We brought you the first peek at this beer back in Jan, and now the release details from Saint Arnold:
We believe the greatest beers are the ones that achieve their goal with the simplest recipes. 5 O'Clock Pils is all about its two ingredients: pils malt and Saaz hops. This is the entire basis of the original Bohemian Pils style.
The pils malt is light yet with a pleasant bready character, emphasized by the decoction mash wherein a portion of the mash is removed, boiled and added back. Saaz hops, the only hop that has never been hybridized dating back to when it was first cultivated from a wild plant around 1,000 years ago, gives a pleasant earthy spiciness.
The final, unfiltered beer has a light maltiness, a big refreshing bitter and wonderful, delicate hop flavor and aroma. This is the beer we enjoy every year in the Czech Republic when doing our Saaz hop selection. Only, we've added even more hops. It is a beer that can be enjoyed everyday of the year. You will never tire of it.
Beginning Monday, you can find 5 O'Clock Pils in six packs of 12 oz cans (no bottles), as well as on draft. It is a year round release. Let us know how you're enjoying yours by using #ItsAlwaysTime on Instagram and Twitter.
Learn more about 5 O'Clock Pils.
Where to Find 5 O'Clock Pils
5 O'Clock Pils will be on tap at many places around town - here are a few who will be celebrating with launch events:
Flying Saucer, Downtown
Monday, April 11
5 O'Clock Pils for $3 All Day!
Cottonwood
Monday, April 11 at 5:00 PM
Mo's Irish Pub, Vintage Park
Monday, April 11 at 6:00 PM
Brews Brothers, Galveston
Thursday, April 14 at 6:00 PM
5 O'Clock Pils and Summer Pils!
Center Court Pizza & Brew, Missouri City
Friday, April 15 at 6:00 PM
Barry's Pizza
Wednesday, April 20 at 6:00 PM
Backyard Grill
Friday, April 22 at 5:00 PM
For those of you in the South Houston area, there will be plenty of 5 O'Clock Pils to go around. These places will have it on tap next week:
Center Court Pizza & Brew (Pearland and League City)
Madison's on Dowlen, Beaumont
Stuttgarden Tavern, Galveston
J. Wilson's, Beaumont
Nobi Public House, Clear Lake
J. Henry's Draught House, Clear Lake
Here’s the official press release:
HOUSTON, April 11, 2016 – Saint Arnold brewers came home from their annual hop selection trips to the Czech Republic with more than just Saaz hops. They also had acquired a love for fresh Bohemian pilsners. Because of this love, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. (www.saintarnold.com), the oldest craft brewery in Texas, is releasing its latest year-round offering, Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils. Available on draft and in 12 ounce cans, Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils will begin rolling out to stores, restaurants and pubs throughout Texas, Louisiana and Florida today.
Emphasizing the flavor and aromatic qualities of Saaz hops, Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils harkens back to the origins of the style which was born in Pilzn almost 300 years ago. It is bright and hoppy with a distinctive Saaz hop nose and a rich, malty body. It was a big hit when originally brewed as a special release in Saint Arnold's Icon Series in 2013, and the surprisingly strong demand prompted Saint Arnold to add it year-round. It is Saint Arnold's first year-round lager.
"We released Saint Arnold Summer Pils 19 years ago, and it is a 6-time medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival, so we have been brewing lagers for a long time," said Saint Arnold Founder/Brewer Brock Wagner. "Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils is the Swiss Army Knife of our beer family – it is appropriate for a lot of different occasions and accessible to a lot of different palates."
The popular Saint Arnold Summer Pils will remain a staple of the brewery's rotating seasonal lineup.
With Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils, Saint Arnold's brewers took care to use traditional methods for heating the mash to achieve a rich, malty body. They removed a portion of the mash, boiled it, and then mixed it back in. This process, called 'decoction,' results in a slightly richer bodied beer by causing caramelization that deepens the beer's color and lowers the fermentability of the sugars. The brewers' selection of Saaz hops was also a tip of the cap to tradition. Saaz is a traditional aroma hop that has been grown in the Czech Republic for centuries.
While craft pilsners represent only about two percent of total craft beer sales, according to market research firm IRI, it has been the fastest growing craft beer style in recent years. Looking at the total beer market, lagers represent more than 80 percent of all beer sold by volume, which suggests that craft pilsner have plenty of room to grow.
"A big reason craft lagers and craft pilsners are growing is an appreciation for brewing tradition and an increased understanding of how difficult it is to consistently brew high quality craft lager," said Wagner. "Brewers tend to gravitate towards enjoying light, flavorful beers at the end of the day. Actually, at any time of the day! Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils is perfect for that."
It's Always Time
Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils owes its name to the old adage, "It's five o'clock somewhere," which suggests that it's always time for a good time. Houston-based Lopez Negrete Communications designed the label art, which features the familiar profile of Saint Arnold of Metz, the Patron Saint of Brewers. He is holding a pocket watch with hops for hands that reads five o'clock. A silhouette of Saint Arnold's historic north Houston brewery is visible in the background.
Saint Arnold 5 O'Clock Pils is best enjoyed at 38° to 50°F.
5 O'Clock Pils Specifications:
• Original gravity: 1.053
• Final gravity: 1.011
• Alcohol: 5.2% ABV
• Bitterness: 40 IBUs
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