Victory Old Horizontal

Vintage 2000, cellared until 2004 at Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia. Hazy amber color, good change in hue whether viewing from top or bottom portion of the tulip shaped glass. Silky white/grayish head retains well. Big aroma of malt and hops. Hops are tamed on the palate but still about the same on the nose. Standard victory character is apparent. On the palate there is an unexpected softness and gentleness to the beer. Amazing. The malt is just huge. Hops are there but only to help balance some. You don’t get a huge hop flavor. But it’s so soft and smooth on the palate. Weird. There’s a new toasted cracker with marshmallow like sweetness in this beer that I never see in the young, non-aged versions. Marshmallow might seem odd but the word does fit the taste quite well. Body seems fuller than usual, but maybe it’s just because the ale I had before this was light bodied. Aftertaste lingers and lingers. Malt is the focus yet again. Worth seeking out at Monk’s if you’re in the area. Menu indicates "Limit 2 per person" so enjoy it while you can.

(I’m being told this in an ’05 bottle.) Appearance: Pours a clearish, orangey-brown body with a medium, off-white head. Smell: Heavy caramel malt aroma with notes of brown sugar, honey, and a spiced tangerine fruitiness. Taste: Succulent sweet taste of caramel and honey. Hint of brown sugar. Bright tangerine marmalade flavor jumps in. Any hop bitterness has long since faded (now I’m being told it may be a bit older). Boozey, surprisingly fruity finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Med carbonation. Approaching syrupy. Drinkability: A lovely barleywine (regardless of how it may or may not be) with a luscious sweetness that only Wilford Brimley could hate.

Bottle from theisti. Amber brown color with no head. Caramel and candied orange aroma. Sweet bready nose as well. Wonderful mouthfeel with a great taste of honey, hops, light campfire smoke, figs and sweet malts. Very nice beer that I really enjoyed. Thanks T.

12oz bottle, Dec’05 bottling. Pours a nice brown in color with some red highlights. No retaining head to speak of, plenty of billowing carbonation though. Smell is malts, but there are some signs of the former existence of hops. The taste is a very good old ale. The alcohol is pretty aparent in the taste. Very smooth with just the perfect hint of hops. This will be a cold weather staple. Ages nicely.

LOVED this beer. I would say it was one of my favorite Barley wines I have ever tasted. Very smooth and a hint of fruitiness in there somewhere.

Thanks to beachbum for this bottle! Pours a hazy shade of amber with fluffy head and wonderful lacing. Woody alcoholic aroma. Malts, caramel, and figs and a toffee dry finish.

Cloudy deep brown, sweet floral aroma, chocolate caramel, alcohol. Thick, chewy body. Bitterness well balanced, tasty.

12 oz bottled Dec 14 04. My first craft beer case buy, a direct result of Ratebeer. I wanted to repay a friend for some fall yard work. Hoping to find the best beer i did some googling and found RB. Ended up putting together a case of Old Ho, Storm King, SN Celebration and St.B12. It was too early for new Ho but managed to find a case of 04. Cellared for 2 years. Clear honey brown with a ring and a wisp. Buttery caramel and orange marmalade. A touch of campfire smoke. This has softened quite a bit from earlier samples but still remains vibrant. Tastes much like the aroma promises. Caramel and whipped orange nougat melt away into a grassy bitterness that serves as a perfect foil. A simple barleywine executed to perfection.