Victory V12

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

Appearance was a cloudy copper color with a big white head after being poured from a 750-ml bottle.A heavy alcohol smell dominates. It has the taste of pepper and ripe fruits, but the alcohol commands the most notice.

750ml bottle from Bevmo Carmel Mountain. Rusty brown in color with a hint of orange. Head was like a traditional Belgian, big and rocky, then dissipates to almost nothing. In the nose I found an abundance of sweet fruits, yeast and alcohol. On the pallet, your lips almost sting from the alcohol, in a good way. A big strong finish from this beer.

Murky and brown, looks like muddy water. Smells sweet and fruity. Strong alcohol taste with sweet fruits and lots of effervescence. Not bad.

A light brown ale with a heavy mouthfeel . A distinct caramel flavoring that goes down smooth,

In the bottle from Logan’s Pre-GABF party. I’m glad that I bought some of this to age because this seems much more like a barleywine to me than anything else. Deep dark copper colored with an unrelenting head. Raisins and molasses attempt to cover up a huge ethanol burn. OUCH! I love it! UPDATE, October 2009 - Great chocolate flavor, great malt and hop balance. Same score of 4.0

Great spicy Belgian aroma. Wow, this is a nice beer. Strong, spicy, flavorful, a truly tasty beverage.

Bottled 4/19/07. Pours a prismatic clear copper, and rallies a humble head of creamy eggshell. Lace refuses to form. The sinus-clearing nose teems with sugared plums, watermelon schnapps, licorice, and solvent; latent lychee, powdered donuts, and tobacco impressions awaken seconds later. Upfront syrupy, but not cloying sweetness features peaty pear, toast, and strong black tea flavors. Staggeringly malty… yet finishes very tart, woodsmoky, and herbal… and an unexpected burst of lemongrass and brie. The mouthfeel: tactile and elastic, like licking tits, and sharpened not by CO2, but by mindf*cking fission-hot ethanol and leathery friction. A glassy, jackhammer shiraz/black cherry afterburn closes each sip like a staple through the tongue. Far less complex than I expected… and squinting through the overblown alcohol fog, I detect an ale closer to a Scottish wee heavy than anything else. In pursuit of strength, Victory has botched its goal of refined seductress, and instead Frankensteined a boozy whore of a beer, best viewed through its own self-creating beer goggles.

25.4 oz bottle, 3/29/05. Clear woody brown with a tan haze. Nose of raisins, yeast and candied fruits with a shot of brandy. Carb tends to foamy, body a little thin but still substantial and a bit sticky. Toffee and caramel with fruitcake. A solid offering when you need a Quad.