mrkstvns's Full Review: Victory Brewing Prima Pils
It's been a while since I've done a serious study of the pilsner style, but I got the chance a few nights ago when I got together with a couple serious beer geek friends for a roundtable evening of tasting and sampling and chatting about nothing other than pilsner beers. We rounded up five classic beers for side-by-side comparisons, and all poured from 12-ounce bottles obtained from sealed cases (no risk of light damage, even for brands with green bottles). Victory Prima Pils represents 1/5 of the evening's indulgence into the world of pilsner beers...
About Pilsners...
The most common style of beer in the world, yet elusively tough to get perfect -- that's pilsner for you. In its most classic form, pilsner is firmly malty with a strong Saaz hop aroma and flavor as defined by Pilsner Urquell -- the masterpiece against which every other pilsner must measure itself. In Germany and Holland, pilsners continue to emphasize brilliant clarity and light color with a hoppy bouquet and a crisp driness, but they can vary within a limited range. Most do not emphasize the Saaz character, though none stray far from a true noble hop nose. Most are a bit softer and somewhat less crisp than Urquell, though again, none stray too far off the mark. There are enough variations in European pilsners to keep drinkers on their toes, but not so much that they'd stand out without close examination.
Pilsners are not heavy beers -- they're usually brewed to roughly normal gravity (which is defined as 12 degrees Plato, more or less) with normal alcohol levels. According to the label, Prima Pils is 5.3 percent by volume, putting it squarely into the "normal" alcohol range for beers of this class.
Generally, crisp, hoppy, cleanly brewed pale lagers -- that's what we're looking for, and if you're looking for more details on what makes a "perfect" pilsner, you can read on in my deeper discussion of the stylistic fine points.
About Victory Brewing...
Do you know Victory? They're one of America's best small craft breweries, though they've only been around since the late 1990s. Located in Downingtown, near both the Philadelphia market and the graceful Pennsylvania Dutch country, it's an area steeped in gentility and good taste. At the brewery's helm are two enthusiastic young professionals, both with experience in two of the mid-Atlantic region's great lager craft breweries (Ron Barchet was formerly a brewer at Dominion in Virginia, while Bill Covaleski was formerly a brewer at Baltimore Brewing in Maryland). With its focus on German techniques (such as decoction mashing and lager conditioning) and ingredients (they use German 2-row pilsner malt for this beer), this is one craft brewery that cuts no corners -- they do it right, and it shows in every bottle of beer that bears their label. Good people, good equipment, good ingredients -- I guess its no accident that good beers followed...
A Picture of Pilsner Perfection...
There's no question that pilsner glasses frame a picture perfect pils like no other glass ever will, and I think I'll pull down a nice heavy pilsner glass that happens to bear the DeGroens logo. So, let's pop the top and taste away!
Appearance:
Bright golden yellow color like a polished gold ring, crowned by a head of creamy white foam that trails delicate fingers of Belgian lace all the way down to the last sip. Absolute brilliant clarity lets the micro-fine trail of tiny carbonation bubbles stream topwards, glittering in the light like polished diamonds in the sun.
Aroma:
Fresh hops, through and through, with a softly piquant spiciness and just the faintest hint of light green lemongrass. It's a bright hop scent, redolent with the promise of green and yellow bitter joy.
Flavor:
Soft, rounded malt sweetness with just the lightest biscuit-like toastiness remind me of some of the best German pilsners I've ever tasted, yet malt is not the star of this flavor profile. Hops is where it's at, and where the hops are at is tucked away in every possible corner of the flavor profile of this fine pilsner. I get a wonderfully light peppery hop flavor, a nicely dry hop character in the mouthfeel, and of course, a lingering hop bitterness that coats my palate and stays in my thoughts like memories of the soft lips of a beautiful woman long after I've cleaned the telltale lipstick off my shirt collars.
While soft, the beer is also crisply refreshing, with a distinctly dry character. While the hops character is unquestionably dominant in this beer, it's also a work of incredible balance with the malt having ample opportunity for its contributions to be noticed. Hoppy? Yes, but to the point of distraction, no way! It's a thoroughly balanced, thoroughly flavorful pilsner beer.
Overall Impression:
This is a yet another outstanding beer from Victory -- it's lusciously hoppy and flavorful, but balanced enough to represent an authentic interpretation of the classic Czech style. With its hop character planted firmly in the realm of noble-class aroma and flavor, and its technically flawless presentation, Prima Pils is an example of just how good an American-made pilsner can be.
Further Reading...
Here's a few other pilsner reviews that might slake your thirst...
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