Victory V12

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

I’ve had this, but apparently never put in a rating... So we’ll keep it average for now, and if I get a chance to sample it again we’ll change things up.

Bottle, aged about 1.5 years. Pours a hazy copper-caramel color with a small, foamy, beige colored head. Soapy lacing slowly drips back towards the body, some of it drying in place before it completes its journey. A swirl of the glass reveals viscous, sugary legging. The aroma reveals a bevy of dark, sweet, fruity notes. Golden raisons and dates meet notes of caramel, brown sugar, and various dark spices. Flavors are again sugary sweet, but with a touch of floral hop bitterness making it more palatable. Boozy and bordering on liquor-like status, this one is not for the faint of heart, and the thick, viscous, sugary body is further proof of that. Ultimately too hot and alcoholic, even at this age, this is a nice attempt at a Belgian Quad that was just taken a bit over the top. Its a decent dessert brew to share amongst 10 or so friends, but otherwise too big for my liking.

Bottled 27 July 2007 (1 year old). Cloudy caramel pour, tan lacy head, caramel toffee nose. Flavor was caramel, malt, spice, orange peel, toast. The finish was semi-sweet, a a little bit of hop bitterness, with a rich, slightly sticky mouthfeel.

Bottled on August 10th, 2006, making this just shy of 2 years old. Caramel color body with a beautiful 2 finger white head that leaves a ton of lacing. One delicious looking beer. Caramel, candied fruits and green apple in the aroma. Decent, but the green apple is slightly off-putting. The taste, however, redeems. Caramel integrates well with beautiful, mellow rum-soaked fruits. Alcohol is warming but never sharp. "Liquid Luxury," as stated on the label? That’s actually a fair statement. Creamy, nicely carbonated mouthfeel. Rich, but finishes with a nice amount of carbonation to clean the palate. Highly recommended. I’ve always thought this was quite solid fresh; it is nice to know it ages well too.

750ml bottle. The aroma was of spices (cinnamon & clove), toffee, dark fruits, and alcohol. Poured a cloudy orange brown color. The head was bubbly and off white (in a yellowish Crime & Punishment kind of way). It reduced rapidly to a ring and no lace was left behind. Medium to full bodied and slightly sweet. Carbonation was on the higher end of the spectrum. Plenty of alcohol flavor and warming effect that increased toward the end. The flavor palate included the likes of raisin, toffee, plum, apple, cinnamon, and white wine. I was a little skeptical at first, but this was and is a delicious beer.

Bottle. Damn near impossible to open, I had to resort to a wine opener to get the cork out. Pours a hazy golden brown with a full white head that is very slow in dispersing. Excellent lacing left on the glass. The aroma is full of yeast, spices, malts, dark fruits. The flavor is excellent. Yeast, fruits, cloves, with a slight alcohol finish. Very well made beer.

sampled with the phoenix crew. pours a hazy dark amber with a small white head that fades to a ring and remains there. fruity aroma though i’m not sure which fruit it is... lots of floral warming yeast, brown sugar, spices and some alcohol burn. the flavor is a bit savory from the yeast... along with some grainy sweetness, bread, bananas?, pear flesh, grassy/hoppy, earth and a dry spice filled finish. alcohol vapors pour out of me as the bready yeasty goodness lingers in the aftertaste. medium to full bodied. the texture is thick and somewhat gritty with the yeast mixed in...

Pours a orange brown. Yeasty, buttery, fruity, and musty in the nose. Big time malts with a bit of heat. Butterscotch, spice and some esters. Real tasty.