Review: Victory Prima Pils

In Beer Reviews by Ryan

Victory says:

“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.”

Victory Prima Pils
German Pilsner, 5.3% ABV

Sayeth the Guys:

Ryan: Apparently over 1,500 reviews of this beer on beer advocate weren’t enough to sway me to try this sooner.  I see it almost every time I’m in the beer aisle and every time I pass over it because, well, because it’s just a pilsner.  Pilsner’s aren’t exciting, right?.  Now that 750ml, corked and caged, bottle of bourbon barrel aged/blended/herb infused/imperial anything – that’s exciting.  I know I have written about my appreciation for the quality and predictability of a good pilsner but sometimes the draw of a shiny new “limited release” beer has more of a pull than a predictable one.

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I finally tried the Prima Pils during our fantasy football draft after Andrew & I paired down from our choices of beer for the first round.  I had it again over the weekend to refresh my palate.  It poured a nearly translucent straw yellow in color with the faintest bit of head that retreated quickly.  The nose is almost all hops.  This beer smells like early spring, after the snow melts, and its warmed up enough to mow your lawn.  Loads of floral and grassy hops with just a hint of spiciness.  The hops are very present as you sip on this one, citrus, grassy and earthy flavors dominate.  There is a bit of malt on the back-end to help smooth things out.

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What really set this beer apart from other pilsners is its mouthfeel (hate using that word).  Prima Pils was a little heavier than other pilsners I’ve tried.  And I liked it.  And don’t let that turn you off from trying it.  It wasn’t “stout” heavy but there was more to the body of this beer than the average pilsner.

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The moral of this story; don’t pass on a pilsner just because you think it will be predictable.  The Prima Pils is far from it.

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About the Author

Ryan

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Equal parts beer nerd and policy geek, Ryan is now the curator of the Guys Drinking Beer cellar. The skills he once used to dig through the annals of state government as a political reporter are now put to use offering unique takes on barrel-aged stouts, years-old barleywines and 10 + year verticals.

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