Victory V12

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Muddy amber in color and a decent beige colored head. The smell is fruits, alcohol, candi sugar, toffee, raisans, and malts. The taste is toffee, raisans, alcohol, all sorts of sugar, fruits, and yeast. Felt like a decent homebrew.

Pours cloudy amber with excellent red accents and a thin white head. Aroma is hoppy citrus, caramel and dark fruit malt, and overtones of clove and banana. Flavor is very sweet- rife with malt complexities. Raisin and plum are predominant, with caramel, banana and brown sugar falling in too. Yeast character is present but largely overshadowed by residual sugars. Warming but not overly alcoholic. Palate is moderately prickly from mild carbonation, with a decently full body for the style. Leaves a sticky, sugary coating that turns somewhat dry. Very nice.

Sampled at Springslicker’s Fish Fry ’09. Hazy orange pour with a whitish pour. Malt aroma, candi sugar, and a fairly well masked abv. Huge residual sweetness.

Enjoyed via 750ml bottle in a tulip glass. I have enjoyed this beer on several occasions with other savy drinkers, and it truly never disappoints. I haven’t had some of the selections offered by Lost Abbey, AleSmith, or Russian River, but I think this is the best Quad/Belgian Strong Dark offered on the East Coast of the United States. The nose shows notes of toasted "Belgian style" grains, i.e., Special B and a heavy hand with Aromatic and CaraMunich. Absolutely delicious! This notes also come through in the flavor, which is full-bodied and complex without being cloying or muddy. There is a slight touch of alcohol in the finish, but realistically, that is acceptable for a beer of this abv. Overall, a steal at any price, and a wonderful addition to a flavorful meal on a chilly autumn evening.

Bomber, recommended by mondo vino staff. Pretty looking beer with a copper, banana and tropical fruit aroma. It has a slightly sweet banana, mango tropical fruit flavor with yeast and spice finish. I really enjoyed this one.

Bottle. Moderate roasted note for the malt, orangey/herby for the hops, beefy for the yeast, and date or raisin, and steak sauce in the background. Head is small, wispy, white with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is clear light copper. Flavor is moderately sweet and lightly acidic to start, then finishes lightly sweet and acidic. Palate is medium, creamy and has a soft carbonation. There is excellent balance in this Belgian Strong. All the flavors and aromas come together perfectly.

SpringsLicker’s Fish Fry. Sample from a bottle thanks to illinismitty. Dark caramel red-orange with an off white head. Taste is raisins, caramel, brown sugar, spices. Aroma was much the same with more emphasis on the spices. and alcohol.

Deep amber, white head. Aroma is yeast, corriander, peanut shells, alcohol, light malt. Taste is bubble gum, yeast, alcohol, fruit. Bubble gum dominates.