National Premium
Pale Dry Beer
USA
POP: Eddie's Liqours, 3109 St. Paul St, Baltimore, MD
Container: Brown bottle
Price: $8.71 for the six-pack.
       
           I think you are supposed to call this Natty Prem or Natty Proh, I'm not sure. It is supposed to be a revival of the upscale companion to Natty Boh that they stopped making in the 70's. It has a mascot called Mr. Pilsener. He looks kind of like a Bavarian count or something. He only has one eye, like Mr. Boh, but he has a monocle over it. He wears like, a lederhosen tux or something. He could be a young Colonel Klink before the stress of war took its toll.  The label is purple, the color of royalty, and also the Ravens (smart thinking, dudes).  The logo has a crown and looks like it should be on Harry Potter's jacket. FAWNCY.
            This beer has a nice, clear, yellow color.  It looks like how a beer that you want in the summer time should look. The head is very thin. When you stick your nose in this beer, it smells awesome. It smells exactly how you want a beer to smell. This may have to do with how fresh it is. The label says it was bottle on June 11th, I'm writing this on July 16th. This is a pretty new beer, so of course it's fresh. If they can keep it this fresh all the time, this beer will be a winner.
            My favorite thing about this beer is its restraint. I feel like too many fancy pants beers punch you in the face with over-the-top hoppiness or yeastiness, or some weird oyster juice or berries or something. This beer definitely does taste better than Natty Boh, but it's smooth and subtle. Very dry, but not bitter. A touch of maltiness. I think you could drink six of these at a cook-out very easily. I would love to steam crabs with this along with some fresh pepper and rosemary. I think it would pair well with rockfish or cheeseburgers as well. I would love to drink this with some oysters, preferably Choptank Sweets.
           I didn't want to like this beer, mainly because I thought it was all about branding and nostalgia. But I have to say it's a great alternative to overly-produced craft beers. I don't know what the hangover is like yet. I have definitely drank a lot of beer where I know as it's going down that I will be hungover as shit. This doesn't seem to be one of them, but I will let you know.
Overall: B+