Victory V12

Bottled on 3/29/2005. Pours an unclear orange with a wispy tan head. Estery aroma of orange peel, honey, and sweet candied fruits. Taste is sweet and fruity, a spicy alcohol note is evident but not prevalent. It becomes more subtle and reasonable as the gravity warms your belly and cheeks. Mouthfeel is quite heavy, slightly syrupy, and highly carbonated. Thought this might be a little too fresh at only 8 months, but I was happy with the brew. Maybe a little bit too sweet for my tastes, but that’s my only complaint. Reminds me of Gulden Draak.

Super thick frothy head. Almost like a root beer float. Amber colored with champagne like bubbles. Whoa, I can almost smell this beer from about 2 feet away. Impressive. Bringing it to my nose, I get vanilla, candy like, orange, bready, raisins, apples. Bringing it to my mouth I get similar tastes. Awfully good beer here. Victory does not disappoint. Alcohol is well hidden. It sure does pack a punch though.

(BOTTLED ON 3/29/05)i poured some of the v12 into my chimay glass and recieved a huge 4 inch ehad that took some time to sit down.as the off-white head did finally settle it left thick webbing walled on the side of the glass.the body that was finally shone was a see-through orange with tiny bubbles floating to the top.i put my nose to the glass and was gifted with a nice bouquet of aromas.chocolate,caramel,yeast,and cookie dough was what i could grab from the mix.the first sip was much of what the aroma offered.along with some oranges,sunflowers,and just a tad of earth type hops.the mouthfeel had a little bite and the alcohol was well hidden for 12%.nice job victory.

Thanks to JohnC for bringing this to our bigfoot vertical tasting. Pours pink/orange in color. Flavor was malty with some smoke and an interesting earthy funk note. Nose had sugary notes, smelled like candy. Creamy body. Very yummy.

Acquired via a trade from BA Px2GrafX, this 750 ml. bomber had a bottled on date of March 29, 2005. The beer was protected by a cork and a wire cage, which made me wonder as usual about whether a flat oxidized beer was in the bottle as a result of carbonation loss. Well the cork pullers had extricated the top out halfway, when it blew clear out, and the beer started gushing out, so clearly the cork had held.

The body was clear reddish orange in color, with a very aggressive carbonation, and an easily formed, large, foamy off-white head. The head did not last at the original volume for a long time, but it never did fade away completely. The aroma was very distinctly Belgian, with a liberal dose orange peel, candy sugar, and white pepper, riding on wave after wave of perfumey alcohol. A restrained hop flavor was also evident via the nose.

The taste was just perfect for the style, with the overabundance of malt delivering a mélange of ripe fruit flavors. Oranges, Pears, Bananas, Cherries, and Apricots were the primary fruits, which were equally matched by a strong peppery and prickly alcohol. Also evident was a herbal hop bitterness proclaiming the American origins of the bottle. The mouthfeel was light and airy, and the aftertaste very warm in the mouth and belly.

Although this beer was a little hot, it was a surprisingly drinkable concoction. I am definitely going to sit on the second bomber for a while though. This will be even better when the flavors meld better.

Whew...this is a big beer. Clearish orange-brown body, thin buff-colored head. Caramely aroma, with notes of cinnamon, alcohol, pear, cherry, and even band-aids. Cidery body, bready, toasty, and spicy (pepper, etc.), and extremely estery, heavy on dark fruits. Big alcohol punch. Syrupy, heavy, thick, sweet, estery...you get the picture. This isn’t a beer to slay on one’s own. Thanks to hellomynameis (Zach) for a long ago trade!

750ml bottle: Murky deep amber, light red highlights, with a huge creamy beige head that just won’t quit. The aroma showcases the malts here: figs, orange, grapes, apple, raisin bread, light spice. Taste is sweet figs soaked in alcohol, apples soaked in cloved brandy, bready yeast, with hints of lime leaf, ginger, and mint. Finishes much more dry than I was expecting, such that it is easy to drink without being overwhelming. Medium bodied, feeling almost too light and watery at times. After more inspection (by which I mean finishing the bottle) it remains crisp without getting watery, making it refreshing without being overly syrupy and overwhelming.

reddish brown appearance with minimal off-white head....aroma of sweet cherry, sugary malts, spice, and alcohol...flavor is quite the same with added notes of apple cider (flavor is great, but a tad overwhelming...too much going on there and a bit overbearing)....nice palate...great beer but a tad intense; thanks to silphium