BeerBorg

This is part beer review, part personal reflection.

I went out this afternoon to get the ingredients I needed to make barbecue sauce this weekend. But as long as I was at the store, I figured I'd check out their beer selection. They've incorporated a lot more craft brews recently, so I wanted to see what they had.

Well, I couldn't really make up my mind what I was in the mood for until my eye fell upon Victory Prima Pils; their version of a German Pils. I respect Victory; I've had their beer before, and they know their stuff. Heck, I even have their tee-shirt! But the really important thing to me is that one of my entries in Homebrew Alley VIII is my Pearly Pils; my version of a German Pils. It occurred to me that Victory's Prima had to be a good representation of the style, as well as a commercially viable beer. So I bought it.

Clear and very light straw color, with a moderate white head which dissipates fairly quickly. Not much lacing. Aroma is balanced between hops and malt. Definite European hops, although I can't tell exactly which. Taste is crisp and bracing with the hops bitterness not dominant, but a little forward, with the malt sweetness coming through after the swallow, mingling with a lingering bitterness. Very pleasant and refreshing.

This is close to what I achieved with my own Pearly Pils. Because of my own superstition, I've held back two remaining bottles of Pearly Pils for competition weekend, when I will drink them as a karmic influence. But I think I'll actually do a side-by-side comparison between my own German Pils and an example of the style which the BJCP includes in their Style Guidelines. (Holy flurkin' schnit! )

I love that beer.

If was to guess, I'd say Pilsner Malt, Tettnang, Halleratuar, and Saaz. Maybe a touch of Vienna if you aren't going to do a decoction mash of the Pilsner to give it a bit more maltyness. I do think the late hop quantities are pushing close to 2x what would normally be in most more old school German pilsners, more along the lines of a Bohemian pilsner. That doesn't make it bad, it's what make me like it so much.

I wasn't sure about the Saaz, but definitely Hallertau and Tettnang, which are the two I used in my recipe. I used more Hallertau than Tettnang, and the Victory may be reversed, but I'm sure they're both present.

I went with a very simple malt bill; just Pilsner malt and a little bit of Crystal for body and stability. I was initially concerned about the head dropping as quickly as it does, and the minimal lacing, but I notice the Prima behaves pretty much the same way.

Well, I've got two weeks until the judging, and we'll see how I did then.