Victory Old Horizontal

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

I had this one last night. I didn’t want a barley wine but I figured I needed to taste such a highly valued beer. The Horizontal was amazing. It has a sweetness like from C20. And, if it can be said for a barley wine - well balanced. Not overly bitter.

Pours a dark brown color with a small head. Aroma is malty and chocolaty. The flavor follows suits. there is bitterness from some hops but most of the flavor is roasted malts. very tasty. Certainly a barely wine I’ll be drinking more often!

Freaking incredible. There’s really nothing wrong with it at all. Full bodied flavor which is incredibly satisfying. Flavor completely masks the elevated level of alcohol.

Wow, wow, wow. This is one seriously tasty barleywine. You know when you get one of those beers that you just want to savor and sip it forever? This is that beer. While it may not be the BEST barleywine I’ve ever had, it’s right up there. Pours out a deep stained wood brown with reddish highlights and a smallish sized head. Aroma that hits you is just incredible. Caramel, pine, brown sugar, alcohol with an overal sweetness that delivers one of the things I love about sweet beers. Flavor is near perfectly hopped for a barleywine for my liking. Sweet with notes of brown sugar, toffee, light fruits and malts. Hoppy with pine coming out to play nicely. Overall, just really interesting, and really tasty. As I said, one of those beers that you just want to drink over and over. Count yourself lucky if you can get this beer whenever you want.

This beer has a wonderfully sweet malty and also hoppy aroma, beer is copper colored and cloudy, the flavor is extreamly hoppy and malty, but a good balance. the palate is full. Finishes bitter and warming vintage 2004: Aged well, the aroma was of alcohol and of sweet malt, tasted more citrusy and biscuity, quite robust, the body seemed to be thicker than I remember, but it was right on. This is a great barley wine

Bottle: Ruby red color body with tan head. Nice retention. First sniffs featured fresh apples, caramel, sugar cane, and some floral hops. Very sweet and nice, a little light though. In the mouth this is very dense. Starts out balenced, bitter with a light caramel apple and gum like flavors. Long bitter pine finish. Spicy, pine hops and alcohol flavors really hit at the swallow, right after a pleasing milk-like acidity. Entry becomes sweeter as the beer warms, developing grassy notes as well as increased fruity berry like qualities. Very good cigar beer.

I had been holding on to this bottle for quite some time and finally decided to break it out for my first local tasting. Poured a deep amber color consisting of a small white head. Sweet toffee, fruity, malt aroma with a mild floral hop character in the nose. Much hoppier than I expected to the point where it vetoed the sweetness. Mild malt notes and some almond come through as it warmed. Bitter resin finish. Fine, fine brew.

Botte from Hollingshead Deil in Orange, CA. This was one of the best barley wines of had. Usually you can taste the alcohol, but this was hidden well. Tasted of sweet carmel and spices. Almost perfect balance of malt and hops. Cant wait for my next trip to SoCal in get more!