Ballast Point Victory at Sea

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

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Robust Series...yeah! Pours out blacker than black with a dark brown head. Strong smell of coffee and rum and vanilla. Was expecting more of a sweet taste but this floored me with it’s bitterness. So bitter that it bites. Double bitter dose from the hops and those coffee beans. Cacao, dried fig, tobacco and lots of smoke...taste reminded me a little bit of Back Flag (another pirate/ship oriented moniker). The taste was very stout-like and the presence was hardcore on the tongue; but the body remained true to it’s Porter style and was quite smooth and sort of light in it’s own hairy way. I liked this stuff but not sure I could recommend it to all of my other beer loving sailors. Aaargh matey, more for me then...

Bottle shared by psprings at hellbilly’s holiday tasting. Nice deep brown pour with a creamy small head. Nice aroma of coffee, coconut, chocolate and vanilla. Slightly sweet flavor with all of the above and a bit of nuttiness and alcohol. Very good stuff! Thanks Paul.

Tried this beer twice and really tried to like it, probably cause of the high score. Couldn’t do it. Big coffee, vanilla, roasted malts and chocolate from the nose. The mouth is big vanilla and big chocolate notes and just a touch cloying and fairly sweet. Its just so over the top, it like made for hopheads that have ruined their palates on hoppy beers. Love big beers, but this is just too much of everything. Apparently I am not getting that it is supposed to be a dessert beer, so I tried it with dessert the second time I had it and that didn’t improve anything. Way over hyped.

Deep brown beer with a thick sticky tan head. Aroma is great. Lightly tart on the nose with a bit of vanilla and soft cocoa. I don’t get a whole lot of coffee although it is still quite sweet smelling. A bit of light vanilla and a soft cherry fruitiness on the finish. It’s a decent beer, but of don’t really get the hype.

Bomber shared by psprings at hellbilly’s holiday tasting. Pours a deep reddish brown with a thin tan head. The nose is vanilla, coconut and coffee. The taste is chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Medium bodied. Good stuff – reminds me of Maui Coconut Porter. Thanks Paul!

2009 Bottle - Thanks Snojerk321! - Pours out thick and deep brown with a lt tan head...aroma is dark roast, dark fruity malt, burnt cocoa and cream...flavour is similar, with vanilla and coffe nuanced but nowhere close to overwhelming, charred bitterness on the back end helps distract a bit from the alcohol bite...this was just about everything I love in an Imp Porter!

Poured an opaque black color with small, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, vanilla beans, smoke, chocolate, burnt wood, and nuts. Taste of roasted malts, bitter dark chocolate, vanilla bean, smoked wood, and a fair amount of alcohol.

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear dark brown body with a small creamy light brown head that faded to a wispy film. The nose is a great mix of dark-roast coffee, roast, chocolate malt, a little alcohol, and just a little vanilla. The flavor is much heavier on the vanilla than the aroma would suggest. A little too heavy even, it makes me think I’m taking a shot of vanilla extract. The coffee and roast are still there in force, but the vanilla is just really overbearing. Finishes with a bit of astringency and a shot of alcohol warmth. Medium to full bodied with a nice creamy texture and soft gentle carbonation. Overall, this just missed the mark for my tastes. Way too much emphasis on the vanilla. This would be awesome if they tuned down the vanilla a few notches.

Bottle, courtesy kiefdog. Dark reddish pour, thin white head, thick braids of lacing. Vanilla nose, caramel, some chocolate, and very hot. Chocolate flavors, bourbon, vanilla, some distant coffee, slight hoppy bitterness. Full-bodied, balanced and pretty interesting.

Great ring lace on the glass from the substantive tan head. Dark, dark brown color where no lace passes. Lots of coffee and a little bit of cream. Basically, mocha in aroma. Low level of sweetness...reminiscent of good cocoa. Lots of powdered chocolate in the flavor. Sweet and bitter from the malt. Rich body with a relatively low level of carbonation. Almost chewy. The aftertaste is complicated: Notable hop bitterness with some dark chocolate malt and sweet milky flavor. Deceptively high in alcohol.