Like drinking around EPCOT's World Showcase? A new attraction has opened for themed entertainment fans who would like to take things to the ultimate level and drink around the world, literally.
Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience has opened in Prague. It's the latest brand home experience from BRC Imagination Arts, which previously developed Absolut Home in Sweden, the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh, and Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. And if you need a break from the adult beverages on your global drinking tour, BRC worked on the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, too.
"The first batch of Pilsner Urquell was brewed on October 5, 1842. Now - 180 years later - we are bringing the full story of Pilsner lager to Prague through the Pilsner Urquell Experience," Rudolf Šlehofer, Craft and Heritage Director at Plzenský Prazdroj, the brewery that produces Pilsner Urquell, said.
"Beer is a huge part of the city’s culture so we wanted to tell the story of not only Pilsner Urquell, a Czech icon, but also the larger story of beer coming to Europe and the Czech Republic," Christian Lachel, Chief Creative Officer for BRC Imagination Arts, said. "Guests are invited to discover the origins of first ever golden pilsner, how it’s crafted today, how to pour it perfectly (with foam, the Czech way), and much more."
Set within a historic heritage structure on Prague's Wenceslas Square, the 90-minute The Original Tour [starting at CZK 490, or US$22.84] includes a multimedia look at the beer's history, a 360-degree interactive game zone, and a Pilsner Urquell tasting in the Beer Hall.
"We developed a new state-of-the-art audio guide system with Tonwelt that allows guests to experience the brand home story in eight different languages simultaneously. The devices are over the ear, but not on the ear, which allows for visitors to still engage and have conversations with friends and family," Lachel said.
"We’re also excited to host live performances, or what we call ‘Tapster Shows’ in our Beer Hall, which activate the space with trivia, songs, celebrations, and Tapster competitions. This ensures every visitor leaves having had an authentic Czech bar experience."
Timed tickets are available on the Pilsner Urquell: The Original Beer Experience website.
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I'm always up for a beer tour experience, but disappointed that this is not located at or near an actual brewery. When we were in Prague 11+ years ago, we actually visited a pub called The Beer Museum that had dozens of rotating taps dedicated to brews from around the world with knowledgeable servers that would describe each of the beers. In a city dominated by 2 local companies and an American imposter (Pilsner Urquel, Czechvar, or Budvar, which is Budweiser), most pubs only have a few taps that are provided by the brand identified by the sign on the outside of the establishment, so the Beer Museum is a bit of an oddity (or at least it was when we visited - might not be anymore). On the same trip we did the Carlsberg Brewery experience in Copenhagen, which I believe was also createdd by theme park designers.
We attempted to visit Cadbury World in Birmingham (now operated by Merlin), but weren't able to secure a reservation on short notice when we had an unexpected gap in our itinerary. England is pretty strict about underage guests, so we weren't able to do any brewery tours last month since we had a teenager in tow.
Here in the states, we've obviously been to World of Chocolate in Hershey, and have done the Jelly Belly factories in both California and Wisconsin, and various other food factory tours on our travels. I've also been to a number of different breweries around the US including AB Breweries in Fairfield, CA, Fort Collins, CO, Williamsburg, VA, and St. Louis, MO.
I do find it interesting that food factory tours and experiences have been vanishing (or becoming more generic) over the past decade or so (really declined during the pandemic for obvious reasons), so it[s good to see a company understanding the power of branding. A few "free" samples can go a long way.
We visited the Johnny Walker on Princes Street and it was neat, though I'll say you can almost certainly find a cheaper, less touristy way to check out the incredible variety of scotch (and gin!) around Edinburgh.
@Jacob - I have not visited Johnny Walker, but the company frequently tours their brand experience around the US in major cities. I think I've done the traveling experience a half dozen or more times (though they haven't had one since the pandemic), and all but once, they've finished the tasting flight with Blue.
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Anyone have a favorite among these beer/wine/whisky experience/tour attractions that they would like to recommend?