Victory Old Horizontal

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Bottle at Monks café, Wallingatan, Stockholm. Pours out in a deep reddish amber colour with a small bubbly off-white head. Rich and really potent aroma of figs, plue plums, resin, dried apricots, flowers, brandy and peppery alcohol. Full-bodied with notes of flowers, blue plums, figs, oranges, black currant, grapefruit and alcohol. Long warming finish of sweet blue grapes, blue plums, raisins, garpefruit, mild resin and alcohol. Heck, quite a masterpiece, this!

Bottled Nov 16, 2002. This has held up very well for the last three years. Dark red with very small pieces of sedimen. Thin layer of foam on the glass. The aroma reminded me of Full Sail Boardhead, only because I had that first. There is apple, brown sugar, maple syrup, malt, and flowers in the complex aroma. Several flavors and all are good. The first is very sweet fruit, followed by sweet malt. Next is bitter hops and salt. Aftertaste is of light bitter hops combined with lingering sweet fruit as if it were a high quality IPA. Very thick and heavy, but also soft and smooth except for the light alcohol bite. I havn’t had this fresh, but it aged very well.

Listed as 11%. Served it a bit too cold (52* or so). Pours with a smallish, foamy, light brown head covering a hazy amber body. Head goes pretty quick. Some lacing, as well as alcohol legs left on the glass. Aroma has some unnatural element to it (either plastic or plywood), but following that there are currants, berries, toffee and maybe even coffee malts. First thing to notice upon drinking is how creamy-syrupy the mouthfeel is. Quite nice. Flavor has lots of alcohol, and then is quite a bit more malty towards the finish than other barley wines that I have been drinking recently. Taste is fruity up front, and there is a slight metallic note to it. Good, but not habit forming.

Bottle. Dark amber beer with a thin beige head. Rich malt/brown sugar aroma to go with some fruity/earthy hops. Flavor is rich caramelized malt and some light plum and spice flavors. There’s just enough hops to keep it interesting.. Dry finish, hides alcohol well.

Redish brown color with a thin head. Great aroma of caramel, alcohol and maybe hops. Very good flavor of caramel, alcohol, maybe spices too. Light to medium body. Very good barley wine, I enjoyed it a lot.

Thanks to austinpowers for this one! It’s pretty obvious how this one got its name. Alcohol taste is at the forefront. Very enjoyable when you take your time with it. You won’t be pounding these back, kind of the beer version of a Port wine. All in all a great Barley Wine which makes me want to try other ones.

Opaque light brown body with lots of particles and a small tan head. If I was to describe its taste in a crude way I’d “pancake with lots of brown sugar”. Not even caramel or toffee flavours, no, pure brown sugar. Alcohol was really apparent to say the least. Subtle leafy hops create a light tartness. Not very complex. Overall good but not excellent. Bought the bottle summer 2006 and while I’m not found of aging beers this one felt raw and way too young. I bought an Old Horizontal bottle I got a Young Horizontal. This is false advertising. Do I smell lawsuit?

Hoppy, caramel, malt aromas, with some butterscotch and brown sugar scent. Reddish/copper, large billowy tan head, lots of carbonation, some lace. Caramel, butterscotch flavour, plums, and very hoppy taste as well. Complex, well balanced, warming, bitter and dry. Terrific!