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. Pours dark brown/black with a moderate sized, creamy, light brown head, some lace. Smells of sweet malts and vanilla, roasty malts with just a hint of coffee. There’s more coffee in the taste. Flavor is of sweet roasty malts with a pretty big coffee flavor, slight coffee grounds with a hint of vanilla. Full body, pretty smooth, good carbonation.
Earlier Rating: 2/23/2008 Total Score: 4.1
On-tap @ Churchill’s 2/22/08. This beer is pretty damn tasty. Pours a thin looking, dark brown/black color. Creamy brown head that leaves good lace. Smells of roasty coffee and malt. Tastes of creamy, sweet coffee and roasted malts. There is a little alcohol burn on the finish. Mouthfeel is somewhat thin, carbonation is vibrant.

Bottle from beverages 4 less. Overpowering coffee flavor distracts from subtle oak, vanilla, and milk chocolate flavors. Tone down the coffee and this is one great brew.

bottle thanks to blutt59. poured black with a tan head that laces the glass. aroma of dark roasts, vanilla, coffee, and toffee. flavor of vanilla, dark roast, coffee, and alcohol. nice slick body with low carbonation. good stuff, want more please.

22oz bottle (thanks Josh for sharing). Poured a dark black color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of coffee, vanilla, chocolate, and some nuttiness. Tastes of vanilla/vanill beans, chocolate, coffee, and some roastiness. Alcohol content overall well hidden. Body was thick and oily.
Earlier Rating: 12/6/2008 Total Score: 4.2
On tap at the 2008 Strong Ale Festival. Poured a dark brown colo rwith a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of coffee, vanilla -vanilla creme-, lightly earthy, coffee, and chocolate. Tastes of coffee -coffee grinds-, chocolate, and roast. I like coffee in my coffee beers, and there was definitely coffee in this one.

Pours a deep black with a bubbly tan head. aroma of coffe, chocolate, and vanilla bean. flavor is loaded with coffee, vanilla, choclote, and a little alcohol. has a creamy mouthfeel and a warming finish. overall, a very tasty porter.

Pours a deep black with amber notes and a medium bubbly tan head. Aroma of vanilla bean, coffee beans, light alcohol, chocolate and nuts. Flavor of loads of vanilla, almost vanilla cream soda, coffee is there, but vanilla is up front. Getting some chocolate and nuts as well.

22 oz bomber from Capones. Pours a deep dark brown with a smaller beige head with some nice lacing. Aroma is rather sweet with lots of vanilla, chocolate syrup, nuttiness, coffee grinds, artificial sugars. Flavor is roasty and artifical sweet vanilla that grows on you along with some coffee and chocolate. Full bodied with strong carbonation and average alcohol warming for a beer that is only 10%. I love roasty and sweet but somehow this beer seems to clash and not mesh the way I was hoping.

22 from Tylers Bottle Shop. Pours a nice dark black, allows some light on the pour. Head is a finger thick, creamy, chestnut brown. The nose is very nice, rich, very chocolaty, coffee, roasty, mild alcohol, molasses, notes of vanilla. The flavor is very nice, more of a grain/coffee/hop bitterness comes through but is balanced well by the body and other flavors. Rich and chocolaty, coffee, vanilla shows more with warmth and adds a very very nice character. Alcohol starts to come through and shows with a warming finish. Very full and creamy mouthfeel. Very tasty.