Prima Pils - Victory Brewing Company

BillyB

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is one of the best american pilsners I have ever tasted. Enjoyed on tap fresh at the Victory Brewpub in Downingtown, PA.

Appearance: A beautiful straw to golden yellow color with a thick creamy, frothy white head.

Aroma: Piney hop and citrus, vanilla?, melon?

Taste: Fantastic citrusy hop taste with a hint of vanilla or melon. Excellent bitter/sweet balance.

Overall: Incredibly drinkable. This is the beer that could convert bud and coors drinkers to craft beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2006 21:20:52 | More by BillyB

barrelman

New York

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I hadn't had a pilsner in quite awhile and this was refreshing after two large Thanksgiving feasts. Poured clear with descent head that stuck around for a little while. Golden and parkling.

Aroma was great with subtle hops over sweetness. Mouthfeel was good, just a little chewy; a definite plus.

The taste was a thorough cleansing of the post-turkey palate that was both enjoyable and easy going down.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2005 04:43:33 | More by barrelman

jaluria

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A golden beauty with very minimal head that remains for just a few seconds. Excellent carbonation that gives the impression of champagne. Aromas of yeast, malt, grains, and hops. The taste is an excellent example of this style with it's crisp, bitter taste upfront followed by a dry finish. Hop bitterness dominates the malt, but both flavors are detectable. The carbonation simply addes to the dry, hop profile. The aftertaste is quite bitter, but not unpleasant or overly dominant. A refreshing beer with good taste. I can easily have a few of these.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2005 14:15:39 | More by jaluria

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

4.8/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Beautiful golden body, clear with a huge rocky and foamy pure white head. Aroma is grassy, full on Saaz: spicy and flowery, herbs and bready hay. Milder than expected, but I love the saaz here or maybe it had been too long since I last smelled it. Tongue-biting body, airy, creamy, great support fom a good medium body. Malt bite early on, in a honeyish fashion, but most of the flavor development is all about the flavorful saaz that makes us believe we’re actually chewing on flowers and some lemon peaks. Something makes me say hallertau too, but I’m no expert at picking hops used. Extremely refreshing and crisp. Wonderful beer for a hot day.
Re-tried on tap at the Gingerman (NYC) and I was very impressed once again by the fragrant hoppiness of that one. Bottles don’t keep their freshness very long, but this particular pint was vibrant with floral, herbal, spicy hops that overcame the soft, biscuity malts. Immensely dry and satisfying to me hence the score bumping up.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2005 01:32:20 | More by Rastacouere

Oxymoron

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Victory first introduced Prima Pils with 2 other beers in NC, sampled at Tylers on the first day it was available. Pours a very vibrant yellow color with a clear complexion, good head retention and limited lacing. The smell was sweet with citrus notes and some herbal scenes as well.

The taste was crisp, dry and hop. No skunk flavors and very easy to drink. A great malt backing with a good mix of malt that has more of an American style feel. The hop is very floral and crisp. The malt is the stronger of the two flavors. I think that what this beer has going for it is that it is super easy to drink, the flavor is smooth with out the European skunk and its easy to get.

Not only did I sample this as soon as I could (per NC, oh and Pop the Cap was still in effect), I picked some up for later. A great example of a pilsner, or at least a pilsner on vacation in America.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2005 02:48:45 | More by Oxymoron

rousee

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear gold color with a very impressive head of frothy lemon merengue pie like cap-- 2 finger thickness. Holds quite well. Smell is malt with some standard pilsener hops (Saaz?). There is an earthy quality on the nose also.

Taste is that of a real solid gold colored beer. Nothing fancy here, just clean malt with some more pilsener hops. There is a slightly skunky character but it is very subdued. It does have a lemony finish. The mouthfeel is smooth and tingly. A little on the sour side but pleasant. Extremely drinkable beer. Seems like it would be very versatile for pairing with food. I think I may actually prefer the bottled version on this one but this draught is quite good too.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2005 22:18:04 | More by rousee

charlatan

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm not a pilsener man, but this was a balmy evening, I had reviewed every other craft beer at my Monday haunt and I fancied something refreshing for a change.

