Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
San Diego, California USA

Bottle, thanks to alexanderj. Black pour with very little head. Aroma is strong coffee grounds, some bitter chocolate, and vanilla. Flavor is pretty acidic, mostly from the coffee flavor; vanilla is noticable, and there is just a sliver of sweetness. Bitter coffee aftertaste. I thougth the coffee was a little too overpowering in this.

Pitcher pour at 2009 GABF. Pours a tiny mocha head, over a black/brown (SRM 38) clear body....nose of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, minimal hop tones....taste heavy coffee, chocolate, cocoa with loads of vanilla....mouth feel thick heavy, carbonation added creaminess. A big, heavy, rich, satisfying brew. Tasting 9/26/09.

Bottle. Much thanks to danielcurtis81 for sharing on his wedding week. Pours pitch black the faintest brown edge and some fading bubbly beige head. Aroma is sweet roasted malt, coffee and vanilla, very inviting. Taste is relatively smooth and sweet dark malt, with a good vanilla flavor that almost leads to some oak and bourbon notes. Coffee component is nicely placed as well. Very nice porter flavor and style.

Bomber from Sparky27. Pours really dark brown with very small tan head. Aroma is loaded with coffee with some roasted malt and caramel and smidge of vanilla. Flavor is dominated by coffee with roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. Finisher with some bitterness from coffee but there is an underlying sweetness to it. Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy and carbonation is a bit low. This is bordering on imperial stout. Really solid flavorful brew. Coffee lovers dream.

Served cold from tap at brewery. A “coffee vanilla imperial porter,” this beer literally tasted like cold coffee infused with alcohol. My girlfriend said it was “heavenly thick, syrupy, coffee and chocolate!” I thought it was the second best brew consumed at the brewery, but since I’m not a huge coffee drinker, the dominant flavor would have to grow on me if I were to drink it regularly.

Pours black into a snifter. Mocha pancake head with excellent retention leaves sheets as it slowly recedes to coat surface. Espresso, cocoa and vanilla aromas. Dark roasted espresso, dark chocolate and vanilla. Less body than expected, but makes it nicely drinkable..

Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured dark brown color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate roasted malty, vanilla and chocolate aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium to heavy dark roasted coffee sweet flavor with medium to heavy sweet finish of moderate to long duration. Solid complex beer.

Bottle thanks to smokepot23!
Dark brown body with a large coffee head, gone quickly. Nose has lots of rich, dark chocolate, also some coffee. Vanilla is a minor player. Flavor is somewhat sweet, lots of coffee, vanilla, and some chocolate. The coffee adds a nice bitter bite to balance through the finish. Smooth body. Very nice balance here, the interplay of the rich chocolate and bitter coffee notes taking the beer further than most of these kinds go.