Viking Brewing Vienna Woods

Brewed by Viking Brewing Company
Style: Vienna
Dallas, Wisconsin USA

Bomber. Poured a medium golden with a two-finger white head... nice lacing followed the brew down. Very nice toasty, malty aroma of caramel and toffee... just a tad weak. Smooth, malty flavor profile with a very pleasant caramel component... the other side comes from crisp floral hoppage. Definitely nothing too crazy or special in this one, but it was very smooth and quite enjoyable.

Rich and fairly heavy palate, but something seems off with the light fruit flavor. Looks ok; dark bronze color, some carbonation. Respectable malt flavor; and how good can a Vienna really get anyway? The beer was served to me by the very friendly brewer himself, so any flaws were his responsibility.

(22 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with JK, thanks John!) My last bottle from Viking was flat, but the carbonation with this bottle seems fine. It pours a finger’s width of off-white head that sits atop a very hazy, bright amber body. The nose is sweet and somewhat caramely to fit the style, but is also has a pretty floral fragrance. Unfortunately, the flavor reveals some minor issues. It’s light bodied, clean and refreshing, very fruity, and with what seems to be a pretty gentle malt base. Seems to be, because there’s a mild apple flavor and tartness that’s light enough to be pleasant, but strong enough to overpower whatever maltiness might be in this beer. As I drink the beer and open up more headspace, the nose takes on more of an apple aroma. Head retention is solid, as it never dips below a full layer, and a good deal of patchy lacing decorates the glass. I’m really starting to worry that Viking beers simply aren’t meant to be consumed except locally.

Copper gold. Shared this bottle with Jeffc666 and I share his rating; this is a markedly unimpressive Vienna, lacking both toasty malt and caramel sweetness. It’s sweet, a bit citric, grassy, and vaguely hoppy, but it’s mostly thin and boring.

An extremely boring and listless vienna is what we have got here. Little to no toasty grain, light sugar and lighr citrus. The flavor is even more boring. Again no toasted grain as I would expect. Light watery palate. Entirely forgettable.

Sampled at the 3rd Annual "Between the Bluffs" Beer and Cheese Festival in La Crosse, WI. Appearance is a copper gold color. Non-existent head. Aroma is malty and grass hoppy. Roasted malt. More malt than hop. Sweet. Flavor is a slight bitter grass, roasted barley or other grains. Palate is medum-full body. Slight bitterness. Lingering. Slight stickiness.

Poured flat copper. Aroma of yesterday’s lager. Mouthfeel is greasy, flat. Flavor of watery pilsner. Although I’ve really enjoyed Viking’s other offers, I’m not impressed with this one.

Pours a clean white head with a slight tannic tinge. Aroma is strikingly pleasant - fruity, malty and also quite "woodsy", much like the aroma right next to a large sequoia. The malts are decidedly high quality. Lots of little bubbles by sight but still not enough carbonation in the mouth (as with some of the other brews from this source). This lager is quite smooth but also somewhat thin and watery. Flavor is dominated by malt, with a good hop balance and a really nice "old tyme" flavor overall. A smokiness comes through in the aftertaste, as does a touch of Campari. As an American Heartland brew, this is a quite impressive clone of a Vienna lager.