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Victory Baltic Thunder

Percentile
92
overall

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
4873.6/5.03.59/5.08.5%75.9English pint, Shaker, Snifter
Commercial Description:
While Heavyweight Brewing deserves credit for introducing the Baltic porter style to many craft beer fans, this beer from Victory represents an all new recipe fashioned on the experience of Tom's original intense brew. One noteworthy difference is the higher alcohol by volume of Baltic Thunder, 8.5% compared to Heavyweight's, which weighed in at 8%.

An additional distinction is Victory's use of black eyed peas in lieu of Roman beans. Despite these changes, this dark lager still features a reminiscent roasted character that embodies the fullness of toffee, along with subtle fruit flavors derived from its higher temperature fermentation. Long, cold aging tempers this complex beer into a well-rounded delight that warms with its significant alcohol strength. The final packaged product will be released in 25.4 fluid ounce bottles.

"The first brew of Baltic Thunder was magical. Tom and his original co-conspirator on the beer, Lew Bryson, even came here to Victory to assist. Then, while sharing a pint of Baltic Thunder off of the lagering tank a few weeks later with Tom, I swear the spirit of his departed Perkuno was smiling upon our accomplishment," continued Covaleski.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 JCB (1747), Durham, North Carolina, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/515/20
Aug 27, 2008  
22oz from Canal’s, Burlington. Very deep black pour, with a big head that lessens quickly. The nose is initially just a tad off-putting, I have to say, with a funky vegetal quality that gives me pause. But after a few minutes getting to room temp, there are lots of chocolate malts in the nose, intriguing because I don’t quite remember this in Perkuno’s Hammer. Comparisons only go so far, I suppose. Nicely creamy mouthfeel, if not the lactic quality I tend to expect from a Baltic Porter. Low bitterness, even though there’s a smidgen of roast coffee in there. But overall it’s a very solid, enjoyable brew, even if it doesn’t really match up to the Hammer.


 joshwilfong (778), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/516/20
Aug 25, 2008  
dark brown/black with large but quickly disappearing head. flavor of crystal, chocolate malt with a fruity finish of a lager yeast, which adds a nice finish. not a lot of alcohol presence for the high abv. a very good beer, i wish i had a pekuno’s hammer to compare it to


 DrBayern (1135), Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/515/20
Aug 24, 2008  
Date: 08/20.08, 22 oz. bottle

Aroma - Brwon sugar, chocolate, burnt caramel, peppery spice, roasted grain

Appearance - Ruby tinged mahogany pour, large light tan head that recedes slowly, sliding bands of thick lace.

Flavor - Sweet dark caramel kicks off, and the chocolate and roasted malt flavors follow. Soft bitterness arrives late, and has a certain harshness.

Palate - Medium body, lightly carbonated, very smooth and pretty clean

Overall - Pretty decent, and my only objection is the mildly harsh finish.


 pnista (1008), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Aug 23, 2008    Updated: Aug 24, 2008
(Courtesy of Mike, thanks man!) Pours a dark warm brown with an average creamy tan colored head. Roast pops out over a creamy and very slightly sweet nose. There’s a strong fruitiness to the roast, but also some subtle spice, very nice. The mouthfeel is full and creamy, smooth, subdued carbonation. The flavor is in line with the nose, robust strong roast pops quite a bit more. Almost charcoal-like. It really comes across as roastier than any beer I can think of off the top of my head, but it’s well executed. A bit creamy, some small residual sugar. A bit fruity perhaps. Lingering roast, acidity, and some alcohol, though the latter gives way to the roast and acidity that dominate the after taste for quite some time. A rather solid brew, in my opinion.


 blipp (1641), Newark, New Jersey, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/103/514/20
Aug 22, 2008  
Bottle. Pours deep ruby with a tan head. Fruity and roasted aroma, with toast and caramel. Flavor is roasted malt with coffee, fruit, and caramel. Nice.


 bgburdman9 (823), Columbus, Ohio, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/516/20
Aug 21, 2008  
Aroma was roasty, chocolate, some alcohol and a little tobacco. Flavor was alittle hot also but pretty tastey too. Maybe a little dark fruit flavor coming through. A nice beer actually i dont think it is low as its rated. Pretty tastey beer.


 nearbeer (1834), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/515/20
Aug 17, 2008  
650 ml, bb Dec 31 2008. Clear (when held to the light), deep mahogany with a small, persistent head. Aroma is an odd mix of wood, chalky caramel, fruity-herb coffee and chocolate. Flavor is chalky cocoa with some light apple-cherry and char. Finish of coffee, char, marshmallow and light alcohol. Medium body is a little too watery and frothy, but nicely dried by some roasty flavors.


BillWyce (95), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Aug 16, 2008  
Bottle poured into English pint glass. It poured dark brown, almost black with a 2-finger tan head. Aromas of roasted malt and some underlying nuttiness. The taste was primarily malt sweetness with undertones of chocolate, caramel and a very slight smokiness with a nice, slightly bitter finish. Overall, very nice.



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