Victory Ten Years Alt

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

Any first impressions?
-A veil of foam garnishes the murky copper.
-Cheesy hops and strawberry sweetness intrigue the nostrils.
-Candied fruitiness and noble herbal hops keep the tongue interested throughout.
-The low carbonation and well-nourished maltiness produce a comfortable mouthfeel.

What if you dig deeper?
-Herbal hops healthily linger.
-Raspberries expand the fruity spectrum.
-The alt heritage is still felt even though it’s been pushed into doppel sticke territory.
-Alcohol is no obstacle for this well-crafted sipper.

Bottle; best before Aug. 2006.

Poured a murky brownish orange from the bottle with a frothy, lacing slightly tan head. Malty aroma, but also spicy. Yeasty and grainy flavor, slightly malty. Astringent afer taste in which the alcohol is obvious. This beer might be better if the alcohol was mellowed.

12oz bottle via trade with puzzl. Aroma: Sweet candy-like aroma. Light biscuity malt, nutmeg-like spice, green apples. Appearance: Deep copper in color and quite hazy. Off-white head was medium sized and foamy with little retention. Not much lacing. Flavor: Pretty hoppy for an altbier. Light caramel and biscuit are trampled by hop flavor and bitterness. Earthy and spicy hops with some pine and floral, too. Bitterness kicks in early and stays well after the finish. Palate: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: This one didn’t work for me. Not enough malt character to offset the hops. Is this really supposed to be an altbier? Not even close.

Bottle from JHop. Pours a hazy tawny with spare fizzy off-white diminishing head. Aroma is average malt (bread, caramel, nutty), average to heavy hops (flowers, pine), light yeast (dough) with notes of alcohol (average), grape and honey. Average duration, moderate sweetness, acidity and bitterness and ends bitter. Medium bodied, alcoholic texture and fizzy.

Quite cloudy, reddish amber color with an orangish tan head that lets me know they used Munich malt. Cotton candy in the aroma further confirming the use of Munich malt. Also, some very earthy, almost dirty hops and lots of sweet caramel and milk with just a touch of licorice. Flavor is dominated by a strong smoke then also some caramel, an earthy, hoppy dryness throughout the profile, and a solid bitterness in the finish.

Dark garnet red. Nice thin white head and lacing. Aroma is rich and spicy. Almost belgian in nature. flavor is rich and warm. Strong flavor. Big heavy flavor with just a touch of alcohol.

Pouring from this bottle with a deep copper color, this is a pretty beer. The thin white head created a thin scum on top. The aroma has some peanuts and a little bit of caramel. The taste has a lot of caramel and a little bit of peanut butter. There is also a little bit of apple core. Wow, the alcohol is not detected at all. An interesting brew.

12 oz. bottle via trade with hopdog - Pours a deep amber color with a nice size off white head. Has a earthy malt and slightly oxidized aroma. This bottle was 2 months past its "Enjoy by" date. Light lacing is left behind as the head settles. Has a sweet caramel malt flavor. Alcohol isn’t really detectable. Medium body. A decent alt. Thanks Steve.