Victory Ten Years Alt

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Altbier
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

12 oz bottle via Tomdecapolis (thanks!). This pours a semi-hazy reddish amber with an average size beige head. Nose is fruity and yeasty. Taste is nutty, buttery and bitter with a grapefruity finish. Alc is a bit hot. Metallic aftertaste. Body is medium, carbonation high. Not to style. Don’t care much for this.

Corked 3 litre bottle [2005] poured a lightly hazy copper with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of oxidation, fruitiness and a hint of carmel. Palate was light bodied and smooth. Flavors of fruitiness, carmel, toffee and sweet malt with a crisp dry lingering malty finish.

12 oz bottle: Slightly cloudy, medium dark amber/copper color with smallish light tan head. Aroma is full of rich toasted caramel and highly kilned malts, touch of orange and lemon, bit of vanilla. Flavor is malty, lots of caramel, bit of citrus and herbal hops, with a mildly sweet finish, bit thin in the palate. Hides it alcohol remarkably well. Overall a very nice brew . . . though I’m not an expert on style guidelines, it seems a bit citrusy and hoppy for an alt, but still good.

Malty sweet nose, lovely nutbrown color, low sticky head. Toasted malt flavors, spicy hoppy end that dries. Lingering bitter. Metallic feel. Strong--too much for an alt. Good but not really and Alt.

Small, slightly irregular brownish head over hazy foxy-amber beer. Extremely malty nose, some kind of diet (corn) flakes, caramel; and all of it very intense, on the verge of astrigent (or at least its nasal counterpart). Malt syrup. Oxydized malts... can’t find a BBD... Again a sweet, grain-derived syrup as malt- or cornsyrup. But with discernible oxydation. There’s no hops imprint, even when the overall flavour certainly isn’t as sweet as the "syrup" would impose on itself. Quite sweet anyhow. Ends a bit leafy, earthy, nutty. Slight, portwine-like viscosity: medium bodied at least. Don’t understand about the oxydation. Certainly less fine-malted than a Schumachers’ (let alone their Latzen!), and Zum Uerige contains about 3x as many German hops...

Amber color and medium body. Aroma is mostly malt, a bit on the sour side. Excellent lingering bitterness.

Pours a dark brown color. Thin scuzzy head on top. Kind of cloudy. Bits of stretchy, cobweeby lace on the side of the glass. Nose is loaded with earhty malts and hints of peat. Flavor is a solid malt backbone. Holds up well. Spring-like hops. Malts have kind of a nutty, earth-like quality. Not quite peaty. Actually reminds me a bit of a scotch. Medium mouthfeel. Hops come out a bit more as it warms. Victory needs to brew some more of this beer

Draught: Weak medium-sweet aroma of floral hops and caramel malts. Poured dark amber/brown with a small, creamy, off-white head. Opaque. Good lacing. Flavor was medium sweet though not bitter. Tasted of toasting, nuts, and caramel malts. Dry finish. Average carbonation. Medium body. Dry texture. Overall, I’d prefer their regular alt or a Long Trail. Does not taste as good as it smells.