Prima Pils - Victory Brewing Company

praufs01

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance – Clear, light yellow color with a frothy white head and light lacing.


Aroma – I detected a hint of lemon rind in the smell.

Palate – Lively carbonation that is a little rough.

Flavor – Smooth taste with a light citrus hop finish.

Final thoughts – This is not really my style of beer but I can tell you that I’ve had much better pilsners.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2007 13:10:56 | More by praufs01

Sachsenfreude

Germany

2.73/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

This is the most highly rated German Pils, I had to seek it out and give it a try, afterall I grew up drinking German Pilsners and they are my favorite style.

I'm a self proclaimed master at judging this style and to start on a good note, the malts could not be anymore perfect...well done, really a nice grain bread in the malts without being sweet, only the best of this style can accomplish that. Without argument, this is a super beer but as a German Pilsner, it falls short of what this style is supposed to be.

I can quickly smell and taste the fatal flaw in this beer....HOPS!!! Americans can never seem to get this right. Too much hops and not the proper hops to work with the malts. Good German Pilsners have a spicy and grassy, bitter hop backbone that compliments the malts. This beer has a citrus rind bitter hoppyness that overpowers the malts and leaves the sting of cheap hop pellets in the aftertaste. It's supposed to be a German Pils, not an IPA!

This is slightly paler yellow than other Pils, with a white head that leaves little lacing. Not true to the style but still a tasty drink and one would have no trouble drinking quite a lot of these. This is only so highly rated because so many Americans are hopheads. If one wants a real German Pils, grab a Radeberger!

Still quite pleased with this beer but would not buy it to satisfy a craving for a German Pils. I would rate this very highly as an IPA but if you would excuse me, I'm going to go get a Radeberger. :D

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 18:41:43 | More by Sachsenfreude

Prufrock

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

bottle poured into a pilsner.

crystal clear golden yellow with an inch of foamy white head.

aroma is light; notes of skunk, sugar, lemons and floral hops.

heavy carbonation with a light mouthfeel. crisply bitter taste with an overall refreshing taste. simple, straightforward pilsner; somewhat boring. not even close to as good as Victory's others.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2006 00:25:45 | More by Prufrock

Philousa

California

2.76/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

This pours a very clear pale sunshine yellow. Effervescent with a loose head that dissipates in a hurry. The nose is dominated by honey and nectar. It smells almost too thick/sweet. A slightly nutty aroma comes out with a swirl, tending towards almond. A slight biscuit is way in the back. The flavor starts with bitter grass then moves to a nutty white bread. There is a nectar like bitterness from noble hops, then it gets really bitter and slightly piney. Definitely out of the style, as it lingers for a while. Feel is very slightly watery with a balanced finish.

This is just too grassy and bitter. Chlorophyll comes to mind.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 04:45:55 | More by Philousa

jmshulk

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Poured a nice golden color with a little haziness. Thin white head that dissipated pretty quick.

Aroma: Had a bit of an odd smell. Some hay and some citrus from the hops, but something else that I can't quite identify, but seemed off.

Taste: Not too bad at first, a bit of hoppiness, but left a bit of an aftertaste.

Feel: Light to medium body.

Overall: Best by date well past and probably contributed to a lower quality. I expect more from Victory Brewing. I've always enjoyed their beers and needless to say, I was a bit disappointed that I had picked up a beer with an "Enjoy By" date from a little over a month ago. Will definitely have to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 23:31:13 | More by jmshulk

cheers2beers

Texas

2.8/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a mug

Appearance: This beer pours a yellowish/golden liquid white pillowy head.Lots of laceing on the sides of my glass.

Aroma: The nose is of piney,woody,hops,and old malty scents.This beer is also a bit skunky to me.

Taste: The palate is of,much like the nose,pine,woods,slight hops,the old malts in the finish and even a slight buttered corn flavoring on the tongue.I would even adventure to say a little soy in the finish.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is simple,thin,slightly watery,and bubbly in the finish.

Drinkability: I would not recommend this beer.The price is high for this style.But, if your buying i might have one or two of these.Overall, just not my cup of tea.

-Cheers2Beers

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2005 04:28:52 | More by cheers2beers

bonbright7

New York

2.8/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I chilled it down before popping the top and pouring it into my 50 cl mug. I was very interested in trying this after reading glowing reviews, so it looked good in the glass before the first taste.

