Victory Old Horizontal

Dark amber colour with little head; grapefruit, lemon and caramel aromas; sweetish/bitter taste with caramel, dates, citrus and pine aromas; bitter finsih with caramel, toffee and pine aromas. A reasonable beer, but the malt and hop flavours clash in the mouth. Lacking complexity for a beer of its strength.

Not for chugging. Wonderful flavor, aroma and appearance. Sweet and smooth. As it warms, it becomes more whiskey than beer. Alcohol is evident in smell and taste. Perfect for a cold winter night, if we ever get them in NJ again.

A: Pours a gorgeous ruby red/cranberry color, with a moderately thin head that dissipates quickly, except around the ages. S: A very interesting scent, the beer almost smells refreshing, like a breakfast cocktail. It’s definitely sweet and makes me want to take a gigantic gulp, but knowing what lies ahead, I don’t plan on doing that. T: Woah. I was unprepared for the first sip and the almost overwhelming alcohol presence, sort of like a Jack & Coke that’s got flat/watered-down, or a zinfandel that someone stuck in the fridge. It has a very large boozy raspberry or cherry flavoring to it that I’m not sure about, perhaps as it warms...and yes, that is the case. The beer gets better as it warms (as would be expected). Lots of complex flavors to this one, though very little, if any, finish. M: The thinnest barleywine I’ve had, it’s gone from your mouth as quickly as you sip it. I actually prefer my barleys to be a big "bigger" in terms of mouthfeel, but this one actually helps the drinkability. D: Once you’re past that initial burst of booziness, this beer becomes fairly easy to drink. Still not a chugging beer, heh, but not very hard to drink given the very high ABV. I’d do more than one of these in a sitting. Recommended.

Pours a hazy hazy amber, very light white head. Very nice belnd of hops and matls in the smell, with a little skunky fruit as well. Nice spice on the taste! Pretty bitter, with notes of grapefruit and nuts. Pretty neat combo actually. Alcohol is quite present, maybe they could have masked it a little better but it is still quite good. maybe a tad overrated.

Pours thick, even for a barley wine. Great deep orange and golden color. Thin head that faded fast. Sweet and malty nose. Powerful flavors of caramel and spice. Great complexity on the palate. Could sip this all winter!

Legend is built around the possible reasons why this is called old horizontal. 12 oz brown bottle brewed in my home state. Aroma is sweetish. Much darker brown than I expected. Hazy lighter maroon color. Fine rising stream of bubbles that make me anticipate a creaminess. Fast fading tan head that settles to froth. Very strong alcohol impact on the first taste. The creamy visual carbonation lies to its actuality, seems a little flat. I think many rate craft beers with a high alky content high right off the bat. Very strong, almost unbearable. Not easily enjoyed if drank like a beer. My uvula is crying about the bitter strength. I was always curious about this but I will not buy again. The flavor is enough to knock you horizontal. I am afraid that I can not really enjoy this onslaught. Just as intimidating as lagunus rown sugga, bells wheat love and blithering idiot. I will never get used to this style. Idiot is probably the best tasting of the four barley wines I’ve had. This beer finishes with thick syrupy tacky harsh lingers that hang on for what seems like too long. I probably should have rated this in the dead of night when no body was looking. My taste buds are just too girlie to appreciate these brews. I must admit, that I feel better now that I’ve consumed this!

Dec 05 12 oz bottle. Pour is a dark reddish orange with thin off-white head. Aroma is very sweet. Fruit, spice, raisins, and caramel nose. Flavors is fruity and sweet, with caramel, spice, and maple. Not quite as good as I was hoping, but still a good barley wine.

Pours lightly hazy orange with burgundy tint and a thin beige head. Retention of the diminutive head is commendable throughout the quaff, leaving adequate lacing so as to give me something intricate enough to look at, various geometric shapes. It’s like high school on acid. Aroma is spicy hps, caramel malt and overripe fruit, a little spice cake as well. Flavor is near all malt at first and leaves a nice hop resin battery on the back end. Palate is very viscous and very mellow in spite of copious hops. Finishes with a sweet hop tang and a lingering burn from the alcohol and hop oils. Very good.

One of the greats. Rating a carefully aged version would no doubt result in an overall score at least two points higher, hopefully that will hold true of more recently acquired vintages.