Victory Dark Intrigue

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Snifter

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Pours pitch black and completely opaque with faint hints of mahogany edges when held to a light source and a 2.5 finger frothy, pillowy mocha head. Excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that leaves chunks of soapy lacing behind. Complex aroma with lots of sweet boozy bourbon along with earthy oak, vanilla and silky chocolate malt. Slightly roasty with hints of oatmeal, toffee and coffee bean. Chewy medium body with a lot of silky chocolate and roasted malt. As expected, there is a blast of bourbon which is slightly hot but more sweet really. The oak barrel aging adds an earthy quality as well as a good amount of bourbon and vanilla. The vanilla presence smooths things out a bit. Lots of roasted malt with hints of caramel, oatmeal, burnt toast and dark fruit. Very complex but a bit too hot at this stage. I’m excited to see how it develops.

Appearance is as expected for an imperial stout, with an opaque brown imperial stout color and a thinnest beige head. The aroma has a deeply roasted malt bitterness and an earthy combination of hops and wood. The flavor is a bit deeper, with the deep, rich, roasty malt backbone meshing well with an earthy, herbal, and sometimes almost spicy hop character. The barrel aging adds a nice woodiness.

Bottle courtesy Keith - thank you! Semi-aggressive pour leading to a huge tan head that leaves thick lacing on the glass as it slowly craters out. Aroma is rich bourbon, fresh oak, dark malt, marshmallow, vanilla, and light coconut. Smells very good. No noticeable hops in the aroma. Taste is heavy, wet bourbon right up front followed by chocolate, bitter coffee, bitter hops, roasted malt, some subtle raisin/date notes as it warms, and a fairly heavy handed boozie tingle through the finish. The bitterness/boozie tingle through the finish is a bit much but perhaps this beer will come into its own with some cellar time. Still a very good beer as is.

Thanks to Adrian for sharing this. Sweet bourbon and coffee aroma. The pleasant flavor comes on both soft and strong, dry and rich. There is dark chocolate, hops, and a bit of vanilla, and it is muscular and flavorful. It tastes like a dry, bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, which is awesome when the stout is Storm King. Excellent brew, and I was glad I got a chance to try it.

This pours dark opaque black with a creamy dark tan head. The aroma is amazing - pure chocolate with roasty notes so pleasant in the nose. The flavor is tame from the barrel aging, no bourbon at all, but flavors of a pure lightly creamy rich stout. The body has been brought down from the Storm King, but not in a bad way, making it smooth and delicious.

750ml caged and corked bottle. Poured a dark black color with a large sized off white head. Aromas of lots of woody/oakiness, some vanilla, bourbon,roast, and chocolate. Tastes of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, bourbon, some wood, and some dark fruits. Bottled on NOV 10 2010.

25.4 oz bottle. Dark brown with a scant tan head. Nose is caramel, yeast, coffee and light bourbon. Taste is malt, espresso, chocolate and bourbon. Grapefruit in the finish. Nicely integrated winter warmer. A step up from the regular Storm King.

UPDATED: FEB 3, 2011 750ml bottle thanks to largadeer. Pours, well, just about jet black with a lasting two finger tan head. The aroma is pretty nice, roasty with vanilla notes and slight bourbon. The flavor has substantial -bal notes to it. Roasted malt, chocolate, anise, oak, vanilla, and bourbon. Storm King is evident. Smooth and slick on the mouthfeel with fairly full body. Good stuff, about what I expected it to be.

750ml, corked & caged bottle, dated 11/19/10 courtesy of JMRSN on BA. thanks, jim! pours black, as it should, with a thick, creamy, dark khaki head leaving sticky lace with short legs. aroma is damn nice, but seems a bit off compared to other ratings, with big, dark, roasted malts, wet top-soil with definite hints of manure, sweet bourbon, and dark chocolate with hints of skunky tobacco, smoked meat, and pine esters with a touch leather and vanilla. flavor is delicious, doesn’t quite blow me away though, with rich, bitter chocolate, roasted malts, smoke, and woody bourbon up front with the sweeter notes of vanilla, molasses, and dark fruits coming in late and finishing with a touch of coffee and dry hops. palate is medium bodied, not huge, but slick on the tongue with smooth carbonation and a dry, roasted finish. overall, a very tasty barrel aged imperial stout but i honestly expected a bit more from this one and the top-soil notes are a bit distracting, honestly.

UPDATED: JAN 3, 2012 Bottle split with Tony. Pours a pitch black body with thin chocolate-brown lacing that coats the glass. Aroma is sweet bourbon, chocolate, and mild roast. Mouthfeel is medium and silky with great notes of chocolate, vanilla oak, slight roasted malt - only complaint is a slight metallic finish. Clearly one of Victory’s most promising offerings.