The head dissipated quickly while I was trying to make the colour out (possibly straw) in the dark, smoky premises which also affected my nasal test. I did pick out a surprising citrus tone though.

This was the best tasting pilsener I have downed. It was crisp, although would have been better with a little more carbonation. Its wonderful hop flavour mixed well with a subtle sweetness, and there was a slightly creamy element too.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: on-tap

07-21-2005 00:10:11 | More by charlatan

marcobrau

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Perhaps the hoppiest pilsner I've ever had. (I swear that this beer had slight green tinge to its golden hue.) The aroma is wonderfully spicy. Hops show themselves quite a bit in this pilsner, but mostly in the middle and in the nose. The bitterness is apparent, but not as striking as one might expect. The malt flavor is crisp and clean. The mouthfeel is smooth and the body firm. Perhaps a bit fuller bodied than most German pilsners that this beer seems to imitate, but what more can you ask for in a microbrewed pilsner beer?

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2005 03:02:03 | More by marcobrau

Backer2004

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Great German Pilsner that was only $2.50 a pnt last night at the Flying Saucer in Charlotte. Enough head and lacing and tons of carbonation that tickled the tongue. Smooth tasting, with hints of honey and clove. One of the best, if not the best, tasting pilsners I can recall. Though it could be a session beer, I had this last after a long evening of tasting and took a bit longer to finish. Keep cooler than room temperature.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2005 19:16:08 | More by Backer2004

RockyTopHeel

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tasted on tap at Brixx, 6/2/05.

Golden in color with a thin layer of white foam (at least, by the time it reached my table, the head had reduced) and an appropriate amount of carbonation.

Soft, herbaceous aroma with a strong hops presence. Taste is similar, with layers of herbal flavors and crisp, dry hoppiness sitting atop a soft depth of malts that round out the flavor in the mouth.

All in all, I'm very, very happy that Brixx added this beer to their lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2005 15:49:35 | More by RockyTopHeel

maybrick

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow What a GREAT PILS! I decided it was time to revisit this one after the very flattering NY Times Article. This brew maybe the best Pils in the world right now.

Color is perfect. Nose while delicate has a definite and detectable balanace of malt and hop. The taste is just over the top. Sublte sweetness on the front end with an exceptionally clean, crisp, and dry back end. Carbonation on draft was excellent leaving nice lace rings down my pint glass. Great beer!

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2005 17:26:57 | More by maybrick

Dithyramb

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Had Saturday night at JD’s Smokehouse in Baltimore. It was just tapped and I was probably the only person to order it that day. My first time to enjoy Prima pils on tap, having previously giddily gulped it all summer at the shore

Appearance: Pours a strikingly clear yellow with only a few rows of carbonation on the sides. Lacing was evident throughout the pint.

Smell: Sweet with floral hops
Taste: Crazily smooth and drinkable. Has a strong hop profile that is held somewhat in check by chewy malt. Hops kept it slightly bitter, but they were very floral in nature. Not as hoppy as I remember with the bottle version, but still pretty darn tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2005 17:54:29 | More by Dithyramb

ithacabaron

California

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From the brewery's tap, into my growler, into my car, and then, a half-hour later, into me.

Pours a perfect bright golden color, with twirling, incredibly small bubbles into my pilsner flute. There is a small, respectable head that soon settles down into the classic pilsner edging. Perfect for the style.

Smell is all Perle and Styrian Golding hops, so clean and clear, and recognizable -- I've brewed with these types, and this is like breathing in the aroma of a fresh bag of their flowers.

Taste is surprisingly mellow -- much more mellow than the bottled version, with a light sweet underbelly of malt for the hops to soak in. This is like drinking each of the elements of the beer separately. The devastatingly clean finish of the lager yeast makes every ingredient apparent, and every one able to be appriciated.

