There is a quiet tragedy known to every beer lover. You are deep into a evening—perhaps a nail-biting overtime hockey match, a marathon Call of Duty session, or simply a long-overdue conversation on the porch. The bottle feels lighter. The foam ring on the glass has faded to lace. You tilt the bottle one final time, and a shallow, golden pool of Pilsner Urquell—the original golden beer, born in Plzeň in 1842—slides toward the lip.
The game end of a Pilsner Urquell begins long before the glass is empty. It starts with the Wet Foam, or "Mlíko." Unlike the dry, airy foam found on most commercial lagers, the head on a Pilsner Urquell is dense, creamy, and wet. This foam acts as a protective seal, locking in the carbonation and preventing the beer from oxidizing. As you reach the end of the glass, this foam should cling to the sides in distinct rings, known in the industry as "lace." If there is no lace at the game end, the glass wasn't clean or the pour was rushed. pilsner urquell game end