Editing Plzeň (section)

===Pilsner beer===
[[File:Pilsner Urquell Brewery.jpg|thumb|Traditional fermenting building (centre) and modern fermenting building (left)]]
[[File:Pilsner.Urquell.JPG|thumb|120px|Pilsner Urquell]]

Plzeň is well known for the [[Pilsner Urquell]] (since 1842) and [[Gambrinus (beer)|Gambrinus]] (since 1869) [[brewery|breweries]], currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings.

Plzeň is an important city in the history of beer, including the development of [[Pilsner]].<ref name="Hampson9">{{cite book |last=Hampson|first=Tim|url=https://archive.org/details/beerbook0000unse_y0h6/page/9/mode/2up|title=The Beer Book|date=2008|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|isbn=978-1405333016|location=London|page=9|url-access=registration}}</ref> In 1375, Bohemian King [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] endowed the Dobrow Monastery near Plzeň with the beer right, and it is one of the oldest breweries to survive to modern times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/beeritshistoryit00sale|title=Beer : its history and its economic value as a national beverage|first=F. W. (Frederick William)|last=Salem|year=1880|publisher=Hartford, Conn. : F. W. Salem & Co.|access-date=2023-10-11|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aT-lIt3VBe0C&pg=PA33|title=Medicinal and Food Plants: With 200 Illustrations for Artists and Craftspeople|first1=Ernst|last1=Lehner|first2=Johanna|last2=Lehner|year=2006|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=9780486447513|access-date=2023-10-11|via=Google Books}}</ref> Many breweries were located in the interconnected deep cellars of the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plzen Historical Underground|url=https://web.zcu.cz/plzen/underground/|website=zcu.cz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230132008/https://web.zcu.cz/plzen/underground/|archive-date=2019-12-30|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pilsen Historical Underground|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pilsen-historical-underground|work=Atlas Obscura|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208061341/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pilsen-historical-underground|archive-date=2017-12-08|url-status=live}}</ref>

The officials of Plzeň founded a city-owned brewery in 1839, {{lang|de|Bürger Brauerei}} (Citizens' Brewery, now [[Plzeňský Prazdroj]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prazdroj.cz/en/about-the-company/history|title=Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s.|publisher=prazdroj.cz|access-date=2009-10-17}}</ref> and recruited Bavarian brewer [[Josef Groll]] (1813–1887) who produced the first batch of modern Pilsner beer on 5 October 1842. This included mastering the art of triple [[Mashing#Decoction mashing|decoction mashing]].<ref name="Hampson9"/> The combination of pale colour from the new malts, Plzeň's remarkably soft water, [[Saaz hops|Saaz]] [[noble hops]] from nearby [[Žatec]] (''Saaz'' in German) and Bavarian-style [[lager]]ing<!-- ice-cooled --> produced a clear, golden beer which was regarded as a sensation. Improving transport meant that this new beer was soon available throughout Central Europe and {{lang|de|Pilsner Brauart}}-style brewing was widely imitated.

In 1859, "Pilsner Bier" was registered as a brand name at the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Plzeň. In 1898, the [[Pilsner Urquell]] trade mark was created to put emphasis on this being the brewery where the style originated.