Mouthfeel is good, spritzy yet calm enough to let the brew come into contact with the palate consistently. I would like maybe a smidge of more carbonation, but I'm happy with this.

Drinkability is great -- you could enjoy this all day.

This differs from the bottled version, in that it is less brash and grassy, and more of the "complete package," as they say. It's hard to say which I would prefer -- only that I would love either after a long summer afternoon cutting the lawn. Delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2005 05:41:15 | More by ithacabaron

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-Tap at Victory.

A wonderful golden pilsener beer. This brew is a nice golden colour with a good head. The aromas are of fresh german hops and light bready malts in the background. Make no mistake this pils is a hop monster. The taste is hoppy up front and very fresh. The hops have a wonderful floral flavor and they almost taste 'green'. The malt flavors peak their heads around the corner of this brew before the hops pummel your tongue with a drying finish. The mouthfeel is spritzy and medium bodied and the drinkability is excellent to boot. An awesome pils. One of the best!

Serving type: on-tap

11-01-2004 23:33:54 | More by francisweizen

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was better on tap than my several bottle experiences. Golden in color, I also got a thin white head. I thought there was more malt in the aroma than any hops. Initial taste was of pleasing malt sweetness, with some good flowery hops as well. I did think that dropped out a bit, and I detected some grainy notes in the finish. I also appreciated the crisp carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2004 17:44:34 | More by PatandDavid

Truh

New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked a pint of pickled peppers with this one on 7/12/2004. 16-oz. pour at Redbones in Somerville, MA.

Frothy, initial quarter inch head with light lacing through the remainder. Crystal clear and golden with constant action going on, mesmerizing. Applejacks and juicy mango sweetness on the nose; hints of hop character. Crisp and thin body, though thin in this context still means more body than any of the macro-pils. Gentle sweetness and light hop profile make this a devastatingly endearing pilsener, to the point that I would make it an every day selection, well, at least for a pilsener.

Serving type: on-tap

08-30-2004 20:37:35 | More by Truh

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a straw pilsener color with a fluffy, white head that sticks around for a bit and then dissipates into a thin layer of lace atop the beer. Real grassy, spicy floral Saaz hop aroma. Decent pils malt backbone evident, too. Very hoppy and dry for a pils, not unlike Jever, yet even hoppier. A bit dry and bitter in the finish which just adds to its drinkability because it demands that one's palate should have another sip. This is not only the finest US-brewed pilsener I've experienced, it competes with its German and Czech counterparts quite nicely. This beer rocks. It is so balanced in all the right places. Pilseners, believe it or not, are one of the hardest styles of beer to brew to the point of exactness (a quality one that is), and, again, Victory's right on target.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2004 03:13:03 | More by crookedhalo

wyllder

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at the Moan and Dove.

Pours a clear, pale gold, deeper than your average pils, with a 1/4 inch pocked, white head that settles down a bit and leaves a clinging lace along the side of the glass as you go.

Nose is a fresh, summer sawgrass or hayfield smell with a sweet lemon zest hiding in the background. On tap it's bit milder, more open than the bottle.

First hit on the palate is hoppy, less so than the bottled version, but still more agressive than most pilsners. The malt seems to be there quicker off tap, too, balancing it out nicely. Finish is clean, still leaving some sawgrass bitterness, malty sweetness and lemon-zest tang on the palate to invite you for the next sip.

Mouthfeel is clean & crisp. Carbonation is mild but with just enough bite to lend itself well to the flavoring. A little less bite on tap makes this just a bit more pleasant in the mouth, and is the only place my rating changes from the bottled version.

Drinkability doesn't get any better.

