Three Taverns collaborates with Pilsner Urquell and Pivovar Proud; travels to the Czech Republic to pour at the Pilsen Liberation Festival.
Three Taverns Brewery recently had the great privilege to collaborate on a beer with the experimental brewery of Pilsner Urquell, Pivovar Proud, and brew a hoppy pilsner for pouring in the Czech Republic at the 2022 Pilsen Liberation festival May 5-8. We first came on the radar of Pilsner Urquell when Senior Development Petr Starý discovered we made a beer called Prince of Pilsen. Prince is our hoppy pilsner that pays tribute to the world’s most influential beer style. Our entire crew was surprised when we received an email one morning from the Pilsen brewery stating it was time for the prince to come home. Per Petr’s request, we sent cans of Prince to the Czech Republic for sampling at their brewery where they gave the Prince high praise and a good tour of the brewery grounds.
Soon after Petr and Pivovar Proud’s Brewing Director, Michal Škoda, invited us to collaborate on a beer and to bring Prince of Pilsen to the city of Pilsen and pour it with them at the Pilsen Liberation Festival in May of this year. When we asked Petr why Pilsner Urquell wanted to create a beer with Three Taverns, he replied, “It was the name of your beer. When I saw you brewed a beer called Prince of Pilsen, I knew I wanted to try the beer. After sampling the beer at our brewery, I knew I wanted to see you guys in the Czech Republic and make a beer together.”
The Pilsen Liberation festival celebrates the liberation of Pilsen from German occupation by the U.S. at the end of WWII. Also known as the Day of Lilacs, on May 6, 1945, the citizens of Pilsen welcomed the American soldiers with lilacs as they entered the city and accepted surrender from the Germans. Under Soviet rule after the war, it was only after the fall of the Soviet Union that Pilsen could recognize America as the true liberators of their city. The first Liberation Festival was celebrated in May of 1990 and now people travel to this festival from all over the world. Every year the city of Pilsen goes back in time nationally to 1945 and celebrates its American liberators with festive parades including a convoy of military vehicles, 1940’s era jazz concerts, commemorations, and reenactments that serve as a reminder to never forget the horrible period of German occupation during WWII and of Soviet oppression during the cold war. With the events in the world today, celebrating liberation and freedom has never felt so important, and the opportunity to pour our own Prince of Pilsen in Pilsen and to brew a beer called Pilsen Liberation with the original pilsner brewery is an honor unlike any other in my nine years of running Three Taverns. When I asked what his favorite part of the festival was this year, Petr was quick to say “the fact that we belong to the West, and now even stronger than before.”
Inspired by our use of Citra for dry hopping Prince of Pilsen, Michal and Lenka Straková (Brewmaster, Pivovar Proud) wanted to brew another version of a hoppy pilsner. We couldn’t have been more excited at this request, and after making plans to brew the beer in Pilsen and Atlanta, our brewmaster, Neal Engleman, worked with Lenka on the translation of the recipe and brewing techniques from one brewhouse to the other. When asked what the pilsner beer means to them, Petr replied that “Pilsner Urquell is the mother and father of all pilsners,” while Neal said, “brewing this historic style with the original pilsner brewery is what dreams are made of.” Pilsen Liberation melds the classic crisp Czech malt and Saaz hop character with the distinctly American aromatic character from the use of Citra and Cascade hops.
After a night of drinking lots of pilsners in Prague, we arrived at Pilsner Urquell on May 7th and were greeted at the famous arches by Petr who quickly took us to the cellars to enjoy the classic, unfiltered Pilsner Urquell from the wooden lager tanks. Soon after we were met by Lenka and Michal and taken to Pivovar Proud, the experimental brewery on the Pilsner Urquell grounds, where we were given a tour of the now converted electrical plant. Of course, the best part of the tour was sampling the impressive variety of experimental styles being brewed by Lenka and her team. While touring Proud we were introduced to a special barrel of Pilsen Liberation that was slated for a ceremonial public tapping at the city square that Saturday as part of the festival activities. This turned out to be the exclamation point on this magical journey. On Saturday, we met Lenka on the brewery grounds and loaded the barrel onto the back of a 1940’s era U.S. Army truck, complete with American soldier reenactors. After joining the soldiers in the back of the truck, we rode past the waving crowds in Pilsen to the great cathedral on the city square. Neal was given the honor of tapping the barrel, and after a successful swing of the wooden mallet, we both poured Pilsen Liberation to a very happy crowd of festival goers. Neal and I agreed this surreal experience was easily one of the best beer moments ever experienced.
After a weekend filled with pub tours and tank pours of Pilsner Urquell, Neal and I returned to Atlanta and immediately started planning for the release of our brew of Pilsen Liberation on June 4th at both Three Taverns’ brewery locations. For this special celebration and beer release, we will be pouring the beer at both locations in the traditional Czech method via the newly installed Czech-made Lukr side pull taps and serving the beer in dimpled Euro-style mugs printed with our Pilsen Liberation logo. The brewery will be selling these mugs in addition to other Pilsen Liberation-themed items.
Pilsen Liberation will be available for purchase at both brewery locations in limited release 16oz 4-pack cans. The cans were designed by Metaleap Creative to reflect the historicity of this important event. Of special note regarding the cans, Pilsner Urquell was so impressed with the design that they requested samples to add to their archive collection at the brewery in Pilsen. After the celebration at Three Taverns on June 4th, limited amounts of the beer will be sent to market in both draft and 16oz. package form.