Blonde Bombshell

The Czech town of Plzeň is the birthplace of the world’s first golden lager, and both are elegant, spicy and hugely enjoyable. Adrian Tierney-Jones visits brewing Disneyland

Lunchtime at Na Parkánu, a restaurant attached to the Museum of Brewing in Plzeň (or Pilsen). A glass of Pilsner Urquell, served unfiltered and unpasteurised from a tank beneath the bar: graceful and golden, elegant, spicy, toasty with a bitter finish. On my plate: a massive joint of pork knee, skin glistening with fat, wispy strands of steam carrying the mouth-watering aroma of the cooked meat upwards; the waitress then plonks down the accompanying bowl of horseradish, mustard and spicy cabbage. I also have a helping of ‘hairy’ dumplings (see recipe). It is all excellent: but Czech food is not for the faint-hearted or the fastidious.

The Bohemian city of Plzeň is at the heart of the Czech lagerlands. Here in 1842 the local burghers hired Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in an attempt to put an end to the bad reputation of the city’s beer (loads of the stuff had been symbolically poured down the drain not long before). The result was a sparkling blonde bombshell of a beer, the world’s first golden lager — Pilsner Urquell. For better or for worse, this was the beer that would go on to conquer the world.

Prague has its beery attractions, but few Brits bother to take the train westwards to the ancient city of Plzeň. More fool them, as they miss a special place. The city has a faded elegance: EU money has poured in, but it has not been too prettified. Stag parties are also conspicuous by their absence and there’s a robust sense of blue-collar character in places (Skoda remains one of the biggest employers).