. The archive links to each record rather than reproducing its photograph — the images belong to the holding institution and are licensed object by object.
Ceremonial beer glass pair
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) is controlled by Public company.
Asahi Group Holdings — Stock Information · Asahi Group Holdings · 2025-12
BreweryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj)
- Who owns Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj)?
- Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) is owned by Plzeňský Prazdroj. Plzeňský Prazdroj is part of Asahi Group Holdings. Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) is based in Plzeň, Czechia.
- Is Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) still independent?
- No. Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) is owned by Plzeňský Prazdroj, ultimately Asahi Group Holdings, and is no longer independent.
- When was Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) acquired?
- 2017. Acquired by Asahi Group Holdings via SABMiller's Central European assets.
- When was Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) founded?
- Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj) was founded in 1842 in Plzeň, Czechia.
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