Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Pils

Old Dominion Brewing Co.
Ashburn, VA

Available: NJ, MD, DC, VA, NC, PA, ND, MN, GA

A traditional unfiltered “keller pils,” this bottle conditioned German-style lager is dry hopped with whole-leaf Saaz and Mt. Hood hops, with Saaz, Mittelfruh, Spalt and Mt. Hood hops in the kettle. The Tuppers donate half their profits to charitable institutions.

ABV: 5
ABW: 4.0
Color: 2-3
Bitterness: 45+
Original gravity: 1050

Charming label, nifty name and the bottling date on each bottle--bravo! Sunbeam through fluffy clouds, huge head held high, aroma of herbaceous homegrown hops, barely baked golden barley and seductive spice--superb. Farm fresh flavor, mesmerizing mouth-feel, and ever-after taste--tremendous. Pure poetry paired with poultry, potstickers & prawns. Prognosis? Purchase.
- Charles Finkel

I’m expecting a much more aggressive hop aroma, flavor and bitterness than what I’m perceiving. There is a very nice lingering and quenching bitterness but overall this seems a shadow of the draft version I had locally on my last visit to the area. Evidence of grain-like and sweet corn characters in the aroma and flavor leads me to yearn for last year’s local experience. Don’t get me wrong. This is a fine beer, but not up to its own standards.
- Charlie Papazian

Unusual for a lager, this pale, slightly cloudy beer has a delightful candy-like fruitiness on the aroma and palate due to the fact that it is unfiltered in the Franconian fashion of northern Bavaria. The fruit is balanced by a good floral hop character and rich, juicy malt in the mouth. The hops come through on the back of the tongue and make the finish tart and bitter, though there is more candy-like fruit to balance the hops. The beer would make a splendid companion for fish, pasta or delicate cheeses, and would not be out of place as a dessert beer.
- Roger Protz

Charles Finkel
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.

Charlie Papazian
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.