River Horse Brewing Company - Roly Poly Pils

Pouring a bright golden hue and boasting a robust cap of foam, this beer is a looker, especially in a proper pilsner glass. This Czech-style pils uses classic noble hops, including authentic Saaz from the Czech Republic, to deliver an on-point aroma profile: a mélange of earth, grass, and herbal spice, along with a light citric and floral edge. In the flavor department, look for a tasty backbone of toasty malts with mild crackery notes and touches of smooth caramel. Those hops come through strongly here, too, bringing all their aroma notes to bear in the flavor, as well as delivering a moderate bitterness which brings this lager to a crisp finish. Pilsners are among the most food-friendly of beers, being bold enough to stand up to spice, and delicate enough to not overpower less strongly-spiced foods. Pepperoni or spicy Italian sausage pizza makes a classic pairing, as does grilled brats with onions, mustard, and/or sauerkraut. But your world of options is vast, indeed, so feel free to experiment. Prost!

When it opened for business in 1996, River Horse Brewing Company was at the vanguard of New Jersey’s craft brewing renaissance. Founded by two homebrewing brothers in Lambertville, NJ, on the Delaware River, River Horse was named in reference to the hippopotamus, an animal whose name is derived from the Greek words for “horse of the river.” Thus, the hippo features whimsically in all of the brewery’s logos and beer label artwork.

In 2007, the original founders passed control of the brewery to current owners Chris Walsh and Glenn Bernabeo who had desired to leave their desk jobs for something with a bit more passion. In their words, “We were finance geeks living in a world without soul. Grinding it out everyday for a fee, wearing suits and kissing butt.” Since taking over ownership, the new duo has met much success, and by 2013 demand had reached the point that the original Lambertville location was just not working. That summer, River Horse moved their operations to a new facility in Ewing which is large enough to handle production of as much as 80,000 barrels per year – far above the 9500 they had been topping out at in Lambertville.

River Horse currently produces five year-round beers as well as seven seasonals, plus a few barrel-aged and sour offerings in waxed-dipped 750ml bottles. For more info about the brewery and tour schedules, contact them at 609-883-0890 or visit www.riverhorse.com.