Victory Old Horizontal

Balance. That is the first word that springs to mind after having one of these. Full and oily on my tongue. The aroma is a bit lacking, but in its subtlety I get a nutty smell and some sort of sweet fruit. The flavor is amazing. Raisins, dates and (good) fruitcake followed by almost sweet hops that have a bit of a drying effect. Awesome.

12 oz. bottle. The malt, hops, yeast, and alcohol all make their presence felt strongly in the aroma. Caramel, plum, cherry, and milk chocolate scents from the malts. Pine from the hops. Classic American barley wine smell. Pours a hazy, medium brown with an amber to red hue with. Moderate to large amount of fluffy tan to cream-colored head. Produces very little lacing. Very sweet taste: Toffee, caramel, a touch of vanilla. Also savory: Steak, fruitcake. Alcohol evident but not overpowering. Spicy (especially pepper) hops flavors emerge upon multiple sips, in contrast to the usual phenomenon of hops initially covering up the malt flavors. A little much all around, especially in the sweetness. Rich, bittersweet aftertaste. Thick, sharp, and oily in the palate. Lively on the tongue. Produces some burning in the throat. Melts in the mouth like cotton candy. Fantastic palate effects. Surprisingly easy to drink for such a heavy-bodied, high-alcohol brew. Tasty stuff!

murky reddish brown under a small beige head. aroma is very sweet and hoppy. notes of licorice, candy, and peaches in aroma as well. palate is full bodied and sticky. flavors of hops, pineapple, and pears. touches of spices and licorice. lots of fruity sweetness. who needs dessert?

Drank this years bottle version from one of my favorite Glasses, DAB Tulip. The head fades slowly with nice lace on the glass.This is my favorite version of Barleywine Style Ale. Jsut enough in that direction but still an ale. The beer poured a little cloudy(may be too chilled) with a modest dark creamy head and dark amber straw color. Modest carbonation, this beer gets its kick from flavor and sweetness. Initial notes of pinneapple and sassafras, then clear and strong licorice. Then a burst of sweetness. Later drinks start more from a musty barley note and cheese, but is always that burst of caramel. The sweetness lingers.Try it if you can get it.

From a 12 ounce bottle purchased at Belmont Station in Portland, Oregon--Poured a chestnut-amber-brown body with a small soapy almost non-existing head. Thin, mildy sweet cherry and malt nose with obvious alcohol heat presence. Lively carbonation with a faint metallic flavor and fruity, bubblegum esters. Mildly dry finish that adds just the right amount of booziness. Delicious as are most Victory brews!

[Bottle] Pours clear red with a big beige head. Aroma is strawberry jam, alcohol, caramel--overall quite sweet. Taste is really malty up front with caramel and some alcohol present. Medium-thick mouthfeel and smooth. Slightly dry finish that could be a little longer. A really good beer that could become amazing with some age. Old Rating: 9/4/8/4/18=4.3. Re-Rate: ’06 on tap in Feb. ’09. Amazing. Simply amazing. Truly one of the best barley wines that I have ever had. The age has done wonders, as it brought out a lot of beautiful fruitinss and turned this into one of my favorite beers. I really must get a large amount of this to age...

Bottle. Pours a very deep orange that borders brown with great red hues and great off white micro-bubble head. No lacing. Orange and grapefruit hops fill the room. Damn, this nose is huge, dominated by the fore-mentioned hops, cookie dough, booze, and caramel malt. Glennmastrange describes the nose best with ’perfume’. Flavor is a quick blast of citrus and booze. Thick mouthfeel with solid amount of micro-bubble carbonation. Warming starts immediately on the tongue with flavors of raisin, caramel cookie malt backbone, with a bitter and dry finish bordering upon astringent. Alcohol is very much present in taste and does a great job warming the stomach.

Bottle. Pours burnt and cloudy orange. Small head. Aroma of citrus and raisin. Almost smells like orange juice. Tastes like a little glassful of heaven. Citrus, toffee, hops at the end, Taste is tight, and very delicious. One of the best I’ve tried. Part 2 of 5 of my barleywine fest. This if a multi-night "fest." If not, I would definitely be living up to this beer’s name.