Victory Old Horizontal

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

Bottle. This beer’s initial pour is a work of art; a thin orange head that quickly goes down with a red/brown body. The aroma is mostly sweet fruit and some candies, but fairly light. The taste is really a great effort; some dark and citrus fruits, a sweet candy aspect, a bitter hops, and a some malts. Maybe the best BW I’ve had. So damn smooth, but also very complex.

Bottle courtesy of BOLTZ7555. Pours a cloudy amber with floaters and a 2 finger beige head that leaves nice lacing. The nose is floral hops, brown sugar and caramel. The taste is molasses, caramelized brown sugar, toffee and light hops in the finish. Medium, syrupy mouthfeel. A tad too sweet for me, but pretty good regardless. Thanks Jason!

From a 12oz. long neck brown bottle with a stamped bottled on date on the front label. Made a decent appearance, poured a cloudy orange hued amber with a foamy pale tan head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing, minimal amount of sticking, moderate carbonation. Had a grapefruity and caramel nose with whiffs of butter toffee and alcohol. A crisp, creamy smooth fullish bodied mouth feel, good sipping drinkability. Caramel and toasted malts, a sweet grapefruity hoppiness, a warming alcohol presence through out the taste, a light butteriness towards the end and a dryish grapefruity and malty finish. A nice barley wine from Victory, tasty with a balanced bitterness.

12oz bottle(courtesy of mreusch)Enjoy by 12/29/2011. My bottle says ABV 11%.-Pours a cloudy amber body with some nice floaties and a small off white head. Aroma of sweetness, caramel, malt, and fruit. Taste of malt, hops, slight alcohol, raisins, plums, and finishes with a nice bitterness and dryness. Not one of my favorite styles but they kicked butt on this.

(on bottle, thanx Maj) Very full aroma, tons of grapes, herbs, gummibears and nuts. Extremly mild in both taste anf mouthfeel, like whiped cream on drugs. Halts out pretty sweet and malty, to be haven real cold.

Uh-oh; Ruby Red in color; No head at all nor any lace. Alcohol is VERY upfront in this one. Medicinal. Lots of cherry Robitusin. Molasses. Palate thins quite a bit at the 3/4 mark. Cloyingly sweet with no balance. No attempt to hide the alcohol. I have another bottle and will definitely give this beer another chance, but as it stands now, this is woefully over-rated. RERATE: 3-9-02 (let bottle warm to nearly 65*) Smooth, very little effervescence. Lots of candy suger sweetness- malted burnt flavors also playing a huge role. Not as vinuos and thick as some other B-W’s that I have had. Alcohol is present for sure. Warming at the 1/3 mark. There is a degree of medicine flavors that really bother me- the cherry robituson is gone, but not by much. I am liking this better this time around, but I still sense very little balance. Now, at the 2/3 mark, the maltiness is perfect (the beer is now fully at room temp-73*). Much more satisfying this time, but still not the world beater that everyone says.

Sampled a few times now, and I like it more every time!! 10.5 % alc is well hidden! Easy, warming drinker, lots of malt aroma, some fruity, malt flavor, slight hops, but very balanced, got I love this brew! Thanks to Lou18 for the 2005 bottle! Yum!

Pours dark crimson with a fully receding tan head. Aroma of vinous malt, sweet caramel, with a strong note of alcohol. Taste is sweet, malty, resinous, hoppy, fruity, all of the above. Almost too much of everything at this point. Give this a few years though and I’ll be in love. Mouthfeel is heavy, syrupy with very little carbonation. This rating reflects a young sample of this brew. When the opportunity arises I will rerate a vintage sample. You can drink Old Horizontal fresh, but I don’t recommend it.