Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

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

Completely opaquely black in colour with a thin brown head. Small bubbles appear on part of the glass at certain areas. Fantastic smell with a hint of hops, malt and sweetness. Smells almost like heaven. Full-bodied taste with a great chocolate taste and many different 'roasted' tones. A full malt taste with a subtle amount of hops throughout the taste. A great overall beer, definately worth picking up if you are in the mid-atlantic -- noting it is much more reasonable in price than other imperials, such as Samuel Smiths, etc.

12oz bottle, sample #25 in a blind imperial stout tasting. Pours a dark, oily brown color; minimal head formation. Relaxed aroma: dried dark fruits and cola and tea-like malts. Lots of tea and dried fruits in the mouthfeel; some caramel; lighter and fruitier than a lot of the imperial stouts we’ve tried tonight; way too much drying, tea-like malts. Lengthy, dry tea and red fruits in the finish. 7.4.7.4.14=3.6

12oz bottle; thanks James! Pours a pitch-black center, good density, brown along the edges; tannish head with ok retention. Lots of dark chocolate and piney hops in the aroma. Bitterness is reserved compared to a fresh Brooklyn BCS (sampled yesterday), with a nice roasted malt / bitter chocolate backbone, all well-integrated. Long, roasted, chocolatey finish; slightly bitter. 8.4.8.4.17=4.1

Black as night with a nice brown head that lathers on the sides of the glass. Aroma was malt, some hops, and a little coffee. First sip and I could tell I loved this one.. Sweet roasty goodness hides in those black depths. Dark chocolate, coffee, malt, cherries and maybe even some walnut all come through in this wonderful tasting stout. The palate is thick and a little bitter with the hops at the end but it really coats your mouth. This beer is amazingly complex and new flavors appear with each sip it seems. Amazingly warming yet no sign of the high alcohol content. Glad I picked this one as a session ender. Fantastic!

Smooth and wonderful. I can’t believe this is 9.1%! Hoppy, full and intense coffee taste.

Vintage Bottled: 4th of November 2003, Sampled February 2004
Pours a pitch black color, and with a thick creamy brown head. Dark fruit, roasted malt, coffee aromas waft from my glass. The roasted characteristics are not overwhelming in any way though, seem to be well in balance. A thick creamy mouth feel to this beer. Definitely reminiscent of a rich coffee concoction, perhaps with a bit of chocolate in it too. It is quite interesting how the flavor hops contribute to a beer when it is so thick & dark. In a lighter beer you would be able to detect the over the top hops immediately, here they just seem to add another dimension to the beer. The hops help to soften the effects of the roasted malts and they help to boost the perception of a dark fruitiness, They also add a citrusy tingling sensation to the tongue. This beer is so well integrated I cannot imagine how it will get any better with age, but I do have a 6'er which I plan on aging to see how this changes. I do still love the fact that this beer is not too heavy, for an Imp-Stout it is nice, light, and easy sipping (note that it is still quite the sipping brew though).

Bottled Oct 15, 2002. Sampled October 27, 2003
This beer is a deep black color, when held up to the light it is seen to be quite clear. When roused a thick dark brown head appears. Notes of burnt raisin waft from the glass. Roasted malt is quite evident in the nose as well. The taste is very good, it is all over the place, not one dimensional at all. Not over the top in its roast character (like some Imp-Stouts), this is wonderful as it allows lots of the other flavors to come through. There are notes of a rich port, and a slight bit of sherry in the finish. The Storm King is fairly light bodied for this style of beer. It is fruity tasting, which is accentuated by the hop flavor that has been put into this beer. Quite novel to me to pack an Imperial-Stout with flavor hop additions, I really like this idea, especially in this relatively 'light' bodied example. One could easily drink a couple of pints of this, and regret it later. The more I drink the more I like this beer, I wish that I had more. Thanks to Eric (Tannertavernboys) for the opportunity to try this beer. I can't wait to get a fresh sample of this beer.

Pjk33, you are the man! You ’shock me’ once again! Pours nicely, and the lace sticks nicely to the glass’ however, I like my imperial stouts a little heavier, and this one just didn’t quite measure up. A nice beer, however.

Dark Coloring. Good Tan Head. Coffee. Roasts. Oh dear...for the Stout lover this one’s alright laddy!!

Bottle (35 cl) at Ölrepubliken, Göteborg, Sweden. Black with a rich beige head. Chocolate roasted malt aroma with notes of coffee and salmiak. Medium bodied and smooth. Dry with a bitter, slightly salty finish. Well balanced and very drinkable.