Victory Old Horizontal

Bottled (bottled 29.12.2004, thanks heemer77!). Nutbrown colour with beige small head. Leaves lace. Aroma is toffee, caramel malts, some spices and a bit of alcohol. Flavour is spicy, fruity, slightly yeasty and some caramel malts. The alcohol is hidden oh-so-well, it just shows as a bit warming feeling while drinking. In the aftertaste the alcohol gives a nice sticking feeling on the tongue, while the flavour is flowery hops and some toffee. A very wellbalanced beer!

Thick off-white lacing head, reddish amber in colour. Slightly malty and spicy scent with a hint of alcohol. On first sip the alcohol will bite your tongue. But the malts and sweet pear or grapefruit taste comes next. Considering the alcohol content this beer is quite nice.

The aroma was malty and spicy with an alcohol presence. The beer was fruity with a strong malt character of dark caramel and rich malt. The fruity nature contained citrus and a nice spice. The beer poured into the glass hazy amber brown with a low off-white persistent head which lasted to lace the glass. The flavor was malty with a grapefruit citrusy flavor and a well balanced bittering to accompany the malt. The malt was bready, but not toasty with a candy characteristic. The finish was just dry with a lasting bready caramel and lightly spicy character coupled to citrus into the aftertaste and beyond. The body was full and nicely achieved. A really nice barleywine only showing the presence of alcohol in the aroma and in the warming that occurred post consumption. Well done! 12 ounce bottle. Bottled on Nov 18 03.

nice red amber color, very very small head, nice lacing, and retention. aroma is lots of floral hops, and some really nice caramel and ripe fruit. flavor is very much hops, and caramel, very mellow, but strong at the same time. quite bitter in the end, alcohol is present, but not too much, very nice barley wine.

Bottle: Ruby red color body with tan head. Nice retention. First sniffs featured fresh apples, caramel, sugar cane, and some floral hops. Very sweet and nice, a little light though. In the mouth this is very dense. Starts out balenced, bitter with a light caramel apple and gum like flavors. Long bitter pine finish. Spicy, pine hops and alcohol flavors really hit at the swallow, right after a pleasing milk-like acidity. Entry becomes sweeter as the beer warms, developing grassy notes as well as increased fruity berry like qualities. Very good cigar beer.

Wow, wow, wow. This is one seriously tasty barleywine. You know when you get one of those beers that you just want to savor and sip it forever? This is that beer. While it may not be the BEST barleywine I’ve ever had, it’s right up there. Pours out a deep stained wood brown with reddish highlights and a smallish sized head. Aroma that hits you is just incredible. Caramel, pine, brown sugar, alcohol with an overal sweetness that delivers one of the things I love about sweet beers. Flavor is near perfectly hopped for a barleywine for my liking. Sweet with notes of brown sugar, toffee, light fruits and malts. Hoppy with pine coming out to play nicely. Overall, just really interesting, and really tasty. As I said, one of those beers that you just want to drink over and over. Count yourself lucky if you can get this beer whenever you want.

2005 bottle. The last of a 9 barleywine tasting... so I’m not sure if I can trust the rating, but I think it was the best of the night! Hazy brown with a very very thin smooth head. The nose is big with sweet malt, negligible hops and alcohol. The mouthfeel was big and creamy with an average carbonation. Big sweet malt, alcohol, some caramel, much more malty than fruity. Probably the fullest flavor in terms of malt of the evening. I’m glad I’ve got a few vintages packed away.

I am confused with this beer. I had a case of it in February and it was delicious, nice balanced malt with lot of Hoppiness. Then I bought a case in September of this year and I don’t know if I’m crazy or the aging process effected it alot, but the hops were at a minimum and it was just a very malty and average strong beer. Earlier this year I rate it a 4.5, now I rate it 3.7. Leaving us with my current ratng.