Wyll-

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2004 13:46:31 | More by wyllder

ramrod666

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

this brew pours a dark gold with a lacy 1" head that retains fairly well. lacing is heavy. smell is saaz hops crazy . taste is also very hoppy for a pilsner but, delicious. perfect for a hot day. had a half a dozen at chestnut st. cafe (sharon, pa) after work. paired great with the rueben i was eating. mouthfeel was good. nice carbonation. very drinkable. recomended on draft...terrific.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2004 20:34:36 | More by ramrod666

pezoids

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I enjoyed a few of these at the BA rally at Victory.
This is a rare and special version of their popular pilsner. It is unfiltered and poured a light and golden straw yellow. It had a touch of murkiness, but retained some of the bright translucency of the regular Prima. White and cream-like head topped this beer off. Beautifully soft and sweet citrus and floral hop aroma. This version loses some of that sharp hop crispness that I’m familiar with, but the softer hop presence just seems perfect for this beer. Soft maltiness and ultra smooth on the tongue. Mein Gott! I am a huge fan of regular Prima, and this version really takes the gloves off – as if to say “I dare you to try and make something this good!”

A wonderful beer on all counts.

Serving type: cask

03-29-2004 23:25:29 | More by pezoids

UnionMade

Colorado

4.83/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The beer is a pale, limpid golden yellow, incredibly bright and clear, with tons of cheerful bubbles rising to feed the head. The head is a thick froth of small, even sized bubbles, dying down to a thick mist upon sitting. The head leaves some blobby lace, but dies to a meager ring about halfway through. The head retention is perhaps my only complaint with the brew.
The aroma is just fantastic. Very clean pils malt supports a huge peppery saaz spiciness. There's really nothing quite like fresh saaz hops. A touch of cornbread to the malt, with a light lemony fruitiness. The hops are barely balanced, but I'm not complaining. Perhaps some tettnang spiciness, as well.
The flavor starts with smooth, angular pils malt, just a touch of graininess and some fresh corn. Frisky, effervescent carbonation adds a sparkle to the lightish medium body, carrying the beer in style. A faint lemony citrus seeps in, with an agressive, clean hopping blasting through the finish. Very spicy, peppery and tangy, with a bit of an herbal, floral german tettnang feel in the long, hoppy finish. The malt does a fine job of supporting the hops, a bit bready, allowing them to roam free but not get into too much trouble. The finish snaps off clean with an effervescent zing, leaving you with little to no aftertaste.
Finding a bottle of this that's not expired is nearly impossible around my area. I jumped at the chance to try this on tap, and I was not disappointed. One of the best american made pilseners, if not the best.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2004 13:54:22 | More by UnionMade

mschofield

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a perfectly clean gold with a tight small bubbled head.
A spicy light sulfur aroma, great pilsner aroma, lemon, spice and herbs.
Malty taste, very light malt and apple, spicy and citrus (grapefruit)hops.
Light, crisp and dry, better than imported pilsners. I can't wait to try this with food, it should be awesome sitting on the deck in the summer with the grill going.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2004 20:22:30 | More by mschofield

rdrummer

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This probably pales only by comparison to the other tap beers at the brewery. It is a nice clear, golden beer with small white head and almost no lacing. It smelled of hops and other grains. It had a more bitter taste (good thing) than most pilseners. I liked the hoppiness and the bite of it, but I caught a slightly off taste that came after swirling and swallowing. This will not be my choice of beers when I go back.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2003 00:19:21 | More by rdrummer

Boto

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draught @ Victory: The beer is a straw golden in color, with quite the white head. What an aroma: the beautiful smell of hops. An excellent Pilsner. Someone should send a couple cases of this over to Miller so those bozo's can taste a "real" pilsner, and maybe they will stop advertising Miller Lite as one!

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2003 13:55:47 | More by Boto

dmarch

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The hop on the label is very appropriate for this beer. The crystal clear golden color and the fluffy white head are absolutely beautiful. This is why the style was devoloped in the first place. Aroma is of saaz hops as a pilsner should be. The taste is very hoppy, IPA level hoppy. For my taste this is fantastic, but I didn't feel the level of hops fits the style. And that's pretty much the only fault of this beer, but if I based my review on personal taste alone, it would be a 5 for taste.

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2003 11:35:50 | More by dmarch