Victory Old Horizontal

vertical six with a 04,05, and 06. Always one of my favorite barley wines... will see how the vertical stack goes. Started with the Dec 14 2004. pour was a bit scary at the bottom, bottom 1/3 seemed chunky... in the glass it was a ruddy dark amber with cloudy sediment on the bottom. a small head that dissipates. aroma is dominated by a caramel malt that has a bit of sweet. mouthful has a pleasant caramel sweet up front, then quickly fades to a bitter mouthful that lingers... not a great aged specimen for sure. Bottled Dec 22 2005, This one pours with out the scary lumpiness at the end. Still significant sediment. color and head is the same as the 04. aroma is similar to the 04 but with a bit of hop mixed in. mouthful is smooth with caramel, fig, raisons and a little hoppy finish with a alcohol warming. much better than the 04! 2006 is enjoy before Dec 12 2011. same color same small head with little sediment and no chunky pour. the hops have moved up front in the aroma but the caramel and malt is still there. mouthful is crisp with with a balance malt and hop palate. This has a barley wine back bone with a bit to zesty citrus hop to it. very nice... i think the younger this gets the better it is. it has always been a favorite barley wine, and that is perhaps why it never lasts in the cellar, and turns out to be a good thing. The hop character moves to the background as it ages, and a hoppy barley wine is what makes the Old H special. a great barley wine, just drink it young!

On tap @ Coles Buffalo NY. Pours deep reddish brown. Sweet aroma with floral hops, dried fruit character.with hint of rubbing alcohol smell. Pretty full flavor & body. Sweet malts followed again by dried fruit & some alcohol taste. Definately a sipper

Bottle. Pours a dark red/brown with a beige head. Sweet malt and floral hop aroma with some fruit notes of berry and citrus. Medium/full bodied with notes of sweet malt, flowery hops, red berry, and caramel. This beer kicks you in the face. Awesome!

Pours a slightly cloudy deep orange red, minimal tan head. The aroma is not particularly strong-- mainly alcohol, some fruit. The best part about this barleywine is that while the alcohol is present in such a high concentration it is not detrimental to the flavor or palate. It only provides a pleasant dryness and warmth. This is a fantastic beer!

Pours an opaque deep amber colour with a minimal tan head that fades quickly. The aroma is a magnifisent display of malt sweetness, candy sugar, and fruity hops with seemingly low bitterness. Well so much for seemingly low bitterness, cuz these hops definitely pack a punch in the flavour. This barley wine has an especially vinous character and is extremely quaffable given the alcohol presence and actual content. Plum, brown sugar, red grapes, toffee and honeydew make up the malty-sweet backbone with citric hops and malted barley coming through up front. The finish is port-like, but a little thin and muted, making the fnish surprisingly clean and dry. The abv is well hidden on the palate, but you can’t hide booze from the throat and chest. The mouthfeel is intially slick,but finishing dry.

Bottle. Dark golden colour with a beige head. Aroma is alcohol, fruit, licorice. Flavour is hop, fruit, alcohol, licorice, malt. Lovely beer.

Bright malty aroma, dark amber color; not much of a head. Wonderful caramel fruity taste with tart hoppy finish. Excellent carbonation and smooth on the palate. It isn’t too sweet or syrupy or winey, and the alcohol is very well disguised; very drinkable. Another victory for my taste!

Poured into the ol’ snifter. A finger and a half of french vanilla colored head slowly emerges upwards from a dark murky brown body. Head is quick to regress and leaves only a thin halo and little lacing. Sweet mellow fruit on the nose, maybe melon, fig, overripe plum. Molasses. New England maple syrup, toffee, sticky hops, maybe even pecan as far as flavor notes. You can’t taste the alcohol but you can feel it in your chest, an excellent winter beer. Thick syrupy body finishes surprisingly dry. Alcohol warmth is pleasant. Exemplary carbonation. A very drinkable 11% beer.