Victory Grand Cru

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

Bottled on 5-15-03. This bad boy is over 2 years old. Pour is hazy deep orange, large white head, lots of visable carbonation. Aroma is fruity, with Belgian yeast tones. The yeast is a bit more pronounced in the flavor. I’m not sure what else to say, I’ve always had trouble describing Belgian ales. I want another one.

Pours a cloudy amber with a small frothey withe head. Smells of honey and sugar with some mild citrus notes. Tastes of toffee and brown sugar with some nutty elements. Nice viscous palate. Not as big as I’m used to out of a Grand Cru, but still very drinkable.

2003 Vintage consumed 11/23/07: Pours brown and opaque with a lingering off white head. Smells of citrus, perfume, dust, some bananas, hints of pepper. Tastes of bananas, caramel, oranges, cloves, some subtle spicey hints, some nice dryness. Time has done this one well!
App: 3/5 Ar: 9/10 Fl: 8/10 Pa: 4/5 Ov: 18/20

2003 bottle. Pours a thick orange body with a nice sized head. Aroma is spicy, dominated by peaches and oranges. Finishes sweet like other Belgian ales. Alcohol is detected, but doesn’t really detract from the overall beer. Awesome stuff.

Poured a hazy orange amber color with a nice amount of foamy white head. Aroma is citrusy and malty accentuated by hues of alcohol and slight bits of yeast and spices. What I really liked about both the aroma and flavor is that I did not feel it was dominated by yeast or spices like so many other belgians seem to be. Instead it was a very smooth, enjoyable, balanced beverage that did not offend the senses in any way. The flavor mix of fruits, caramel, and spices were exceptionally balanced and it had a nice warming finish that lasted. Overall, I really really enjoyed this beer and I definitely want to go buy another to cellar for a bit.

High alcohol, sharp on the tongue, nice aroma. Orange amber pour, high offwhite head, and clearer than i would expect. Smell is similar to most high alcohol beers, almost orangey even raisiny. Flavor is a little bitey on the tongue, but overall smooth flavor and a citrus fruit taste, but no bad aftertaste. Very good.

May 2003. Wonderful grand cru with nice spices on a blanket of caramel and dark fruit malt. Very smooth mouthfeel on the lighter side of grand crus. Carbonation is good and this seems to have aged very nicely.

Reviewed from a 2003 750ml corked bottled. Well after a bit to pull the cork out I ended up wearing a bit of this and sharing with my dog what ended up on the floor. From the way he went at cleaning it up I knew this would be a pretty good beer. Appearance was a clear orange amber color with a tall white fluffy head that never really seemed to die. Some sticky lave was left around the glass as this was consumed. Fruits of all kinds rose from the glass (and my floor) when taking in the scent of this banana and apple were the main ones I identified. There was a good bit of spiciness to it as well to balance out the sweetness. Sweet fruit also dominated the flavor with a strong showing by the spiciness in this brew. Coriander and a lemony bite were most detectable in the lingering spicy aftertaste. The body was about medium with a rich creamy mouthfeel. Drinkability was good as I did finish the whole bottle without growing tired of it though it did take me a bit longer than usual. Maybe cleaning up the kitchen floor had something to do with that. Either way this is another good offering from Victory that I suggest you try if you ever come across it.

2003 corked bottle. Off-white frothy head, probably large from some bottle agitation... fades to a thin dusty covering. Hazy orange/amber body. Full belgian fruity aroma with clove sugar cookie. Tastes like yummy belgian orange kool aid with spicy honey. I hate describing beers like this. It is pretty complex and hard to pick it all up. But it is very well balanced, and really tastes like a yummy classic belgian ale.