H.B.M. Pilsener

H.B.M. Pilsener is the founding commercial expression of Heineken's brewing ambition. When Gerard Adriaan Heineken formally incorporated Heineken's Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij (HBM) on 11 January 1873, the company began producing its first bottom-fermented pale lager. Early labels carried the H.B.M. company abbreviation rather than the Heineken name. The beer won the Medaille d'Or at the International Maritime Exhibition in Paris in 1875, and the Grand Prix at the Paris Expo in 1889. The A-yeast strain that defines Heineken's flavour was developed by Dr. Hartog Elion in 1886. The precise year the label transitioned from H.B.M. to Heineken Pilsener has not been confirmed and is left blank to preserve archival integrity.