The birthplace of Pilsner. A style brewed around the world and perfected in the town of Plzen.
Pilsner Urquell
Origin: Pilzen, Bohemia, Czech Republic
Style: Pilsner
Alcohol: 4.4% ABV
The term Urquell means "original source" in German, the official language of Bohemia when it was part of the Austrian Empire. Bohemia now forms, with Moravia, the Czech Republic. In Czech, the beer is called Plzeňský Prazdroj. This is the original Pilsner, copied throughout the world, often by lesser, blander beers. Its golden color was a novelty at the time when glass vessels were replacing stoneware steins and pewter tankards, but the beer's fame was also due to its quality. The famous Bohemian Saaz hop imparted the flowery, spicy aroma and bitter finish; the equally renowned Moravian barley malt provided a soft, delicious balance. Pilsner Urquell is still one of the world's great beers.
The pilsner glass: Tall, conical glasses are often used to present Pilsner-style beers. The shape helps to sustain the sparkle.
Budweiser Budvar
Origin: Czech Republic
Style: Golden Lager
Alcohol: 5.0% ABV
In the Czech Republic, only beers from Pilsen (Plzen) may use the name of that city. While they emphasize the hop, their similar, more southerly rivals from the brewing city of Budweis (also known as České Budějovice) lean towards a light, smooth maltiness. The city, on the Moldau River, began with a monastery and in the 1200's grew as a southern stronghold of the kingdom of Bohemia. Before trademarks, any brew made there would have been described as a "Budweiser" beer. Budweiser Burgerbrau, established in 1795, made the city's first lager in 1853. That brewery still operates. Budweiser Budvar came later, in 1895. By then, the German-American brewer Adolphus Busch was already making a "Budweiser" beer. Several other U.S. brewers have in the past used the term Budweiser to describe their beers, but Busch's exclusive U.S. rights to the name were eventually established beyond doubt. The Czech Budweiser beers are more assertive in flavor than their American counterparts.
Gambrinus Purkmistr
Origin: Pilsen/Domazlice, Bohemia, Czech Republic
Style: Dark Lager
Alcohol: 4.7% ABV
This beer was first made at a very old local brewery in Domazlice, south of Pilsen and near the German border. That brewery was founded in 1341, but closed in 1996, and production switched to Gambrinus. The word Purkmistr is the Czech counterpart to the German Burgermeister, meaning "Mayor". The beer is a dark lager. Czeck dark lagers tend to have a fuller color and a softer, richer flavor than those from across the German border, where the style originates. The Czech brews are perhaps like earlier interpretations from Germany, as remembered in the style known as Schwarz (black) beer. Export bottlings of Purmistr use the German phrase Das Echte Schwarz-Bier aus Böhmen ("the real black beer of Bohemia"). This beer has an aniseed aroma; flavors of figs and grainy coffee; a light but smooth body; and a note of bitter chocolate in the finish. A soothing brew.
This Czech brewery, the name of which means "Old Spring", is close to the center of Prague and by the Moldau River. Set around a courtyard, it is a classic brewery from the 1870's. Staropramen is more widely known for its golden lager, but it also produces a dark (in Czech, 
