Victory Old Horizontal

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

bottle shared by bdigi66 - Pours dark amber with just a little foam. The aroma is mainly sweet malts. The flavor has some nice complexity and balance with sweet malts, plenty of hops, and some dark fruitiness creeping in there. Full bodied and finishing on the dry side, this barley wine is very good.

Beautiful deep chestnut brew iwth a decent off white head. Nice complex malty aroma. The flavor was slightly bitter but fell far short of what the aroma had set things up for. Smooth, somewhat dry finish, but average overall.

It is a complete travesty that I have not rated this beer before. This was the first barleywine I ever tried years ago before I started rating beer. I have had the beer many time since then and must have been convinced that I had already rated it. This is still the barleywine I compare all others to. Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a hazy red-brown color with a huge creamy red-orange had that lingered. The aroma was sweet and had a strong fruity hop presence and undertones of candied ginger and caramel. The flavor was sweet and bitter with toasted caramel, fruity hops, light pine, nut, cocoa and rum. A touch harsh. The finish is long with fruit, pine and caramel lingering. Full bodied. Excellent - an American classic.

The first thing I noticed about this beer was the intriguing carbonation; there are small, effervescent bubbles which sparkle in the light, extremely fine bubbles which make up the thin head, and some larger bubbles that almost appear and behave like bubbles in a jar of honey. Lace forms a delicate stipple pattern. Color is a hazy, dark red-orange. Aroma is very intoxicating itself -- alcohol, strong piney, earthy hops, a slight cherry note, huge, sweet malt, very complex. Flavor is also quite complex, there is a wide variety of sweet fruits, an explosion of hop flavors, and the ever-present warmth of alcohol. This echoes previous sentiments, but for all these things it is still quite drinkable. Mouthfeel reflects some liveliness, overall feel is decidedly smooth and warming, though. Flavor is outstanding. Aftertaste is more complex than most beers entire flavor profiles. Some sugariness here, not overly done and seeming to just add nicely to the overall balance. This is quite a beer. Very satisfying indeed.

Bottle courtesy after4ever. Pours a hazy dark amber with warm red highlights and a thin but lacy yellow head. The aroma has some nuts, fruit and toffee with lightly floral notes. Medium body. Taste of butterscotch with roasty and nutty flavors behind it. Dry resin and flowers finish. Almost tastes spiced.

Big caramel toffee aroma, with some interesting hoppy notes. Ruby dark gold. Sweet caramel flavour in start, with a suprisingly hoppy citric finish. Bit of pine there too. Full bodied and warming. Interesting!

Legend is built around the possible reasons why this is called old horizontal. 12 oz brown bottle brewed in my home state. Aroma is sweetish. Much darker brown than I expected. Hazy lighter maroon color. Fine rising stream of bubbles that make me anticipate a creaminess. Fast fading tan head that settles to froth. Very strong alcohol impact on the first taste. The creamy visual carbonation lies to its actuality, seems a little flat. I think many rate craft beers with a high alky content high right off the bat. Very strong, almost unbearable. Not easily enjoyed if drank like a beer. My uvula is crying about the bitter strength. I was always curious about this but I will not buy again. The flavor is enough to knock you horizontal. I am afraid that I can not really enjoy this onslaught. Just as intimidating as lagunus rown sugga, bells wheat love and blithering idiot. I will never get used to this style. Idiot is probably the best tasting of the four barley wines I’ve had. This beer finishes with thick syrupy tacky harsh lingers that hang on for what seems like too long. I probably should have rated this in the dead of night when no body was looking. My taste buds are just too girlie to appreciate these brews. I must admit, that I feel better now that I’ve consumed this!

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!