Victory Storm King Imperial Stout - The King's favorite embalming fluid.
Written: Aug 30 '01 (Updated Aug 30 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dark luscious, hoppy stout.
Cons: The alcohol is a little high.
The Bottom Line: Desert beer.
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| roymeo's Full Review: Victory Storm King Imperial Stout |
(since the meter bars at the right are Somewhat Helpful at best)
Weight = 4-Medium Body
Flavor = 2-Bitter
Complexity = 2-Complex
I did not intend to buy a bunch of 8%+ beers at Beers of the World when I went last week. Nor was I paying attention to trying to grab all bottle conditioned. But somehow I ended up with shoppingcart of both.
Propaganda
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout has a label with blue-black clouds on a black background with an owl-king face sticking out at us. Setting the stage for us is the bottle copy: Emerging from the deepest shades of darkness, a rolling crescendo of flavors burst forth from this robust stout. The thundering, hoppy appeal of Storm King subsides into the mellow subtleties of roasted malt, exhibiting an espresso like depth of character in its finish. An exquisite blend of imported malts and whole flower American hops merge harmoniously in this complex ale. Discover the dark intrigue of Storm King, as it reveals the rich, substantial flavors that it holds within. Cheers!
Well, that's fun to read in a dark, melodramatic voice while chasing someone through the house naked, but I dunno if I buy it.
This beer is brewed by the Victory Brewery, located about an hour west of Philadelphia, in Downington, Pennsylvania.
It's a seasonal beer, brewed from October to March.
Head
Since I received my beer snob decoder ring, I've been pouring rather hard to get nice head on my beer. No more glass tipping limp-wristed wimpy stuff for me. And then I'll never look ridiculous to the Germans when I pour wine for them in Ireland as if I were tapping a keg like ol Roark_8.
So, I got a gorgeous head on this beer. It was a little slow forming, but by the end of the bottle was perfect. 2/3rds of the glass was black, the rest was mocha foam, just to the rim of the glass. As creamy and thick as I've ever seen a carbonated (as opposed to nitrogenated) beer form.
The pour must have done it (I did raise the bottle pretty high to generate that head) because it once the head dies, there's not a whole lot left, so it isn't extremely carbonated.
Color
Dark Brown rapidly approaching black. Held right up to a 100 watt halogen bulb reveals a dark ruby color just at the very edges of the glass, all else is opaque. Dark and thick.
Aroma
Floral, lemony, and roasted chocolaty goodness.
Flavor, Body, Finish
Initial a little nibble of that 9.1% alcohol by volume. Then we have Imperial Stout heavy rich malt, and quite a bit of hop bitterness, but still mostly smooth for such a rich beer. Sour citric on the finish, likely due to lots of dry-hopping. The strong roasted malt qualities are much less towards the burnt end for the style. This does have a pretty strong "espresso like" finish.
Aftertaste
Long and bitter. Some reminder of the alcohol content here, and some bit of sweetness. Not really an aftertaste I associate with coffee, so the espresso dies out in the finish.
Warm
I had to let this one warm up a bit, just because I was trying to pace myself.
More roasted qualities.
Conclusion
Well hopped for the hop lover, and great roasted malt flavor. I liked this Imperial Stout but really it's too potent. This might make a good after dinner drink, but the six pack is going to be hanging out in the kitchen for a while here due to the strength. Taste wise it's a 4.5, but the potency knocks it all the way down to 3 stars for this beer-lover.
Quick Stats
Original Gravity:
Final Gravity:
Alcohol by Volume: 9.1%
Color:
Bittering Units:
Malts: imported 2 row
Bittering Hops: American whole flowers
Flavor Hops: American whole flowers
Aroma Hops: American whole flowers
Bottles: Crown cap. Bottle conditioned.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
roymeo
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Location: SF, CA
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 105 members
About Me:
pseudo-intellectual altie-poser taken to self-deprecation
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