This chemical, a byproduct of the fermentation process, can lend beer a buttered-popcorn flavor when present in sufficient quantity. One sample had a lovely, piquant hop character, but it was a citrusy hop instead of the dry, peppery Saaz strain that the Czech Republic is noted for.ĭiacetyl led to a few eliminations. A few beers had a sugary, candylike sweetness instead of the richer, partly caramelized malt character of Pilsner Urquell.
Fifteen were eliminated beforehand for being a shade too pale or dark. Most of the homebrews were quite quaffable, but even the better samples missed their mark by a hair’s breadth or two or three. I don’t know if my tasting notes (which grew sparser as the evening wore on) were any help to the contestants, but I was happy that my picks for best of show were generally in sync with my more experienced colleagues. We were supposed to evaluate the beers primarily (70 percent) for adherence to the Bohemian pilsner style that Pilsner Urquell pioneered, with some leeway for original flare. Joining me on the judging panel were two senior trade brewers from Tenth and Blake, certified beer judge Charlie Gow and third-generation brewmaster Vaclav Berka, who’s been brewing Pilsner Urquell for 31 years. The event, which drew entries from 32 area homebrewers, was sponsored by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, the MillerCoors specialty division that markets Pilsner Urquell in the United States.
I learned this while helping to judge the Pilsner Urquell Master Homebrew Competition last Wednesday at Smith Commons on H Street NE. But it’s a notoriously difficult beer to clone.
The classic Pilsner Urquell from the Plzensky Prazdroj brewery in Pilsen in the Czech Republic contains a single variety of pale malt and a single strain of hops. Pop His Pils: Aaron Hermes of Leesburg won the Pilsner Urquell homebrewing competition.
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