The Beer Nut: The golden age of beer

Today, golden beer is the norm. It dominates the market through the sales of Budweiser, Miller and Coors.

That was not always the case. All beer used to be dark, cloudy and not much to look at. But, thanks to Josef Groll, that all changed in 1842.

On Friday, Pilsner Urquell will celebrate its 165th anniversary as the first golden beer ever produced.

"Ninety percent of beer drank now is a direct descendant of that type of style," said Ryan Johnson, U.S. trade brewer for international brands at Miller Brewing. "Back then, as it is today, gold was looked at as being something precious."

Miller Brewing purchased the Pilsner Urquell brewery, located in the Czech Republic, in 1999. All of the beer is still brewed there, Johnson said.

"There aren't any recipe modifications at all," he said. "Three or four times a month, they still brew the beer the exact way they did in 1842, in open casks. We have a whole panel (of tasters) in the Czech Republic that checks to see how perfect the beer is to the original brewing process."

Groll was a brewmaster in 1824 when he discovered the process of bottom fermenting a beer, which is known as lagering, Johnson said.

The golden liquid this method produced stood out against other lagers and ales because it was something people wanted to see. The name, Pilsner Urquell, translates to "pilsner from the original source."

The style quickly caught on in other parts of Europe, mainly Germany, which brews a slightly different style of pilsner than do the Czechs.

The German immigrants who dominated portions of the United States also brought their love of German beers to the country. They soon brought the golden style of beer. Bud, Miller and Coors all produce pilsner-inspired beers, if not true pilsners.

"Glassware became affordable at the same time," Johnson said. "Before then, only kings and queens had glasses because it was so expensive. Most people drank from ceramic mugs, so they couldn't see the beer. With the advent of glassware, that really helped push Pilsner Urquell."

Today, some beer geeks may not look at what Pilsner Urquell did as a good thing as not many of us typically partake in products produced by the big three of Miller, Bud and Coors.

On its own, though, Pilsner Urquell is a better-than-decent pilsner. Not the best on the market, easily drinkable, easy to find and not offensive in the least.

The beer has also seemed to taste better in the past year or so. I chalked it up to the brewery using new packaging to stop the beer from getting light struck and skunked, but Johnson said it is, in fact, more than that.

"It's not just the packaging that's important," said Johnson. "It's the way we handle it. There's been a lot of quality control improvements."

Pilsners aren't just popular with big brewers. A lot of craft brewers produce them. Samuel Adams and Dogfish Head Brewery both make imperial pilsners, while other breweries such as Stoudt's and Victory Brewing, make excellent pilsners.

"Brewing lager is very difficult," said Johnson. "The yeast is a lot more finicky, it's a lot more subtle, it takes more time. It's nice to see the craft brewers are diving into the lager world."

***

The Sherborn Inn is joining with the Berkshire Brewing Company for a reception and three-course dinner on Oct. 11.

The dinner, prepared by Sherborn Inn Executive Chef Brian Corbley, will be paired with different Berkshire beers.

Berkshire Brewing's co-owner Gary Bogoff will be on hand to discuss each of the beers.

The menu includes angus beef sliders served with Berkshire's Octoberfest; pan-seared, bacon-wrapped jumbo sea scallops served with Berkshire's Lost Sailor India pale ale; and grilled sirloin and boneless beef short rib with Berkshire's pale ale. Dessert will be warm chocolate pudding paired with Berkshire's Coffee House Porter ice cream.

The reception begins at 6 p.m. and dinner starts at 7 p.m. The dinner is $49 per person, which includes gratuity and sales tax. To make reservations, call 508-655-9521 or log on to www.sherborninn.com.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. For questions, comments, suggestions or recommendations, e-mail nmiller@cnc.com or call 508-626-3823.