Dry barnyard-wafted hazy-yellowed Bavarian-styled hefeweizen layers highly fizzed banana esters atop lemon-candied tartness and recessive clove-coriander glint. White peppered mint-y ginger tingle picks up nifty pineapple-papaya zest. Just a tad thin and stylishly inconclusive.
All posts by John Fortunato
VICTORY STORM KING IMPERIAL STOUT
Absolutely victorious mahogany-hued tawny-headed stout brings rich creme de cocoa, chocolate liqueur, and Kahlua creaminess to dry charcoal-burnt espresso-milked coffee bitterness. Blackstrap molasses malting thickens nutty bottom, dark floral hop tagline, and tertiary black cherry, black currant, and blackberry illusions. Raisin, prune, and fig round out complex heavyweight champion.
VICTORY ST. BOISTEROUS HELLERBOCK
Sturdy seasonal Bavarian golden lager comes across like a better crafted and more luxurious malt liquor. Creamy corn sugared honey malts swerve by apricot-cantaloupe enticement and muted floral-herbal spicing. Dry barley-wheat foundation constrains sweet vanilla dab.
VICTORY PRIMA PILS
Perfumed floral-citrus aromatics, sharp nutty grain consistency, and extreme Noble-hopped pine-lacquered orange rind finish define excellent German-styled pilsner that’ll remind bitter hop-heads of a classic India Pale Ale. Gooey caramel malting sweetens syrupy peach-pear conflux, lemon-curried ambrosia tartness, and grapefruit-peeled apricot-tangerine regalia. Floral lavender-rosebud-sunflower wisp and dry grassy astringency complete world class pils.
VICTORY OLD HORIZONTAL BARLEYWINE ALE
Stimulatingly hearty dark amber barleywine features oodles of brown-sugared yeast sediment and whiskey malt pungency. Prune-y chocolate creaminess intrudes frisky floral-hopped bouquet to impressive cherry-cognac finish. Detailed robust ‘seasonal’ gains medicinal warmth as it mellows down slowly.
VICTORY MOONGLOW WEIZENBOCK
Dramatic ruddy-hazed Bavarian-styled autumn bock defers astringent alcohol density, spoiled orange waft and blustery wheat backbone to oncoming soured cherry tartness. Red grape scamper, sticky plantain nuance, plus fruit punch melange (red grape, quince, tangerine, wild berries) brighten center. Hefty sugar malting enhances tertiary banana, pumpkin, and prune swoon, scattering barest clove spicing inside creamy viscosity of engrossing off-dry fruit meringue.
VICTORY LAGER
Pale straw helles-style ‘all malt’ lager gives paltry red fruited softness typical Eastern European dank grain husk and dusky yeast musk. Soapy oxidized finish precludes green grape tinge and grassy touch.
VICTORY HOP WALLOP ALE
Heavily hopped orange peel bitterness grows precipitously above sugar cane remnant, sharpening fruited plain and deepening piney-floral notes. Apricot, grapefruit, and red cherry brighten gritty grained finish for full-bodied bluster.
VICTORY HOP DEVIL INDIA PALE ALE
Love the catchy li’l colourful label of this bold ‘n spicy, citric-juiced, full-bodied pale ale. Fine piney hop bittering, zesty grapefruit-orange-mango bite and deep dark-grained barrage reminiscent of California and Colorado microbrews. Lingering berry notes furnish moderately bitter citric-peeled finish.
VICTORY GOLDEN MONKEY TRIPEL
Creamy Belgian-styled tripel mixes honeyed barleymalt affectation with compost-wafted white-peppered white-wined white ale character. Candi-sugared fig-dried rye wheat backdrop and pecan-almond snip deepened by herbal fungi. Moderate hop bitterness tucks away clove-ginger-nutmeg undertones and teensy coriander-anise adjunct before potent curacao orange finish gets serious alcohol jolt.
VICTORY FESTBIER
Deep-grained copper-toned Dortmunder-styled Octoberfest lager balances sour wheat-breaded Vienna-malted frontage with bitter floral-hopped herbal tea nuttiness. Secondary biscuit-y nuance picks up subtle lemony berry-gourd dalliance at alcohol-soaked finish. Serve to indiscrimiate German Marzen fans.
VICTORY DONNYBROOK STOUT
Thick ebony-hued full body offers adequate black coffee bittering and dark chocolate creaminess. Nutty bottom sharpens woodsy hop char.