Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter

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

Draft at the brewery. A pitch black beer with a thin tan head. The aroma has notes of sweet malt, roasted malt, and lots of chocolate. The flavor has strong notes of coffee and chocolate as well as medium notes of roasted malt.

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

Bottled at Thrash Zone, Yokohama, Japan. Opaque black, beige fairly coarse head. Milky chocolate strikes first. Near full bodied. Vanilla and chocolate dominates tar, coffee steps in to accompany the vanilla. Mid sweet with long salty finish.

From tap at the brewery. Pours dark brown to black with a lacing tan head. Dense coffeeish aroma. Chocolate too. Herbal and solid coffeeish flavour. Dry and slight spiced. Smooth yet and mild acidic roasted malt. Lingering roasted malty finish with a nice coffee base flavour.

Bottle 22fl.oz.
Clear dark red brown color with a average, frothy to creamy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, light brown head. Aroma is heavy malty, roasted, coffee, cacao, wood, vanilla, chocolate notes. Flavor is heavy sweet and moderate to heavy bitter with a long duration, dry cacao and a peppery finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20091114]

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.

Name: Victory At Sea Coffee Imperial Porter
Date: December 01, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Tasting, Strong Ale Fest
Appearance: black, fine tan head, drippy lace
Aroma: dark chocolate and coffee aroma with a caramel sweetness that gives the chocolate a milky quality
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of sweetness bring out more chocolate, touch of roasted for balance, hint of sour mash tartness

Name: Victory At Sea Coffee Imperial Porter
Date: June 27, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
Score: 3.2 to 3.6
Aroma: big chocolate aroma, dark chocolate, sweet vanilla
Flavor: rich chocolate and coffee flavor, vanilla sweetness comes in to bring out the chocolate, plenty of roasted coffee bitterness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

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.