Victory Old Horizontal

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

Wow, this is one amazing barleywine. I was happy to find it on a road trip and my only regret now is not buying a lot more. Pours a reddish brown color, some haze to it, and a thick tan head with some really nice staying power. Aroma is quite fruity with pine, caramel, sugars, alcohol and it all creates a wonderful scent. This is a nicely hopped barleywine but not over the top allowing so many other flavors to play a major role. Toffee, brown sugar, sweet candy malt, grapefruit and pine hops and even light traces of darker fruits. Really well done. Warming but the 11% is hidden with very little alcohol sting. This can compete with any barleywine out there.

(Sampled at slightly below room temperature.)Berry, strawberry, celery, peat and hops nose with a dark amber body and foamy tan head. Quite warming, this really socks you right in the stomach while avoiding the syrupy nature that often plagues this style. Red grapes, cherry, currant, and caramel flavors compliment the perfect balance between malt and hops. Finishes boldly, leaving a lingering, multi-dimensional fruity bitterness that upholds this beers aggressive, intrepid character.

At 10.5% abv if you drink enough of this stuff, you’ll be horizontal. Thick mouthfeel and syrupy nature. Superb malts and spiciness compliment assorted dried fruits, grapes, dates, plums, in a totally wine like quality. The sweet and spicy nature of this beer builds to utter decadance.

A deep copper/red color, almost ruby. Hard pour yields perfect head and lace. Inticing nose of caramel and citrusy hops. Damn, this is outstanding. Monstrous malt frontend, sugar coated dry fruits,citric spices that all explode with flavor in your mouth. Lets not forget the softness of the caramel thats interwoven throughout the whole thing and oh yeah...the hops, they are there at the beginning and surely there at the end,you actually 'feel' them..and i almost forgot , its almost 11% and you would never know it. This is almost perfect boys. Try it, savor it, because they arent to many like this that are going to come along. Remarkable brewing. Victory is cream of the crop. Not too many beers weigh in at 11% and are this drinkable.

This beer is incredible! The alcohol is masked very well by the sweetness, and it smells like candy. Very complex and extremely delightful.

I may have to marry the Victory guy--(I hope it is a guy.) A nice, inviting brew from nose to finish...very pleasing.

A much smoother barleywine than Bell's Third Coast Old Ale- not as hoppy either. The hop, however is pronounced enough to balance the fruity sweetness nicely. Old Horizontal is top notch. I need to have a barleywine-off between Horizontal, Bell's Third Coast Old Ale and Three Floyd's Behemouth. Based on memory I'd give it to Three Floyds since their crazy hops are the best I've tasted.

This is the very best of the Victory beers. From the enchanting smell and color. It is hard to believe that there is 11% alcohol in this...it is so smooth and the flavors just make you want to keep drinking, you can't put this one down. Each sip gets better and better. Perfect blend of hops with the citrus taste at the end. This is a beer to fall in love with!