Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

This was on cask. Aroma is bitter, malty and burnt. Color is black, without any head. Mouthfeel is great, sharp and tingly. light bodied without seeming thin. Taste is bitter roast malt with a sharp woody finish.

Bottle. Pitch black with a dense lacing off white head. Hoppy aroma with notes of chocolate, pine, fruit, milk sugar and roasted malt. Flavour of licorice, hops, malt, resin and a nice bitter finish.

Pours really M’Fn black. Barely get a hint of ruby when held up to the sun. Nice tan head, leaves a nice lace on the side of the glass. Aroma is roasty and lightly hoppy, some charcoal and malt sweetness. The first thing I noticed is the mouth feel, it’s like fuckin’ velvet on mah tongue. Creamy, very roasty, and surprisingly hoppy, which is finished up by roasted. A little more hoppy than I would expect from an imperial stout, but the strength of the roasted malts and the luxurious mouthfeel let it worth very nicely.

Poured a dark brown, almost black with basically no head. Bottle was around 2 years old, and the beer has responded well to the aging. For me, this one smells almost like a barley wine, with some nice hints of cherry and chocolate. This is a very smooth, creamy beer that’s not too thick with lots of tasty flavors going on. Strong flavors of chocolate, malt, and coffee. The aftertastes of the beer is what really got me hooked, they just keep on coming and coming.

For me, it doesn’t get any better than this. This stout is a brilliant introduction to the style (say, for someone who equate stout with Guinness), but still has a great deal to offer the more experienced palate. There are other wonderful stouts that are more heavy on the roasted/chocolate malt side (Old Rasputin, Great Lakes Blackout), but Storm King is a bit more balanced than these---I can only enjoy them if I’m in the mood, but Storm King fits the bill any time.

A great imperial stout for the warmer times of year. Not quite as heavy and thick as many. Refreshing due to the surprising hop character on the attack. Starts off a little hoppy but quickly moves to full malt. Great balance for this style. Most impressed. Its just full of diverse flavors. Price is fantastic too at just over $2.50 a bottle at my shop. Favorite Victory so far which is all the more impressive given the 95 degree heat outside.

Bottle pours a lacing, tan head with a very dark brown body. Aromas of cocoa and coffee. Taste is the same. Powerful, great body, nice alcohol heat. Decently bitter.

An extremely wonderful dark stout, with a nice dry finish and medium body. The flavours keep rolling over your tongue after you swallow. Roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate flavours assault you after the initial barrage of rich stout flavour and hoppiness.