Tettnanger Pils
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

 

Poured into a mason jar from the overpriced Beer Table in Grand Central Station (don't buy your barrel aged rarities there, but they're nice for a bottle / pour for the train).

Appearance: Pours a clear orange-tinged yellow. Fluffy, frothy white head with excellent retention.

Smell: Applejuice tinged sourdough. Some herbal hops in the background. As it warms, a huge fresh baked bread / raw dough aroma settles in and doesn't let up. The soft herbal hop tones really bring out a beautiful character to the dominant bready aroma. Really awesome; I spent most of the life of the glass just holding it to my face and breathing in the goodness.

Taste: Herbal hops with a sweet tinge up front. Pizza dough aftertaste. Up front is a few notches too juicy/watery for my liking, which is unfortunately augmented by this particular noble hop. Sweetish bready finish imbued by some of the same amazing bread character of the aroma. Good IBU kick, which definitely gives some satisfaction, but doesn't really make up for the watery-ness and lack of dryness.

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium bodied. A touch undercarbonated and underattenuated, at least for me. There needs to be some harshness to set this flavor off.

Overall: Very delicately flavored beer. Ironically showcases Tettnanger as a great compliment hop. While the world class malt is pulling its weight, the mouthfeel lets them both down and yields a beer that's too restrained for its own good.

Those complaints aside, the aroma alone makes me not regret getting this. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but this is far from a world class beer which nonetheless speaks of its brewer having world class talent. Always a treat to taste Victory's riffs on traditional German styles, since you can't get these flavors and aromas just anywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beer pours mostly clear with a hint of haze to it with a nice straw color. The pure-white head quickly reduces to almost nothing in a pilsner glass, leaving scant traces of foam along the sides as it disappeared.

The aroma is very mild. It's completely dry: white pepper from the Tettnang hops with no hint of malt affecting the smell.

The first taste is silky-smooth with a hint of graininess. The hops are not as strong as the Prima Pils but they're just perfectly balanced. This may be the driest pilsner I have ever tasted. There's little if any aftertaste. More white pepper on the tongue as well.

As incredible as the Prima Pils is, Victory's Braumeister Tettnanger Pils surpasses it in almost every way. More balanced and easier to drink: this is the kind of pilsner I was looking for when I was in Germany.

Tettnanger Pils ontap @ Victory Brewing

Pours a bright clear golden color, sizable head and lace stickage. Aroma is of German style Tettnang hops grown in the region of Germany bearing the same name. Pungent, stinkin Tettnang. In the flavor, a nice bitterness, German lager characteristics and a rounded hop profile. Tastes like a great pils fresh on tap in Germany, this stuff is authentic. Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing. Overall pretty damn good.

Victory Tettnanger Pils is a immensely delicious, impressive brew brewed from the boys in Downingtown. Imagine Prima Pils with more mouth-watering bitterness with each sip....that is the power of the Tettnang hop. The beer pours golden with striking lacing in the pilsner glass....thoroughly tasty...

Personally: I can not say enough about how much I love this beer....I really wish they bottled this stuff.