The newly formulated Victory Helles Lager was first bottled on Thursday, July 24 and will be initially kegged tomorrow, July 29. It will have 4.8% alcohol by volume compared to its predecessor's 5.26%.

Victory's Bill Covaleski explained the change in a statement released today:

"I’ve often stated that Victory is a totally selfish endeavor on the part of Ron [Barchet] and I. We brew the beers that we love to drink. We are  out to please ourselves. Fortunately, many others along the way have come to enjoy some, if not most of our creations as well. Woo hoo, our kids might be able to go to college after all.

"Another thing that Ron and I have indulged ourselves in is regular visitations to the Motherland of brewing, Germany. We studied brewing there and have been back to procure equipment. While there, we seek out tasty beers and often look for the esoteric brews to broaden our minds and goals. That said, countless hours were spent behind tall glasses of Helles beer.   
         
"The most common beer of southern Germany, Helles is both simple and refined. A good Helles clearly shows its good bones, light hop character draped over taut and firm malt body. It is not a beer of excess, constructed simply to refresh and give pleasure.

"Meanwhile, we returned from these junkets to revel in the great flavor of our Export-style lager, the Victory Lager. Certainly our most uncomplicated offering, we relied on this beer to quench our thirst for Germany often. It always obliged us. But to some extent, we had forsaken this beer’s steadfast loyalty to us.

"It was there when we  pened the doors in 1996 along with HopDevil Ale and Festbier. From there we lept into pilsners, a real passion of ours, with the highly acclaimed Prima Pils (Champion Beer – United States Beer Tasting Championships 2002) and went further in developing an ongoing series of single variety hopped pilsners. Hopheads rejoiced, and Victory Lager found itself moving out of the limelight.

"Rather than abandon this old friend, we plotted to mold Victory Lager closer to what our sensibilities told us it should be, America’s best Helles.

"It began with the procurement of a venerable Munich yeast strain over a year ago. Confident after so many brews completed with this yeast that it could deliver the classic clean, soft flavor profile to accent our great German malt and hops, we adjusted the recipe of Victory Lager to that of a Helles...

"We are satisfied with the results of our pursuit. We find new pleasure in the camaraderie of our old friend Victory Lager. We want you to be happy with this change as well, and so we want you to understand the impetus for this evolution.

"All things change with time, except the pursuit of quality. That is how we see it. Prost."