Saturday, May 29, 2010

333a. Victory Prima Pils

More from Victory; this is our fourth beer from them, including Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil. Elli calls this beer her happy beer discovery of the summer—while she is not normally a big fan of lagers, this one has sufficient hoppiness to keep her interest. She described Prima Pils as just about perfect after a day of gardening. Prima Pils has a clear yellow appearance with a thick white head and a spicy, skunky (grainy and herbal, not spoiled or skunked) nose with just a touch of malt. An overall clean, soft malt profile that is not really sweet, with the sweetness in the beer most present at the start. The middle is where the aggressive hop profile emerges; there are herbal and spicy flavors in the middle, and a distinct bitterness at the end, finishing very crisp, clean, and dry. Low levels of graininess emerge in the front and middle as the beer warms. Prima Pils has a light and dry body with a slight puckering hop component; the vigorous carbonation compliments the beer and contributes to the crispness. As well, the softness of the body in terms of the malt profile is bolstered by the carbonation and closing bitterness. Very refreshing—Prima Pils has an enjoyable hop presence, and lacks (but is not missing) the grainy breadiness of many lagers. Excellent and thirst quenching after a few hours of yard work. From the Victory website: “Heaps of hops give this pale lager a bracing, herbal bite over layers of soft and smooth malt flavor. This refreshing combination of tastes makes Prima a classy quencher in the tradition of the great pilsners of Europe.” ABV: 5.3%

Malts: 2-row German Pilsner

Hops: German and Czech whole flowers (5/29/2010)

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