Time to Take Your Pils

A recurring theme somewhat of late has been pilsner style lager, and my ongoing efforts to find an American brewed pilsner which is both worthy of the name "pilsner" and bears more than a passing resemblance to those I drank day in and day out in the Czech Republic. Regular readers will no doubt be aware of my misgivings, but I am always happy to try a new beer, and so when a couple of commentators made some recommendations, off I went to the shop to buy more beer for the cellar.

As I have done before, I decided to do a blind tasting, with my beautiful assistant, Mrs Velkyal, in charge of pouring duties. This time though I was drinking beers new to me, although Victory Prima Pils was a beer I had had a couple of times before, though both times in a buzzed fug, so I wanted to get to grips with it when my head was fairly clear.

Pils A (a la Cyclops)

• Sight - pale golden with a large frothy white head
• Smell - grass, flowers, lemons
• Taste - bready maltiness, slight butteriness, could use more hops
• Sweet - 3/5
• Bitter - 2/5

Pils A was a nice enough beer, the kind of beer which I wouldn't turn my nose up at, but also not one I would rush across town and country to buy. A barbecue beer if you will.

Pils B

• Sight - straw coloured, decent head which vanishes relatively quickly
• Smell - grass and flowers
• Taste - good hoppy bite up front, backed up by a grainy malt body, crisp
• Sweet - 2/5
• Bitter - 3/5

Another nice, refreshing lager, the hoppy bite was particularly welcome, definitely something I would drink many times again.

Pils C

• Sight - darker gold, large, tight, white head
• Smell - very yeasty, baked bread
• Taste - very fruity, almost like jam, heavy butter
• Sweet - 3/5
• Bitter - 1.5

Pils C reminded me in many ways of the lagers from Chyně, which while being well made and popular with many back in Prague, simply aren't my thing because of the hefty dose of diacetyl.

As I hadn't had a couple of the beers before, there was no way I was going to try and guess which was what, so I simply ranked them as I preferred them, which turned out to be as follows:

1. Victory Prima Pils - pils B
2. Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils - pils A
3. Lagunitas Pils - pils C

Next up then must be the inevitable taste comparison between the Prima Pils and Little Yella Pils and a few Czech lagers, to be picked up when I am next in South Carolina, next week in fact - in particular Budvar. The journey continues on.