It had a light beer taste to it with a zing of hops that was nearly overpowering in grapefruit type of flavors. Was I drinking the hyped beer that I had read too much about? I could see others liking it and a tasting draft might be its saving grace for me at another time, but it was not for me with grilled salmon on the table as I reached for the fridge for another choice.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2006 01:13:25 | More by bonbright7

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.8/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed 4/18/2006 (12oz bottle):

Pours a very light golden yellow colored body with almost no head, white, but diminishing. And has a very malty aroma. An just okay hoppy malty smooth balanced flavor, with a slightly malty aftertaste. Just an okay beer, average.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2009 01:02:20 | More by jujubeast6000

mrfosters

New Jersey

2.83/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a pale gold topped by a foamy head with very good retention.Aroma was slightly grassy with heavy citrus overtones.After everything I've heard about this brew I expected something much better , I was ready for a treat, but actually I found this disappointing.I thought the taste was way too acidic and tangy ,kinda like orange juice.I expect a pilner too be much smoother and more balanced. An o.k.beer ..but just not my taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2004 23:54:26 | More by mrfosters

Enola

North Carolina

2.83/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This is a very thin, light bodied beer. It poured out with a decent head. The color is a cloudy light straw shade. The smell is not much different than a macro. The taste is extremely watered down. You can detect a very slight hop taste. The mouthfeel is on the edge of revolting. The drinkability could not be very high. A brewer such as Victory just plain out missed the mark with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2005 17:21:28 | More by Enola

sstackho

Ontario (Canada)

2.85/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle. Pours a pale straw without much head. Not too much aroma to speak of. Flavour is bit of a letdown. I'm not getting much of the Saaz hops that everyone else speaks of. Aftertaste does not linger as long as preferred. Pilsners certainly have their place in my fridge, but this one isn't standing out for me sadly. Based on all the glowing reviews, I wonder if I got an off batch.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2007 02:41:44 | More by sstackho

kbnooshay

New York

2.88/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Finally my local grocery store carries this! Probably for a limited time. 12 oz bottle, awesome hoppy-green label(love their design). First of all 99% of the pilseners i have had i have hated so lets see what happens with this much loved brew. This poured a light yellow gold color with a nice but small white head. Mediocre lacing. Awesome stringing of tiny bubbles. The smell is not the most impressive to me, sweet yet simple hops. Clean. This has some nice yet very light and sharp hop flavor. Tastier than most pilsners i have had by far, but it certainly tastes very euro. This is drinkable. but i would take Brooklyn's Pilsener over this any day. It tastes similar to ass macro pilseners, its just that you can tell more time and better ingredients into it because there are no disgusting chemical aftertastes. But still, as As SMF said below "this is a functional beer"...at this price I am looking for more than functional. Average to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 06:47:07 | More by kbnooshay

davidsumner

2.88/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I enjoy German Pils/Lagers and with saying that I have to say that I didn't care for this Victory expression very much.

I'm not a hop head and I prefer a more lighter well rounded, balanced Pilsner. I can see how a lot of people would like this though and I'm not saying that it's bad. But for my own personal taste, it's just a little too hoppy and overbearing.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 16:27:54 | More by davidsumner

bier_uber_alles

2.88/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

nice golden pour - good start.. smells like hops and pine. Hmm.. tastes like hops and pine. I'm conflicted, I thought I was drinking a pilsner, not an IPA???

I'm not sure how people can call this a pilsner with a straight face. for the style, the bitterness and profile are way to extreme/off. It's getting really annoying how americans add hops to every damn style of beer and then rave about how awesome it is. nuking beers with hops does not make it better.
I wonder how i'd feel if this beer went by a different name, maybe just Victory Prima. perhaps I'd be more open to liking it, but as it's currently named and marketed, it's a bastardization of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 20:08:26 | More by bier_uber_alles

jvajda

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Nice, unfiltered look and an enourmous head that sticks around for a while. Be careful pouring this one.
Smell: My first impression was of wine-like acidity, but a closer inspection revieled fresh hop tones.
Taste: Acidic sourness uncommon in other pilsners I've tried. I like a grassy pilsner but this one is way too grassy. Maybe a result of the whole flower European hops that were used. It has a very fresh malt character that's difficult to describe, but it conflicts with the hops. Good sweetness is welcome. Overall, it's like a mild and lightly hopped fruit-wine. Unique, but not my favorite. A pilsner should be much more subtle than this.
Mouthfeel: Light in the mouth with appropriate carbonation.
Drinkability: In my oppinion it's way more overwhelming than a pilsner should be, no to mention way more expensive.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2004 05:40:12 | More by jvajda

wanker

Texas

2.9/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pepe La Peu! I thought that I got a skunked sixer until I read several reviews that came to the same conclusion I did -- someone dropped a skunk into this brew.

Dude, where does this overwhelming skunkiness come from? I've never smelled a beer where it was this strong.

Luckily the skunk is less apparent in the taste than the smell. But nevertheless, my second impression of this beer (first being the skunk) was "I sure don't miss lagers."

Hate to say it, but to me this one tasted like one part Miller High Life, one part skunk and one part hops.

