Victory Old Horizontal

Must preface by saying that I’m not a huge fan of the style, but this was a favorite of the 6 that we tried at a tasting on 3/14. I find Barleywines to usually be horribly unbalanced and non-sensical, but the brewers at Victory did a great job with this one. Good malty sweetness balanced with the proper hop offset. Great job on this one.

Draught and bottles in Georgia. Pours brown and thick with a nice head. I didn’t pay much attention to the aroma and went straight for the drink. wonderful sweetness, some roasted oat flavors, molasses, and a touch of bitternes. Wonderful.

BONUS from the RealBastard, (Thanks Brent!) Pours typical BW opaque mahogony with a tight bubbled head that quickly dissipates to a halo. Nose is rich and malty with a bit of bready yeast in there too. Flavor is a bit tart, but at the same time dried fruit, caramel and molasses, along with a smooth yeasty, almost spice influence. Nice finish of dried fruit and brown sugar. Very good brew.

Clear vermilion in hue and topped of a fluffy yellowish beige head, Old Horizontal is bright and enticing in the light. Fruity and sweet the nose balances hoppy grapefruit and banana esters. A slew of sugary sensations aromatically appear: cotton candy, bubble gum and honey give rise to a medley of blueberries, mandarin, apricot, pear, vanilla and tulips. On the palate a smooth syrupy texture suggests caramel and honey. The springy bitterness of pine resin and citrus reveal the hop profile, while blackberries and strawberries make up the resurgent fruit flavors. A burnt woodiness takes prominence with warming, particularly combined with walnuts and cloves. The smooth mouthfeel adeptly hides a substantial amount of alcohol, betrayed only by the warmth I felt in my stomach. Well made, but somehow comes across as emotionally sterile – not quite my style. (10/04/2007)

Pours a beautiful dark amber/rust color with a thin yellow head that diminishes quickly.. Delicious fruity nose with hints of spice. Just slides over your tongue like a honey cream. Goes down very smoothly with powerful fruit and spice tastes. Leaves with a slight hop finish and a warmth in the stomach that pronounces the 11% ABV which would go unnoticed by taste alone. Fantastic beer!

’05 Cellared: Dirty Sedona river water with small creamy head that vanishes quickly but leaves significant lacing along the side of the glass. The fragrance is cabernet and brown sugar and flavor starts sweet and ends with stinging alcohol and bitter hops. A good barley wine but I’d take an Old Numbskull over this any day!!!

Red amber with good, creamy tan head / Sweet, winey, grapey nose / Full, malty, sticky, body with sweet, hot finish / Flavors of grape, grapefruit, nuts, and butterscotch / Body a little one dimensional.

Dark red-brown, real thin head. Malty nose. Great fruit flavor on the tip of the tongue. Real nice sweetness. Decent amount of hoppiness too. A ton going on. Creamy texture and smooth finish. Drink by date of 12/11, hoppiness might level out with some aging. Still an awesome beer, complex and delicious.