Josef Groll
Encyclopedia
Josef Groll was a Bavaria
n brewer
, best known for his invention of Pilsener
beer.
The citizens of Pilsen were no longer satisfied with their top-fermented Oberhefenbier. They publicly emptied several cask
s of beer in order to draw attention to its low quality and short storage life. It was decided to build a new brewery capable of producing a bottom-fermented beer with a longer storage life. At the time, this was termed a Bavaria
n beer, since bottom-fermentation first became popular in Bavaria and spread from there. The climate in Bohemia
is similar to that in Bavaria and made it possible to store ice in winter and cool the fermentation tanks down to 4 to 9 degrees Celsius year-round, which is necessary for bottom-fermentation.
Bavarian beer had an excellent reputation, and Bavarian brewers were considered the masters of their trade. Thus, the citizens of Pilsen not only built a new brewery, but also hired Josef Groll, a Bavarian brewer. Josef Groll's father owned a brewery in Vilshofen in Lower Bavaria
and had long experimented with new recipes for bottom-fermented beer. On 5 October 1842, Groll produced the first batch of Urquell beer, which was characterized by the use of soft Bohemian water, very pale malt
, and Saaz
hops. It was first served in the public houses Zum Goldenen Anker, Zur weißen Rose and Hanes on 11 November 1842, and was very well received by the populace.
Josef Groll's contract with the Bürgerliches Brauhaus (citizens' brewery) in Pilsen expired on 30 April 1845 and was not renewed. Groll returned to Vilshofen and later inherited his father's brewery. The Pilsen brewery was directed by Bavarian brewers for nearly sixty years until 1900.
Josef Groll died on 22 October 1887, aged 74. He died at the regulars' table of the public house Wolferstetter Keller in Vilshofen, drinking beer.
The Groll brewery no longer exists. Parts of the brewery, however, were acquired by Wolferstetter, another brewery located in Vilshofen. Wolferstetter still produces a Josef Groll Pils.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
, best known for his invention of Pilsener
Pilsener
Pilsner is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the city of Pilsen , Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842, when a bottom-fermented beer was first produced. The original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced there today.-Origin:Until the mid-1840s, most ...
beer.
The citizens of Pilsen were no longer satisfied with their top-fermented Oberhefenbier. They publicly emptied several cask
CASK
Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASK is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CASK gene. This gene is also known by several other names: CMG 2 , calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase 3 and membrane-associated guanylate kinase 2.-Genomics:This gene is located on the short arm of...
s of beer in order to draw attention to its low quality and short storage life. It was decided to build a new brewery capable of producing a bottom-fermented beer with a longer storage life. At the time, this was termed a Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n beer, since bottom-fermentation first became popular in Bavaria and spread from there. The climate in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
is similar to that in Bavaria and made it possible to store ice in winter and cool the fermentation tanks down to 4 to 9 degrees Celsius year-round, which is necessary for bottom-fermentation.
Bavarian beer had an excellent reputation, and Bavarian brewers were considered the masters of their trade. Thus, the citizens of Pilsen not only built a new brewery, but also hired Josef Groll, a Bavarian brewer. Josef Groll's father owned a brewery in Vilshofen in Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria
Lower Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state.- Geography :Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions - Landshut and Donau-Wald. Recent election results mark it as the most conservative part of Germany, generally giving huge...
and had long experimented with new recipes for bottom-fermented beer. On 5 October 1842, Groll produced the first batch of Urquell beer, which was characterized by the use of soft Bohemian water, very pale malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
, and Saaz
Saaz hops
Saaz is a "noble" variety of hops.It was named after the Czech city of Žatec . This hop is used extensively in Bohemia to flavor beer styles such as the Czech pilsener.Saaz hops accounted for more than 2/3 of total 2009 hop production in the Czech Republic....
hops. It was first served in the public houses Zum Goldenen Anker, Zur weißen Rose and Hanes on 11 November 1842, and was very well received by the populace.
Josef Groll's contract with the Bürgerliches Brauhaus (citizens' brewery) in Pilsen expired on 30 April 1845 and was not renewed. Groll returned to Vilshofen and later inherited his father's brewery. The Pilsen brewery was directed by Bavarian brewers for nearly sixty years until 1900.
Josef Groll died on 22 October 1887, aged 74. He died at the regulars' table of the public house Wolferstetter Keller in Vilshofen, drinking beer.
The Groll brewery no longer exists. Parts of the brewery, however, were acquired by Wolferstetter, another brewery located in Vilshofen. Wolferstetter still produces a Josef Groll Pils.