Victory Old Horizontal

2005 - Very beautiful deep red body, very creamy beige head; Medium sized very settled well composed nose; Velvety textured body with velvety soft carbonation, sweet, bitter and warm; Long elegant balanced finish, soft in beginning, warming with length. Very drinkable, exactly what I needed on the first Danish hot summer day. I think it lacks a bit over power in every aspect to be a top contender, though.

Old Horizontal is an impenetrably hazy sienna barleywine with a zinnwaldite head that has some pretty good lasting power. Big chunks of stuff were revealed only at the end of the glass. It carries a soft aroma of caramel apples, sweet malt, and possibly figs. It is smooth and slick; full bodied with prickly carbonation. There is a good balance of bitter and sweet going on here. The flavor is very focused, so it’s hard to pick anything out. Fruit blends with caramel and a wooden bitterness, that fades a little quicker than expected, to reveal the peppery alcohol. There’s an ester in here that conjures up "mixed fruit in heavy syrup". The sweetness, bitterness and gravity are well under control and they don’t fight for attention. It’s a very drinkable barleywine. My glass emptied quickly!

2005 bottle. Poured a slighty cloudy amber color with a bit of head in the middle and around the edges of the glass. Aroma is a well-balanced mix of fruit, malt, and hops. Very nice creamy palate. Taste is a warm, rich display of spicy malt flavors with a hoppiness at the end to compliment the alcohol. Very well done.

Pours a beautiful clear amber with a small head and no lacing to speak of. The scent was carmel, flowers, hops and some malt. There is a great spicey tone with a small alcohol burn to it. The beer is very warming with a nice taste on the back of the palate. I really enjoyed this flavorful barleywine.

Rated 3/16/07: I’ve been hunting for this one for quite some time and wouldn’t you know I was able to find it as I recently discovered a local store closer to my house than any of the other decent beer stores. Getting a sixer of this was a no brainer and after enjoying one here and there I can say that this is a beautiful barleywine. Aroma is an outstanding bouquet of mixed flowers, berries, and dark fruits. Nice to the nostrils, the aroma is fantastic and mellow. Amber pour with some copper color swirled in, a nice finger thick head quickly forms and then gives way to a filmy tan layer. Appearance is thick and hazy through the glass with a sporadic lazy carbonation. Mouthfeel is very thick, borderline chewy this brew takes time to drink so don’t be in a rush once you crack one open. Finish is rich and creamy with a quick burst of alcohol that is gone before swallowed. Heavy malts are blended with a helping dose of hops. Lots of flavor in this one like caramel, figs, black licorice, pine, anise, raisins, and...well much more than I am likely to detect. That flowery bouquet ties the aroma and flavor together and really leaves a lasting impression. Not exactly sure of the vintage but the bottle states best before 2011. This is awesome

06 bottle. Pours dark amber with with a small white head. Aroma of various berries and malt with subdued hops. Flavor is mostly hops with subdued berries and malt. Thick and syrupy. Dry alcohol finish.

Bottle. 12/29/11 batch. Pours deep red amber. Rich creamy brown/white head. Beautiful lacing. Quite sweet and rich malt on the nose. Toffee, caramel. Hit of bread (yeast). Just a tad boozy. Fairly creamy on the palate. Sweet malt at first then turning to an earthy (yeasty?) dryness. Finishes dry and mildly alcohol-y. Revisit ina few years.

12oz. Bottle $12.99 6-Pack Binny’s Orland Enjoy before 12/29/11 Old Horizontal poured a hazy burnt caramel(if that makes sense). A half finger head formed on the pour that quickly dropped to nothing but a small swirling island of white foam. When held to the light it glows ruby red. I see only a couple carbonation bubbles rising to the surface. This head eventually disappears completely. There is zero sign of any head after 1/4 of the glass is drank. The lack of head detracts from the overall impression. Smell is a little underwhelming but what is there is juicy. A big aroma of grape bubblegum greets my nose upfront. This is mixed with some floral characteristics such as rose petals. There’s also somewhat of a tea like quality present. Graininess shows as this barleywine heads to room temp. Mild alcohol. Like I said, it smells juicy but there isn’t substance. Flavor starts off with a strong graininess. The grape juice comes around mid palate but is much more subdued than in the aroma. A moderate hop bite shows up and finishes things off with a decent citric bitterness. Warming alcohol on the swallow. This is on the fence here between a 3.5 and 4. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. Body is on the heavier side of medium with sluggish carbonation. Leaves a mild coating on the throat that goes nicely for the style. Slightly warming alcohol on the swallow. Nice. Drinkability is actually pretty good for the high ABV. I could drink a couple in a sitting. Not the best example of an American Barleywine I’ve had but it is an enjoyable brew. Fairly simple flavors but enjoyable none the less. 3/11/07