...and this from the folks that brought us Storm King! How disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2008 21:40:38 | More by wanker

TheDoorman

New York

2.9/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Mostly clear yellow body with a faint white head that dissipates quickly and minimal lacing. Has a distinctly sweet pale malty aroma. I'm not a big lager drinker, esepcially nto pilsners. This smells like a somewhat refined version of Heineken. More going on with the taste, though I am afraid not in a great way. Some nutty and tartness, but also a real medicinal feel. A good amount of residual biterness for the style, though lacking any definable hop-like citric, floral or earthy flavors. Light, effervescent, watery on the mouth. Very dry. For me, maybe the problem is the style. This is probably a great pilsner, given the ratings, but not for me. The flavor profile is very limited, and the bitter dryness, without any real hop or malt burst just gives the beer an unbalanced and unappetizing feel. I won't be back.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2009 04:02:02 | More by TheDoorman

tempest

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Its been several months since I last had this beer, and I wonder if I might have an old barrel this time around. Looks great, yellow and gold with a nice white head. Smells sweet and a bit hoppy. Taste is similar, but it lacks crisp flavors. The hops dont have much flavor and he malt flavor is pretty plain. It just kind of tastes like a light pale ale. It thought it was okay and it still drank nicely, but this wasn't the beer I expected.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2006 20:45:32 | More by tempest

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light cloudy golden color with nice sized white foamy head. Weak aroma with hints of hops, wheat and citrus. Bland flavor of pilsner malt, subtle hops and straw. Easy drinking session beer that is a little too bland and watered down for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2008 08:35:00 | More by corby112

RJBeverage

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a mug.
A pale yellowy-tan color, with a quickly dissipating white head.
A pleasant if somewhat generic beer smell, nothing jumps out. The taste is tangy, a citrusy bite, but not sweet at all. Hops bitterness is present in the taste and a bit strong in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is thicker than the pale color led me to expect.
If you like the type this may be a good beer for you, but I don't care for the bitter aftertaste that hangs on the tongue. I won't be going back to this one again, but that's just my taste. I wouldn't stop anyone else from drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 19:15:07 | More by RJBeverage

ElGuapo

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

a little spicy and hoppy for me. it was not a bad beer, but i can't say i will buy it again. much like the hop devil, it was a bit much on the sharp side.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2002 09:58:34 | More by ElGuapo

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

2.95/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served at Prime 16 in New Haven, Conn.

A: Poured a clear pale yellow with a strong carbonation and a great white head of foam.

S: Smells faintly of citric hops and mostly Euro lager graininess.

T: Not for nothing, but this isn't that great. I was looking for some aggressive hopiness for a pilsner, but instead, got mostly boring pilsner. That said, it was crisp, clean, slightly hopped and thirst quenching, but not what I was hoping for.

M: Mouthfeel is crisp and carbonated; refreshing.

D: It paired well with my citrus vinagrette dressing, but I probably wouldn't get a six pack of it or re-order it by itself.

Maybe I just got a bad bottle, and maybe I'm biased against pilsners as a boring style to start with, but I just couldn't get into this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2008 17:47:53 | More by Gambrinus1184

ahatch551

Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Clear golden color high carbonation very little head retention.

Slightly hoppy but sour aroma.

Good hop flavor but a little one dimensional, weak malt backbone, not especially well balanced.

Dry mouthfeel, good for style but not exceptional.

Fairly simple beer but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 18:47:58 | More by ahatch551

GreenWBush

Oregon

2.98/5  rDev -27%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Now here's a beer i've been waiting for with baited breath. I get quite angry about the lack of quality session beers to be had in the craft-world, especially the dearth of tasty pilsners. Perhaps my expectations here were just so high for a style so subtle I was setting myself up for a let-down.

Prima Pils pours out of the Hopleaf bar tap a shiny brass with a voluminous head. Its phenomenal head-structure creates a ferocious meringue atop the pitcher.

The aroma is that of lightly toasted grainy malt and huge Saaz-y hops...and not much else. A few plastic flavors make me think 'munich malt'.

Taste is...well, a huge let down. A nice bready - not grainy - malt flavor fills the mouth, then the lime-like citrus hop charge starts. The bitterness is not particularly high, but I just can't get around this odd and off-putting raggedness. Doesn't sit well on the tongue. One pint is plenty. Near-puckering almost sour flavor drags down the score, despite the bartender's claim of a fresh keg.

I appreciate the effort of crafting a flavorful pilsner...just not the actual resulting beer. Perhaps this draft-offering was just an off-batch. I'll look forward to trying this again, however, as legions of Victory fans can't be wrong.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2006 20:09:15 | More by GreenWBush

saradad

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -27%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a 12oz glass, the head forms and dissipates quickly, leaves some lacing down the glass. The color is a lemony yellow with quite a lot of carbonation. The smell is not that impressive, citrusy hops mostly. Nor is the flavor that impressive, not bad but not great. Mostly the citus from the hops overpowers the malt. I really don't think this is a bad brew, but it's certainly not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2008 18:45:56 | More by saradad