Ballast Point Victory at Sea

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Snifter

Big coffee flavors and aromas but the vanilla is hardly present. From there it was a pretty standard imperial porter with big malt flavors The coffee lent a pretty nice bitter aftertaste, but it wasn’t really balanced. Enjoyable beer nonetheless.

Found this beer to be remarkably appealing and easy to drink. Perfect balance of coffee flavor that does not over power the need to taste something that resembles a "beer". Had on tap in my shop in Wake Forest, NC. Interested in comparing the taste from the bottle.

Poured into a snifter from a 22 ounce bottle un-dated.

A: Beautiful pitch black body with a dense tan head that compliments this perfectly. This beer simply looks amazing.

S: This smells absolutely wonderful, there’s a perfect balance of vanilla and fresh roasted coffee here, reminds me a lot of vanilla cake actually with coffee. This is wonderful, my only complaint is wishing it were a tad stronger.

T: Absolutely wonderful, there’s bready vanilla flavor into a silky rich cocoa coffee flavor. It’s as if I’m sipping on a mocha cappuccino with some vanilla flavoring. This is complex, intense, and very easy to drink.

M: Thick and syrupy with light carbonation, this is filling and feels great.

O: This is hands down the best porter I’ve ever had, I have no complaint with this and will be buying one every time I find one.

Pours very dark brown, just under black. Dark tan two finger head. Looks yummy! Smells like coffee, roasted malts come through, and a tiny bit of vanilla. Taste like coffee with a splash of irish cream, and bright hops help make it interesting. I am so happy that the vanilla is not overly done, it is there, but not distracting you from the other flavors. You might even over look the vanilla if casually tasting it. But this is such a deliciously good beer, I’d hate to know some one if just mindlessly drinking it away. Very enjoyable!

Wow, there’s quite a bit of chocolate in this beer I get. Very smooth, doesn’t taste as strong as it is. Very tasty.

22oz bottle - Dark tan 2.5 finger head which has good staying power. Really dark, nearly black body. No light shines through. Aroma of a milky coffee latte drink. First flavors of that of strong black coffee rounded off with hints of vanilla. Coffee bitterness lingers on the palate. Perhaps lingers a little too long for my taste. Think the uniqueness comes out of using brewed coffee rather than simply grinding some beans and tossing them in the kettle. Very drinkable as long as you like black coffee. If not, you might want to move along to something else.

Pours black with a thick, fluffy tan head. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, creamy, chalky, dry/ Taste is creamy, chocolate, vanilla, long black coffee finish. Surprisingly simple in its execution; amazing in its delivery. This is one of the best porters I’ve ever had the privilege of tasting. If you find it, you must try it.

This is the best imperial Porter I’ve tasted. Its big, bold, sweet, and marries the flavors of coffee and vanilla very well. I cant say enough good things about this beer. My only complaint is that all you can tase after this beer is sweet vanilla and coffee.