Victory Prima Pils

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Pilsener
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

Pours a very pale gold with a thin snow white head. Not much head retention but some persistent lace. Fizzy but not overly so. Smells of grassy pale malt. Nice hop aromas, floral and citrus in the nose. Taste is grassy and with a crisp, bitter hops finish. Floral and hints of grapefruit in the flavor profile. While crisp, the malt is actually a bit sticky in the mouth. I would like the mouth to be a bit more crisp and the stickiness to be muted but this is a damn tasty pilsener anyway. Really smooth and very drinkable. Oh how refreshing this beer is on a warm Georgia afternoon and oh how bitter I will be when this six-pack is gone and there is no more Victory of any kind to be found in this state.

Bottle. Not the kind of brews I usually drink but I think if all Pils were made like this I would drink them more. Crisp, light, and happy.

12 oz bottle. Pours a hazy straw color with a bountiful white head. Aroma is of soft floral hops, with an emphasis on Saaz. Notes of grass and light malt. Flavor is very sharp with a great hop bite and finishes very clean. There is also a strong german malt backbone to it that comes out in mid swallow. This is what a true pilsner ought to taste like. Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated with a light fizziness. This is just a great refreshing knock your socks off beer. An American classic.

Draft at Gordon Ramsay’s at the London, New York. Great that even two star restaurants have craft beers nowadays. Full malty flavour, hoppy aroma, dry crisp finish. An ideal food companion.

12 oz. bottle. Clear golden hue with beautiful white head, well maintained. Refreshing malt flavor well balanced by floral hops, most likely Saaz. Dry in the finish, an excellent example of the style.

12oz bottle. Pours a hazy yellow color; fluffy white head with solid lacing. Lively citrus and herbal / grassy hops in the aroma; not an overwhelming hop bomb, but crisp and lightly-sugared with the slightest hint of resin. Medium mouthfeel: some chewy citrus at the forefront (resiny, lightly acidic), with lively carbonation and a creamy dough character underneath; a beautiful palate (striking a delicate balance between hop zing and malt density and drinkability) that smooths out into a soft, doughy and yeasty finish. An excellent pils. Clean, well-built, and immensely drinkable.

UPDATED: OCT 2, 2006 12oz bottle at Williams in Uptown, Minneapolis. Poured gorgeous, bright straw-blonde into a shaker glass with a small, creamy white head and a hint of chill haze that quite enhanced the color. Aroma is wonderful without being too obtrusive: crisp and lightly hoppy, pleasant teensy whisp of DMS. Flavor is bitter and fairly crisp with just the right faint touch of DMS. Bright hop bitterness but not quite the clean, spicy hop flavor I’d expect in a pilsner. There is a surprising rich maltiness but without sweetness. Finish is moderately long and dry, quite refreshing, with lingering bitterness. Palate is rich and velvety but not heavy, very surprising and quite nice (though it does make the beer a bit less quaffable than a traditional pils). Overall the hop flavor is somewhat lacking the classic pilsner character but the beer is otherwise superb.
After finishing the glass, I noticed "Enjoy By Nov 21 05" on the label, which may explain the missing hop flavor. I hope to try a fresher bottle sometime, because I was very impressed on the whole.
Subsequent fresher bottles have showed excellent spicy hop character. This is probably my favorite beer suitable for everyday drinking with food (sorry, Stone IPA!)

Victory Prima Pils 12 oz bottle Medium pour in a Pilsner glass Recent brewing, primed 11/06 Poured a hazy bright yellow with an average white mostly lasting frothy head. Smelt of moderate bread, dough and perfume. Taste was upfront moderate pine and light sweet pineapple followed by a strong pine bitterness and a light white bread kick on an long bitter flowery finish. Palate was light to medium bodied, crisp and dry, fizzy and lightly astringent. Overall, this is what a pilsner should taste like. No doubt.