Sam Adams Boston Lager. My favorite of Sam Adams. (Of course, I say that having not yet tasted the Royal Pilsner they advertise so convincingly.)

Out of the refrigerator, Boston Lager is just ok. But let it warm up a bit, and everything about it warms up: the malt quietly but unmistakeably puts itself forward as a stable platform for the spicy hops, which are both prominant and restrained. As befits German nobility, one might suppose. Mmmm. I love ales, but they could take a lesson in subtlety and understatement from this lager (which, for a lager, is pretty much in your face, in the nicest of possible ways.)

At least, those are my thoughts as my pallette is under the spell of Boston Lager.

The only problem with this beer is that the bottle is empty.

I replaced the empty Boston Lager with another favorite - Victory Prima Pils, a German style pilsner. Wow - a hop explosion was the first impression! Considerably more citrus initially but as they play across the tongue, the underlying spiciness of the noble hops dance long, finally washing away to leave a grapefruit finish along the sides of the tongue. This is one clean but complex beer.

It was a year ago this month, at the Feb 2009 NCHB meeting, that I did a presentation on pilsners, and we had a case of Victory Prima Pils on hand so that everyone could taste a superb example.

It shares a similar failure with the lager. A bottle just doesn't last as long as a sensible mind thinks it should.

I've been really focused on the beer in front of me. Last week it was the final IPA from a September batch I brewed. We eventually kicked the keg of English Pale from the Brewer's Best Beer Kit we brewed 2 weeks ago. Now I have to find time and space for the second batch of Kolsch I brewed in December. I also was fortunate enough to drink one of Aaron T's Hopfather clones on Friday night along with several various beers from Theo C. His brown ale based on the Rogue recipe is quite memorable. On Saturday, Cody brought in his Cherry Bomber and his Weizenheimer wheat. The Weizenheimer is one smart assed beer. Heavy mouthfeel with just the right hints of coriander and citrus accompanied under a fruity and slightly clovey nose. I know this is not what I'm drinking right now, but it is what I've been drinking.