Drinking notes: Provo Girl Pilsner
In the course of discussing chickens, eggs and session beers (sounds like a great beer cocktail, don’t you think?) I seem to have suggested that one way to get us all more low alcohol beers is to write more about them.
The label and it’s history (plus the fact it is from Utah) might make it easy for you to dismiss Squatter’s Provo Girl Pilsner from Salt Lake City. Sure that rabble-rousing Greg Schirf from Wasatch Brewing (which shares a brewery with Squatter’s) will go out of his way to rile the faithful in Utah and elsewhere. This beer was called St. Provo Girl until the lawyers from St. Pauli girl demanded a change.
And a Wasatch billboard once showed the Provo Girl next to the caption, “Nice Cans.”
I won’t tell you I like this beer as much at Prima Pils from Victory Brewing, the beer I judge all pils of the German persuasion against. But it sure works with a a grilled chicken sandwich at the Squatter’s Pub in the Salt Lake City airport. And it’s 4% abv (versus 5.3% for Prima Pils).
I’m was really happy to see the flight crew on layover knocking back big glasses of 4% beer rather than something stronger (and would have been happy still were they Delta pilots).
The aroma is a fresh combination of pilsner malt (a little bready, maybe cereal) and flowery hops. The body is light, of course, and a little sweet before the hops kick in, forcefully directing you to a dry, bracing finish. My notes from October actually say “German, could be Prima Pils before it grew up.”
Other opinions: Might this chatter about sessions beers have me fired up and overrating this one? I don’t think so. Still Rate Beer users only give it 2.91/5, putting it in the 36th percentile. There aren’t enough ratings at Beer Advocate for it to have an overall score.
Posted: February 7th, 2007 under Drinking notes.
February 7th, 2007 at 1:41 am
From how you describe this beer Stan, I think it deserves a much higher rating than 2.91. I have noticed that on ratebeer.com, many session beers, seem to get lower ratings. I think this is evidence of the fact that beer geeks, like big, bold beers, and most beer geeks find session beer to be average. I don’t think that is fair, and I think many beer geeks have lost sight of the fact, that not every beer is meant to knock you over the head. Other beer review sites like beeradvocate.com suffer from this as well. The top rated beers on both those sites are not session beers to be sure. I’m of the opinion that some session beers should be some of the highest rated. I think brewers, writers, and consumers who love session beers, really need to get the fact across that their are some world class session beers out there, worthy of 5 star ratings.
February 7th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
As a former member of BA I can honestly say that there are plenty of members that do appreciate subtle beer styles and score them accordingly. But you’re right in stating there’s an obvious bias towards BIG & BOLD. It’s all in the mindset of the reviewer. “Can a fantastic Pilsner really grade a 5.0?”. Not many think something that’s perfectly subtle can be perfect, score-wise. The words, and not the score, should be taken into account as well. Moreso these days, when EVERYONE is “rating” beer at a light speed pace, it seems.
Cheers!
February 7th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
First, I have a little more history with this beer (a couple of other times in the airport, one ounce at a time at GABF, bottled in southwest Utah) - always fresh, in good condition and enjoyed in pleasant conditions. This was the first time I took notes, and I had the notebook out for another reason or I wouldn’t have.
I’ve mentioned more than once here I think the Internet beer boards (that includes Realbeer.com’s, Burgundian Babble Belt, etc.) have been an important factor in the the beer revolution. I just wish there weren’t scores, particularly presented in aggregate.
Yes, Loren, I agree that many of those who post appreciate the subtle side of beer. But most people aren’t going to take the time to read X set of tasting ntoes when they can just look for the handy all-purpose score.
February 22nd, 2007 at 4:14 pm
I’ve noticed the same tendency on BA and Ratebeer too - lots of subtle milds and bitters from England that win awards at beer festivals in the UK end up in percentiles south of 50. I could cite particular examples - St Peter’s Mild is one such beer. It’s my personal session favourite, and although I wouldn’t rate it too highly myself, it surely deserves something better than being in the 47th percentile, as it is currently on Ratebeer.
February 22nd, 2007 at 4:41 pm
This is off the current topic, but it reminds me to tell you that I’m quite jealous that you have the Jerusalem as your local.
You make me wish I had ordered the mild when I was there last March, but I “had to” try the grapefruit.