Victory V12

Cloudy orange colour with a white head. Sweet and malty aroma with lots of alcohol. Syrup sweet taste with caramel, yeast and an alcohol finish. Thanx to Madsberg for sharing.

750ml. bottle thanx to Madsberg. Hazy amber colour with a big white head. Sweet sugar syrup alcoholic aroma and taste. Medium body and a sweet warming alcoholic finish.

Today I felt like a having a world-class Belgian, and I think I picked a good one. Poured a clear orange/amber. The head is a perfectly uniform creamy white, like steamed 1/2 and 1/2 on a cafe breve. As this soft blanket slowly dissipates, it leaves remnants of itself in the form of perfect lacing dancing intricate patterns around the edges of the glass. Massive swirls of bubbles are erupting from the bottom of my chalice and churning their way to the top of the beer. Aroma is dry apple cider, while deeper reflection reveals small notes of candy sugar. Taste is very well layered, with vinous notes intermixed with apples and pears making themselves known first, interlacing with refreshing alcohol. As tasting continues, the mouthful slowly transitions to candy sweetness. A fairly sweet dry alcoholic finish remains in the palate after swallowing. Considering how this brew is not as dark as some other strong Belgians, the heaviness and creaminess of the mouthfeel catches you off guard. In my final analysis as I reflect on this gem of a find, is it the most balanced strong Belgian out there? No. Is it world class? With little doubt. Does it deserve more praise than it’s receiving? With no doubt whatsoever. If you can, pick one up today and challenge my observations. If it’s not immediately available to you, trade for it.

Dark amber with a hint of orange color. Aroma is very yeasty and sweet with butterscotch and apple notes. Carbonation is on the weak end of average. Flavor is stark, rich and lucious. Sweet yeasty notes with heavy malts and complex flavors. Palate is strong on the booze but clean and candy tongued. Overall, very tasty and smooth. Me like.

Bottled August 27, 2004, Sampled January 2005
Pours a brilliantly clear deep copper color, it is topped by a thin pale brown head that has trouble sticking around along through all of the alcohol. The aroma is sharp and spicy with notes of apples, rum, brandy, and alcohol. The aroma fades pretty quickly as my nose get used to the aromas. The taste is surprisingly light and clean for a beer of this strength. There is a definite fruity sweetness that reminds me of plums, raisins, and perhaps some red grapes. The fruitiness is the dominant characteristic though. This definitely tastes a bit like brandy, what with the general fruitiness and the alcohol in the finish. This has a really nice fruitiness to it, there is none of the spiciness that one usually associates with lots of the Belgian yeast strains. Instead this has a concentrated fruitiness to it.

Actually I am quite disappointed in this beer, it is not quite Belgian enough, not quite enough complexity. This is a nice tasting beer, it is just a bit simplistic, though I should give it some credit for being so smooth and drinkable despite the 12% alcohol. This is definitely not something that I can finish a full 750 of though, so be warned this should be shared with friends.

Bottle generously shared by jercraigs. Copper colour, fizzy white head. Strong alcohol in aroma and some sweetness. Syrupy mouthfeel. Strong alcohol taste with an interest fruitiness that isn’t always balanced. Sure it doesn’t taste like 12%, and it does make for a very interesting sample, but I’m not sure I would want to try this again. An experience though, just more novelty than exceptional though.

Pours dark reddish brown with standup head. Smells of yest and booze, some hops and malts. Flavor blends these together better than the aroma does. Caramelly at times, somewhat alcoholic, but not as much as a 12 could show. Well done, I might try this again.

Dark red amber brown body, moderate fluffy white head. Unique aroma, yeasty, bit alcoholic aroma. Alcohol is fairly noticable but still doesn’t hint at its real strength. Sweet fruity quality over notes of caramel, brown sugar or at times simple syrup. Brandy like at times, complex and interesting. Nice smooth medium bodied palate. Quite drinkable, but can get a touch cloying as the glass goes on. Not something you want to drink alone.