Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter

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

22oz bottle shared at the DC Local tasting. Pours a slightly watery otherwise opaque black with a spitty tan head. Nose is big on coffee, wood, smoke, brown sugar. Flavor is sweet and delicious, vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, cake icing. Finish is sweet and sticky. I enjoyed this a lot.

Pours a very deep dark brown while pouring out of the bottle but looks pitch black and completely opaque in the glass with only the slightest hint of mahogany edges when held to a light source. Foamy one finger light tan head that has decent retention, only slowly settling into a lasting cap and ring that leaves sheets of lacing in it’s path. Sweet chocolate malty aroma with a very nice roasty character and subtle vanilla. These combined aroma produce a tootsie roll like chocolate coffee scent that is mouthwatering. The roasted coffee bean presence becomes more prominent when it warms. Subtle hops become evident beneath the lactic, silky chocolate notes. Very complex aroma, hopefully the flavor lives up to it. Chewy silky malt dominated full body with a huge roasted coffee bean presence. Lots of silky chocolate malt and some subtle mellow vanilla notes but the flavor is a bit overpowered by the very intensely strong deep roasted coffee, espresso bean. Hints of oatmeal, toffee, very burnt toast and licorice with a nice dry bitter hop character in the finish. I can’t overemphasize how much of a strong burnt/roasted coffee presence there is. It’s a bit too harsh for me and extremely bitter, taking away from the silky chocolate and vanilla notes that I liked so much. Alcohol heat mid-palate that becomes stronger at the end of the swallow and produces some warmth in the finish. Pretty complex but a bit one dimensional for me. Recommended for fans of roasted coffee and big coffee beers.

Courtesy of Brad. Dark brown with a medium deep beige head. Sweet aroma with burned malt, coffee, dark bitter chocolate and vanilla notes. Sweet powerfull flavour with burned malt, bourbon, dark bitter chocolate, vanilla and coffee notes. Finished dry.

Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of KimJohansen. Pours black with a warm reddish/orangey note and a creamy light brown head. Hard roasted malts in the nose. Solid body, massive hard roasted malt - almost charcoal - that eventually manages to battle and win the cloyingly sweet and unpleasant vanilla notes. Ends with a warming alcohol and a massive malt bitterness - almost astringent. 141109

Bottle, 10%. Vinous aroma, a little fresh coffee and some vanilla. Almost black colour, red shine. Distinct vanilla flavour, sweet, but not as sweet as other barrel aged ones. Distinct alcohol note, a bit rough, but balances the vanilla and sweetness off nicely.

22oz bottle, thanks nimbleprop. Medium tan head atop brown-black body. Aroma is moderately sweet, coffee, light sugar, vanilla, roast. Taste is moderately sweet, coffee, some vanilla, alcohol, light roast. Smooth medium-full body with low carbonation.

Bottle at the release of Flaming Fury. Pours black with a medium tanned beige head. Coffee and vanilla abound. A touch of acrid bitterness keeps the coffee and vanilla from being overpowering and the result is delicious. Very smooth, and very tasty.

Bottle from Stefanje, iirc. Pours a nice black/brown with a dark tan head. Nose is peanuts, cordial cherries, ovaltine and roast. Taste jumps out like dark rum laced with cocoa and vanilla, finishing remarkably dry for as sweet as it is going in. Damn this is some fine stuff.