Victory Old Horizontal

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

Frankly, I have tired of being a ratings whore...I’m tired of drinking middle of the road drek only because I need the rating to stay ahead of the notoriously devious Frankenkitty in our quest for 1000! So I went deep into my cellar and opened a 1 year old bottle of Old Horizontal, let it warm slightly, and sipped for an hour of pure unadulterated pleasure... Syrupy texture, somewhat cloying and vinous...intensely sweet with dried fruits, caramel, toffee, weird spices, and roasted malt. Enormous grapefruit and pine resin hoppiness lingering in the finish...along with an ever so welcome alcohol signature, most notable in the peppery throat warming...bringing with it a welcome sense of contentment, inner peace, and unfeigned forgiveness...oh, and by the way...Frankenkitty, thou Spawn of Cthulhu, you shall never catch me...

Bottle. Numerous tastings, latest was a 1998 Old Ho. Dark ruby brown pour. Huge caramelly fruity aroma. Fresher Old Ho’s had more fruit, while the 98 was much more earthy. Candied fruits and sweet caramel malt flavors, some (but not much) hops. Wowzer, good beer.

Pours a cloudy dark maroon with a thin white head. Rich deep sweet barley and malt smell. Wonderful bittersweet barley taste that dominates your mouth for a good long while afterwards. Palate is creamy and but not as complex as the taste. Real very nice beer.

2002: That’s right the first time I tasted this beer it was aged for two years. The aroma was absolutely delectable. It poured a nice copper color and offered a very smooth taste. Simply put this is one of the best beers I have ever had.

The aroma was flowery and malty with a scent of fruits. I was already won over before the first sip. I still haven’t found a Victory beer to hate. The first thing I noticed was the alcohol which doesn’t seem hidden IMHO. But after a few sips, I detected apple caramel malts, honey-like sweetness, a great balance of hops and a nice warming sensation. I’ll take hops in a barleywine any day.

Rerate from a 2003 bottle at the Richmond Beer Industry Gathering 2006. Frothy tan head on a cloudy dark amber color. Aroma of caramel and molassas with some strong floral hops. Sweet caramel flavor blending with a floral hop background. Original Rating: 8/4/9/4/17

Pours a clear dark red mahogany with an enormous foamy tan head. The lacing sticks to the glass and clings for dear life. Tons of fruit flavor. Aroma is dark fruit, but not overpowering. As for taste: I immediately thought cherry vanilla backed by a variety of citrus. Maybe even hints of chocolate, and certainly maple syrup. The sweetness is by no means overpowering and is well balanced by hops, which lend to a pleasant bitterness. Finish is hops with a hint of those fruit candies that come in the round tins (your grandmother probably had them). Palate is certainly a bit syrupy, and it’ll stick to your lips a little bit after it’s done. A very smooth, small, soft, and gentle carbonation. Overall this is a very good, very well balanced barleywine.

Screw verticals. Big caramel sweetness with with strong dark fruit and citrus character. Hops really shine in a fantastic barleywine - the full bodied sweetness it countered with huge piney, floral hop presence that bathes the palate in hop resins and oils. This will have you laying horizontal in a hurry if you are not careful.