Garage Project X Victory ‘Air Drop’ NZ Hopped Pilsner

Rating:

“Home & Away, a series of rebrews bringing some of our funnest overseas collaborations back to the Garage. For this release we bring you Air Drop, originally brewed with the legendary Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Riffing on their flagship Prima Pils, this crisp, super aromatic brew is packed with Riwaka, Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops giving a delightful antipodean twist to this classic beer. Bringing home the goodness.”

Glassware: Flute.

Appearance: Kinda pale straw golden complexion with a sturdy two finger head which retains well. A wet but healthy lace clings to the glass as it ebbs.

Aroma: Clean, crisp and brimming with all of that NZ hop goodness; yellow grapefruit, tart orange, white grapes, lime, evergreen and subtle resins. Behind the new world hop profile is the classic old world grain bill which displays water crackers, cereal grains, rice and corn. It’s just a beautiful assembly of the old and the new.

Flavour: Oh wow, the NZ hops really dominate…it’s lucky they work well with the style otherwise it would be hard to even call it a Pilsner. We must admit the grainy and semi sweet malts do counter the hops nicely. What is it about Kiwi hops that work so well with Pilsners? Apart from their Saaz-based lineage. Either way it’s a burgeoning style that we can really dig.

Mouthfeel: Clean and crisp AF. We can tell the 6.1% ABV is there, and for good reason…coz it’s really high for a semi-traditional Pilsner! Mild-moderate body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: We can’t quite make a call on this one. It could have something to do with us being purists when it comes to Pilsners but we can certainly respect a new world version. It may just be a tad too new world for us…maybe. How’s that for a taste of cast-iron certainty!