Victory Brewing Co - Prima Pils

My friends! It's been a few days! I apologize for having a pretty quiet week up to this point. Even though I had Monday off after a crazy weekend, I've been cramming like crazy for a very important mid-term tomorrow night. Sometimes I have to set priorities. I know, ridiculous. Today's review is about a beer leftover from our Super Bowl party: Victory Brewing Company Prima Pils. Sadly, not for me, but just 'sadly', this is a brew from Pennsylvania. State of the losing Pittsburgh Steelers. Buck up Steeler fans, you always have baseball season and the Pirates to look forward to! Yeah.... the.... Pirates....

The Victory Brewing Company, founded in 1996 in Dowington, PA (just under an hour west of Philly), has a pretty solid availability of year round beers. Two of which, Hop Devil and Golden Monkey, were enjoyed during the Super Bowl Shenanigans party. The "Prima"-donna up tonight is a three time award winner! Two time silver and one time Grand Champ. Sounds like a freaky recipe for something weird.

Pour before you GULP! I wasn't really sure what to expect when I bought this beer, so when it poured a darkish yellow, I thought I was going to be drinking a wheat. I know, I really did like, no research on this before I started drinking it. There seemed to be a very quick burst of carbonation, and a small foamy head, but after that, it leveled out quickly. Not bad, but nothing too special.

GULP! It up! Prima is packed with European hops and German malts. It doesn't have an overbearing smell as you raise up, but you can certainly taste the floral hops. However, as the drinking process progresses, the scent and flavor does start to dwindle a bit. Because of that, it turns in to quite a drinkable beer. At 5.3% ABV, having more than one is definitely do-able.

Grade the GULP! Like I previously mentioned, I didn't do too much research on the Pils before I drank up, but I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. I'd say that the grade on Beer Advocate, A-, is pretty nice. It's light on taste, light on scent, and light on color. That being said, I'm going to give the Prima Pils a low 7, if there is such a thing. Well, now there is. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, and it would work well for a long afternoon outside as a change from the standard macro brewer options. But, if you're looking for something different, don't start here. Sorry guys. Smiley face?

Terrapin Wake 'N' Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

Well I hoped you survived Super Bowl weekend. The Packers won, which I suppose is a good thing since there were multiple Alum's on the team from my University. I have to admit to not watching the second half; not from negligence, but for beer! After "gulping" the usual suspects during the first half, the second half was about breaking out the geographic specials. So we did, in the form of Victory Brewing Co. HopDevil Ale and Golden Monkey; and Leinenkugel Honey Wheat and Sunset Wheat (now affectionately known as the "fruity pebbles beer" - review coming soon). However, none of these fine selections are today's topic of conversation. Instead, I will be reviewing Terrapin's Wake 'N' Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout. Fortunately/Unfortunately I had this beer while out at our typical beer dive (World of Beer) so I was unable to get photos of the bottle and what it looked like in the glass. But never fear beer lovers, I will still be able to deliver the goods. Let's "hop" to it!

Image from http://www.terrapinbeer.com/

Pour before you GULP! Holy mother of chocolate. The Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout (COIS for short) is black. Like, straight up night time with no stars. What was great about it was that the head, as thin as it was, left hints of mocha chocolate coloring. That fact was very telling to what was going to happen during the drinking process.

GULP! It Up! Holy mother of coffee. Wait, did I already use that line? No? Okay I was close. This grandma terrapin did not screw around when making this little black mamba. Right from the get go your senses are pounded with combinations of coffee (a "premium blend of Costa Rican, Guatemalan, & Zimbabwe coffee") and chocolate. It was not thick by any means, the dense color fooling you, but the deep flavors make it an incredibly unique experience. The oatmeal flavor is not very strong, nor is the hop flavoring on the back end. But this multiple award winner is no slack in the alcohol department, weighing in at 8.6% ABV.

Grade the GULP! Stouts and Porters tend to have very unique flavor combinations. The COIS from Terrapin is no different. While you're drinking you may have an urge for vanilla ice cream or chocolate bars, but hold back. Be sure to enjoy a full drink first, then venture into other combinations - which is my plan. While having very intense alternative flavors, the COIS was unbelievable. Up to this point, I had never had a beer like this one. I personally wouldn't recommend having more than one due to the complex flavors, but enjoying one over an extended period is not a bad idea. Grade? 9. Congrats to the Terrapin Wake 'N' Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout for achieving the first 9 in GULP! history. What's the prize? Nothing. Well, maybe a few more purchases. Don't be scurred kiddo's, go give this turtle a shot!