Pils, Pils, everywhere, and lots of it to drink!

Just an hour and a half east of us over the Czech border lies a very important place: the birthplace of Pils beer!! That's right - Heineken, Amstel, Stella, AND Beck's would not exist if Josef Groll had not brewed the first batch of clear, delicious lager in the city of Pilsen 170 years ago.

Highlights of the trip:

1) The beer: isn't that the reason you travel to Pilsen?

2) The prices: the Pilsner Urquell brewery tour was less than €4 a person, our meals were incredibly cheap (especially given the amount of beer we consumed!). We also stayed in a great hotel (Hotel Rango) right in the city center for a great price.

3) The world's largest elevator: included on the Pilsner Urquell tour is a trip in the world's largest elevator, which holds 72 people! We only had 30 on our tour but Patrick's fanny somehow was too large for the doors to close... 

4) Experiencing unfiltered Pilsner Urquell: included in the  €4 admission fee, and professionally poured straight from a wooden barrel, is a taste of the unfiltered product in the brewery's basement.  At first I was a little wary about "unfiltered" beer, but then we learned that the water they use for Pils is higher quality than that for infants, so we gladly drank it all. 

5) The history: pictured here is Josef  Groll, the father of Pils beer. The Pilsner Urquell brewery was not only the first brewery to have its own railroad system, but because of that it was the first globally exported beer. Who knew? 

6) The Pilsner Urquell bottling facility: Watching the incredibly efficient brewery wash, sort, and recycle bottles. The factory needs only 27 employees to run at full capacity. We saw one employee and millions of bottles! 



When you decide to go to Pilsen, look for the lighthouse in the center of the extensive Pilsner Urquell brewery property. It marks the "sea of beer" in the middle of the city, and will help you find your way to the amazing brewery tour!