Across the country, suitcases are being packed and business plans written as the finalists in the search for Pilsner Urquell’s Smartest Pub have been announced.

At the end of February each of the finalists will fly to Pilsen, the home of Pilsner Urquell, to seek inspiration from the legendary brewery and present their business ideas on how to develop and grow their business in conjunction with the Czech lager.  The licensee with the winning idea will win £10,000 to help realise their business aspirations. 

Pilsner Urquell devised a competition encouraging consumers to Take the Czech Challenge by solving a puzzle card designed specifically for the beer brand by Mensa, The High IQ Society.  A puzzle card was given to the consumer each time they purchased a Pilsner Urquell.  When solved correctly, the consumer redeemed the winning card in exchange for a complimentary half pint of Pilsner Urquell. 

Each correct consumer entry was automatically entered into a prize draw to win a trip to Prague, and a visit to the famous brewery in Pilsen, and counted towards the pubs score in the Pilsner Urquell Smartest Pub competition.  At the end of each quarter, the cards were counted to see which pubs made it to the top of the leader board.

The finalists are:-

Darren Tendler, Sales Director at Miller Brands said: “Pilsner Urquell’s Take the Czech Challenge promotion has really been embraced by those taking part and we’re delighted with level of interaction from both licensees and consumers. 

“The race for the top spot on the leader board has been a tightly fought contest but The Lorelei in Porthcawl has been consistent in every quarter of the competition.  Now, the really exciting element of the promotion takes place – the business plan presentations.  There is so much innovation in the trade with licensees vying to differentiate their businesses.  With this in mind, we’re looking forward to recognising and rewarding business excellence in the pub trade.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:-

• The Pilsner Urquell Smartest Pub Competition was available to selected draught outlets across England and Wales. 
• ‘Mensa is the High IQ Society and has 23,500 members across the British Isle, with over 110,000 worldwide. Founded in 1946, the only prerequisite for joining Mensa is an IQ in the top two percent of the population. For more information www.mensa.org.uk

Pilsner Urquell

Pilsner Urquell is the world’s first, clear golden beer, created in 1842. Pilsner Urquell means ‘pilsner from the original source’. It is the flagship brand of SABMiller’s international brand portfolio and is the company’s premier contender in the premium status segment of the market.

Named after the town in which it was created, the beer came to define a whole category (Pilsners) and set the standard for all lagers.  At the brewery in Pilsen, Pilsner Urquell is still brewed to its original recipe (unchanged for over 165 years) using the parallel brewing process to ensure that the taste of the beer stays true.  By brewing a sample batch of the beer in the traditional way, using original-style equipment, the beer can then be compared to that which is made using modern equipment to make sure the beers match perfectly – no other brewer in the world does this.

Using the finest ingredients: Saaz hops, malt and Pilsen water, Pilsner Urquell is an intensely hoppy beer with a crisp body and a balance of subtle sweetness with velvety bitterness.

For further information

Emma Currin                                                     
Leisure PR & Communications                                   
(M) 07753 838 490
Email: emmacurrin@leisurepr.co.uk