Victory Old Horizontal

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

after drinking 2 other beers that were disappointing, i had to go to some real shit- and yes, i found it. ive had this one for a while. bottled 2003. pours out orange colored. sweet, hoppy on the nose, and the taste is the same. it is very hoppy on the taste. a nice after dinner brew that was different from the other barley wines ive had. a nice brew, but when comparing it to bells 3rd coast old ale, this has no chance. awesome brew though.

Bushy hop and heavy malt aromatics blend fairly seamlessly. Lightly effervescent, fairly heavy slightly sticky feel, lots of alcohol pepper. This is interesting and bright but didn’t blow me away. If they could make this a mite cleaner, it’d be a more powerful experience. A journeyman, this is well put together and can do the job flawlessly without having to swing for the fences.

Plum colour with a big, foamy off-white head. Apricot, grape and vinious in the aroma followed by a spicy effervescence. Some hops burst out as well. The flavor starts sweet, with light molasses and fruit sweetness but moves into a strong pine, pepper, hop bitterness to a nice dry and hoppy finish. Well made, tasty and very easy going down, just like a great barley wine should.

12 oz. Bottle from 2006, drank in 2006. Pour is ruby amber with a bigger off white head then I would have expected for a Barley Wine, though it went away fairly quickly. Aroma is malt, with some fruitiness. I would say it is cranberries and raisins. Taste has a bit of hop to it, and a nice big malt body. Finish was a bit hot, I will be cellaring the remaining from the 6 pack.

bottled 12-03-04dumped into a snifter glass to give off an orange/redish body with a white ring around the glass.i gathered a lovely aroma of red liquorice,hops,and cotton candy.the flavor was much in the same.i was surprised at how well balanced this was considering its age.very smooth and drinkabke,yet still full of that barleywine flavor.yummy.RE-RATE 3-07-07-WOW either this went down hill (like storm king did)or this just isnt the b.w. ithought it was.a little thin,a little watery...damn is it me?

Off white/tan head, minimal. Hazey copper hue. Malty, hop nose, some citrus also. Full bodied. Some malty sweetness but not overly. Piney hoppiness and some mintyness work work together well with the malt. Finishes slightly sweet with an oily mouthfeel, some alc. showing itself in the finish also. Lost a point or two in the appearence category.

12oz Bottle Pours out a amber topped with a small tan head. Very nice sweet and fruity aroma. Very smooth and the alcohol is not very apperent. A very nice BW

Nice pour, sweet, hoppy aroma. Flavor alternates between nice sweetness and fairly bold, piney/sweet hops. Very nice, even finish that stays around but not in an annoying way. I see a common theme with these victory beers - great, almost IPA-ish hop flavor in other strong ales. Much like storm king’s great hoppy flavor, this one satisfies and leaves you longing for more. Alcohol barely noticable at 10%+. Wonderful. ****** March 2007 head to head of 05 and 06 vintages. 2005 has mellowed well, but still boasts a substantial hop flavor that mixes well with the malty sweetness. 2006 looks darker and has almost Doppelbock-like qualities in malt flavor and aroma. Newer vintage is obviously stronger and more alcoholey, but still complex and rich. 2/29/08 - its re-rate day! Somehow I lost my rating of the 2000 bottle of this - I remember it being a tad thin and oxidized but still damn good. I decided to try an 05, 06, and 07 back to back tonight - I still find the 05 to be rather sweet and grainy, but with some very good honey sweetness. 06 is my least favorite - not all that great right now. 07 is pleasantly suprising, probably the best of the bunch with some time under its belt - nice hop usage with a light fruit tartness. I took this down a few points, but its still an old standby and one of my favorites - not as good to me as it was as a newbie rater, but still my favorite Victory beer.