Victory Grand Cru

Formerly brewed at Victory Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Orange apperance with a sweet candy like aroma. Flavor is very sweet with a buttery citrus taster. Is this the good ship lollipop because it tastes like it! A decent beer but not well balanced.

Sharp, sweet, dark brown sugar and ginger. Dense foam, bumpy and vanilla-colored head. A little too sweet, lots of tangy candied pineapple, not enough balance. Fairly hoppy finish, strongly offset by sweet malt character.

Orange in coulor with a small head. Aroma is floral, orange and malted. Flavour is belgian yeast, orange, and floral hops. Victory’s best (as a grand cru should be) I think not, a good beer, definitely.

Here I go again, pissing people off by giving low ratings to styles I don’t care for. Oh, yeah? Like people never do that to my beloved stouts? Anyway, this was a hazy amber potion with an off-white head. Aroma of oranges, spices, yeast. Full and rich in the mouth. Flavor was mildly sweet, mildly acidic, somewhat tart. Decent but not my cup of tea.

So what is the deal with this. Do all "grand cru’s" have to be belgian? I mean seriously, give me a grand cru bock. But I digress. The nose is sweet and belgian like the taste however is smotherd in rust. Ever see X2? This is what she injected in that guy because there is just a TON of the rust flavour. But dont get me wrong, this actually wasnt that bad. But I do need a tetanus shot.

Luminous apricot. Off-white, slightly rocky, whipped foam with gorgeous lacework. Alluring aroma of flower petals, sugared peaches, coriander, ginger, and juicy noble hops. Subdued spicy esters, perfume, candied malt, and passionfruit. Soft, creamily spongy carbonation. Mild candy sugar sweetness couples with tangy leather. Fairly chalky and astringent yeast character is smoothened by the soft body. Quite estery with gobs of tropical fruit and spicy anise. Delicate kiss of flower petals and rounded noble hops add more elegance while neutralizing the malt twang and sweet orange peels. Just enough acidity to buckle the cheeks and deter some of the candy sugar sweetness. Finishes juicy, leathery, and remarkably composed with a gentle tongue-brushing earthy hop bitterness, peppery alcohol, cedar, sweet orange peels, and coriander along with a lasting blend of cakey malts and fresh hops. Overall, very good brightness and vibrancy in the aroma, soft and supple body, not to mention the stellar balance and complexity. Not unlike Abbaye des Rocs, with its soft body, interesting yeast profile, and leather/fruit combo. At just over a year in the bottle, this is maturing very nicely.

750 ml Bottle. Popped the cork and received a rush of frothy foam. Quickly poured into a tulip glass. Head was huge from all the excitement, but it didn’t last forever. The head quickly diminished but left slight lacing on the glass. Sweet is probably the best way to describe this beer. The aroma was sweet, and the flavor was more than sweet. The very red color was nice, but the flavor was overwhelmed with carmel, sticky texture. The big alcohol was virtually non-existant in the taste. This was nice to try, but I don’t think I will be returning for seconds.

2003 75cl Pours hazy rusty amber, good head & bead, good lace. Big spice/fruit aroma, I’m getting a heavy emphasis on tropical/citrus fruits and some carmelly malt. Medium/full bodied. I agree with Kevin on the phenols and oranges, but I’m missing the hops, maybe in the lingering with the phenols and alcohol? Besides a bit in the nose, malt doesn’t make a big impact on me here, either...I basically get spices and yeast out of this and it really has elements that seem straight out of another brew?? Wish I could name it. Overall, a good spicy brew that I should have saved for a Christmas drink instead of a summer one! Thanks to Slikwily for supplying me with the goods!