Victory Old Horizontal

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Oh yes. I’ve only tried a few but this is the best barleywine I’ve had so far. Sweet almost the point of resembling Sweet Tarts, but not cloying or distracting. Bottle says 11% and best by 12-5-13. Bought it as a single, will hopefully find a sixer if it’s available. Nice!

A tea colored beer with a smallish tan head and carbonation that adheres to the side of the glass. Very pleasant complex fruit aroma. This starts out with a big aggressive hop smash that was quickly followed by sweet caramel which was immediately followed by dark fruit. All of that was the first sip!! It settles into a fruity malty delight. The alcohol is not exaggerated. Delicious!

12 oz. bottle. Pleasantly suprised by this beer. Not the normal barlywine flavor. The malts cover the 11% alc. very nicely but not too much.

(bottle) A brownish-red beer with a small, disappearing head. Aroma of sweet malt, ripe fruit, a good amount of hops, and some alcohol. A sweet but pine-hoppy flavor with oranges, caramel. Very dry finish, and lingering, intense, warming alcohol sensation. Full bodied.

12 ounce bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar (Escondido, CA). Pours a dark reddish-brown with very little off-white head that disappears quickly. Aroma is nice -- sweet with some raisin and grape and notes of alcohol. Flavor is sweet maltiness with warming alcohol. The finish is sweet with some hoppy bitterness right at the end. Well-balanced and very smooth for a barley wine. Very drinkable.

12oz bottle. Pours a clear, but dark mohogany-brownish red body with a tiny, off-white head that fizzes away immediately and leaves minimal oily lacing. Aroma is very plump and fruity. Loads of dark fruits, mainly figs and prunes. Abundance of sweet, caramel malts and even a hint of strawberry. Lots of sweet and sugary earthy hops. Touch of wine-like booze in the back of the nose. Fantastic balance in the aroma. Flavor is loaded as well. Still packed with figs and caramel malts, but more earthy orange hops in the flavor. Very vinous. Finishes astringently bitter and lightly boozy with a mellow sweetness. Warming on the way down. Palate is extremely clean for a barley wine with a medium, oily body. Very smooth with a nice hop burn. Overall, fantastic. Has a phenomenal taste. Its sweet without being candy-sugar sweet and loaded with hops. As malty as this is, the hops come through big time which really impresses me for such a big beer. Its like the malts and hops are fighting an epic battle, but there is no clear winner. This could easily be my #1 barley wine to date. Remarkable beer and at $11.99 a six pack, this is a steal. I am not hesitating to cellar a bunch of this to see how it develops.

"whoa...big aroma! lots of hops right up front, but they mellow a little to let the caramel malt and a bit of alcohol through. looks good...nice thin head with good retention, great dark amber color. carbonation is near perfect for the style and i love the mouthfeel. a dangerously drinkable barleywine. the flavor is more balanced than the nose. Pretty close to perfect actually. great mix of sweet malt and hops. lingering finish. i’d been looking forward to this one and it did not dissapoint. Better deal than the expensive 22’s as well!"

Enjoyed via draft. Appearance is dark brown with just the slightest head. Aroma is one of dark fruits and a slight touch of alcohol. Flavor is a wonder of complexity: malt sweetness, a hop presence, and a smooth sweet finish.