Visit Pilsen for beer experiences

Pilsen and beer go hand in hand. So, where else would you take a beer-related trip than to the city with a lengthy brewery tradition? Everybody associates Pilsen with the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, however, there are plenty of other beer experiences to be had here. You can learn the history of beer at the Brewery Museum. You can visit the experimental Proud Brewery or the craft brewery Raven. You certainly won’t want to miss the draft beer workshop. Plus, the early autumn season is packed full of beer festivals, so right now’s the best time to start planning your next favourite beer trip!

Beer festivals: Sun in a Glass…

Simply can’t wait any longer? Then open your calendar and get to planning. You can attend the first “pre-autumn” event on the weekend of 12-14 September. The beloved micro-brewery festival “The Sun in a Glass” offers dozens of beer classics and specialities both local and foreign. Many of the breweries provide beer tastings in the cosy atmosphere of the Purkmistr brewery courtyard in Pilsen’s Černice neighbourhood. You can experience the beers here in 0.1-litre glasses, but, of course, you can get yourself a full glass if you find one you like. The event will also feature an accompanying programme and beer contests.

… and PilsnerFest

In Pilsen, the celebratory month of beer starts the very first weekend in October, where we commemorate the brewing of the first batch of the one-of-a-kind, bottom-fermented lager: Pilsner Urquell. During this grandiose celebration, you can enter the brewery grounds directly on Saturday, 5 October. Aside from the loads of incredible food and many beer options, you can look forward to the high-performance musical programme. Amongst others, bands like Buty, Sto zvířat, Xindl X, and Monkey Business will take one of the two stages. Then there are the special brewery tours, the draft beer workshop, and the cooking show with Honza Punčochář and Tomáš Popp. Don’t forget to buy your discounted tickets in advance!

One Pilsner please

The Pilsner Urquell Brewery is one of the most visited destinations in the Czech Republic, and rightly so. Beer from this brewery has travelled around the world to over 50 countries, and as many as 11 million hectolitres of beer are produced here every year. When visiting the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, you’ll get to peer into both the historic and current boilers as well as the modern bottling plant with a capacity of 120,000 bottles per hour. During the senses exposition, you’ll get to taste the ingredients that create this famous lager. It’s also worth visiting the labyrinth of hand-chiselled cellars that stretch an incredible 9 kilometres. At the end of this maze, you’ll find lagering oak barrels filled with non-filtered and unpasteurised Pilsner for you to try. You can’t taste these anywhere else in the world.

As much Gambrinus as you want?

Visiting the Pilsner Urquell Brewery is a must. But if you’ve already toured the brewery and are now looking for another special experience, then we’d recommend walking the tour route at the Gambrinus Brewery. Your guide will take you to see both the old and current Gambrinus boilers, and you’ll get to discover many interesting things about the younger and maybe lesser-known brother of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. And you can expect a beer tasting here as well. Plus, you’ll learn how to care for beer and how to draft it correctly.

Experiences

At the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, you can also participate in its experience programmes. The most popular of them is the draft beer workshop, where you’ll learn the correct basics of drafting beer during the three-hour course. Or you can embark on the Journey of a Brewery Apprentice and try out the other brewery trades. The brewery then offers the option to hire out seating in the former workingmen’s quarters, where you can enjoy your beer the traditional way. The quarters are hidden within the labyrinth of historic cellars, where the brewery workers once lived and slept.

Discover the hidden areas of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery

On the grounds of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, located near the Mže and Radbuza Rivers, you’ll find an experimental brewery where craft beer is made under the Elektrárna brand. But more goes on here than just making beer. You can take the detailed commentated tour, guided by one of the local brewmasters. During the tour, you’ll get to see the former energy plant’s over 100 years of history, which once served a completely different purpose before being left abandoned. The tour ends with a beer tasting, where you’ll get to judge the quality of this homebrew for yourself

Up to your ears in beer – the beer spas at Purkmistr and Beerland

Soak in beer up to your ears? Both you and your body will surely enjoy this experience. That’s because beer contains an array of precious and beneficial substances for the body that have positive effects both inside and out. Even if you wouldn’t call yourself a beer lover, you can treat yourself to a warm beer spa, full of vitamin B, hops, and grain extract, which work wonders for the hair and skin. In Pilsen, two places offer this experience; the first is the beer spa at the Purkmistr Brewery in the Černice neighbourhood, and the second is Spa Beerland, located right in the historical city centre.

Raven micro-brewery and other places of interest

Looking to try something new? You’ll find just that at the Raven micro-brewery. More than the classic lager awaits you here, namely a diverse layout of beer specialities. Raven has two brewery pubs in Pilsen, one of which sits in the city centre, with the other in the Bolevec neighbourhood. And the Bolevec pub is actually located in the same building where the beer is made. Feel free to arrange a tour of the brewery or even give making your own batch of beer a try. You’ll find more tips on places offering unique beer specialties in our article dedicated to the subject on our website.