Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

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

Bottle courtesy of our Mes I think. Black as night with a light brown head, the colour of one of those 80’s leather jackets that were so popular round my way. Daark chocolate, coffee, alcohol (but in a way I like) and something a little floral hoppy like. Very tasty, thank you very much.

Originally reviewed 2/18/2008...Rich, 3-finger root beer float-colored head stays well - decent lacing. French roast-colored opaque body. Very enticing. Nose has a slight metallic twang with a little coldness (from carbonation?) at first - graduates to nice bitterness and coffee grounds. Chewy, sweet hearty roasted bittersweet chocolate malt with nice grassy hop finish. Vanilla ice cream with natural cocoa topping. Evolves into further bitterness - alcohol also emerges more. Well-balanced - lots of everything here. Very chewy - slowly coats, soothes, relieves? Slight alcohol burn; hop finish becomes more pronounced. Quite drinkable for the style; perhaps not a true session item (rather filling) but a worldly effort all-around.

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.