Victory Old Horizontal

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

Not as impressed as I thought I’d be. Looks beautiful, with a mahogany body and large khaki head. Spiderweb lacing. Complex aroma: sour malt, floral perfumed hops and a touch of wet dog. Lots of alcohol up front in the nose. Flavor is moderate malted sweetness along with a vinous sourness. Not great... simply good.

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Body is a brownish ruby, with a cream head that lasts. The aroma is dried fruit, chocolate, and honey. Taste is sweet with butterscotch, caramel, chocolate. Very nice barleywine.

As it turns out my exhuberance for this one was quite irrational. The more I have had it, both fresh and aged, the more dissapointed I am. It seems to develop phenolic properties very quickly as it ages. It also seems to oxidize quickly. I am not sure if this is a recent trend with this beer s I first tried it in 2003, when it was very good fresh. The 04 vintage was no nearly as good. Bummer.

(10/4/9/5/19 - 4.7) 2003 Vintage - Sparkling clear ruby orange body topped by a gorgeous creamy off-white head. Lacing is superb. Aroma is massive floral-citric hops backed by a nice balance of spicy caramel malt. Wow this smells good! The flavor is also amazing, all the aroma develop into a burst of flavor on the palate. Bitterness and sweetness are perfectly balanced. The body is huge and thick, the 11% ABV is masked but it really warms the throat after the swallow. Overall a top 5 beer for me!

Pours a reddish amber with a thin orange head. The aroma is sweet, light, playfullly fruity, not as serious as the Big Worse I just had. Much less offensive, light alcohol, hidden behind a white wine fruitiness. The flavor is sweet, rich, slightly waxy, alcohol, fruity, less basementy than some English BWs. Nice warm palate and waxy lasting finish.

12oz, Bottled Feb 04 05. Pours a hazy orange brown with a tiny light tan head. Aroma is lotsa brown sugar, molasses, burnt caramel--not to the point of bad, but toasted caramel?--and raisins. I do get some nuts and a hint of vanilla as well. As far as hops go, I get some pine and earthiness. The taste is very cereal and grainy. To save typing, the taste is much the same, the cereal is fairly dominant in the finish. Alcohol is noticeable, though doesn’t seem quite like 10.5% (my bottle says 11%). Nuts and burnt caramel are the strongest up front, vanilla still there as well. Soft carbonation, full bodied. Very good, though the cereal grainy-ness I don’t really like.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours dark amber with a tan head. Aroma of alcohol, caramel, and citrus. Flavor is smooth, sweet, and caramel. good body, great brew.

my favorite victory beer, and it will leave you horizontal, good taste for 11% smooth with a bite. pours a light bronze color with small light tan head that quickly disapates, aroma of malt, alcohol, hops, and citrus. Flavor reflect aroma, great brew.

While Three Floyds Behemoth is massively hoppy, and Hair Of The Dog is massively malty, Old Horizontal is a beautiful mixture that doesn't fall to one side of the tracks, but rather comes barrelling down the center like an overloaded freight train that never spills it's load. The rich and thickly sweet (almost syrupy) malts car carries with it a faintly fruity undertone, while the tanker car carrying the hops has preserved the fresh grassy and citrusy taste throughout it's journey. The caboose is an alcoholic and hoppy burp that echoes through the tunnel as the train keeps on rolling.