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Victory At Sea - Coffee And Vanilla
Ballast Point Brewing Company
- From:
- Ballast Point Brewing Company
- California, United States
- Style:
- Imperial Porter
Ranked #14 - ABV:
- 10%
- Score:
- 97
Ranked #534 - Avg:
- 4.39 | pDev: 8.66%
- Reviews:
- 1,513
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 10, 2024
- Added:
- Mar 17, 2009
- Wants:
- 1,152
- Gots:
- 2,316
Our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter is a bold, smooth brew with just the right amount of sweetness. We infused this robust porter with whole vanilla beans and San Diego’s own Caffe Calabria coffee beans. The subtle roasted notes and minimal acidity of the cold brewed coffee, balances perfectly with the sweet caramel undertones of the malt, creating a winning combination for your palate.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by nhindian:
Reviewed by nhindian from Pennsylvania
4.69/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.69/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
22oz bomber split with russwbeck and poured into a Great Lakes snifter.
A - Pours a pitch black body culminating in a finger's worth of khaki-colored head. Retention is moderately poor and when it leaves it doesn't leave much lacing in it's wake, just the occaisonal wisp here and there.
S - Smell is huge, huge coffee. Not sure I've gotten this much espresso in a beer before, especially not from a porter. A bit of vanilla, but the thing I'm also picking up is a lot of thick chocolate, reminding me of freshly-baked fudge and Southern Tier's 'Choklat'. Definitely a sweet smelling beer that also has a nice, hop finish to it as well. Delicious smelling.
T - As in the nose, this beer has a ton of coffee and chocolate up front in this beer, mixing together with silky smooth malts to make the taste utterly creamy and smooth. Again, drawing lots of comparison to 'Choklat' here without being overboard on the fudge and without much of the alcohol heat as well. The vanilla starts to come in around mid-taste and follows the coffee and chocolate nicely and provides a nice segue to the surprisingly hoppy finish. Not 'Storm King' or 'Yeti' hop, but still noticeable. Very little alcohol comes through here.
M - Mouthfeel is a lot thicker than Porters of the past, but still noticeably thinner than most Stouts I had. Rich and creamy the entire way. I feel the increased body really helps with such rich flavors in this beer and it leaves a nice coating on the palate. Pretty sweet throughout without being cloying. Big, long finish.
D - Drinkability is high. Especially following Infinium, this beer is just fantastic. The smell, taste, and mouthfeel are incredible and I could easily drink a bomber of this and come back for more. Only downside to this beer is the relatively weak appearance, but the rest more than make up for it. One of my favorites.
Jan 14, 2011A - Pours a pitch black body culminating in a finger's worth of khaki-colored head. Retention is moderately poor and when it leaves it doesn't leave much lacing in it's wake, just the occaisonal wisp here and there.
S - Smell is huge, huge coffee. Not sure I've gotten this much espresso in a beer before, especially not from a porter. A bit of vanilla, but the thing I'm also picking up is a lot of thick chocolate, reminding me of freshly-baked fudge and Southern Tier's 'Choklat'. Definitely a sweet smelling beer that also has a nice, hop finish to it as well. Delicious smelling.
T - As in the nose, this beer has a ton of coffee and chocolate up front in this beer, mixing together with silky smooth malts to make the taste utterly creamy and smooth. Again, drawing lots of comparison to 'Choklat' here without being overboard on the fudge and without much of the alcohol heat as well. The vanilla starts to come in around mid-taste and follows the coffee and chocolate nicely and provides a nice segue to the surprisingly hoppy finish. Not 'Storm King' or 'Yeti' hop, but still noticeable. Very little alcohol comes through here.
M - Mouthfeel is a lot thicker than Porters of the past, but still noticeably thinner than most Stouts I had. Rich and creamy the entire way. I feel the increased body really helps with such rich flavors in this beer and it leaves a nice coating on the palate. Pretty sweet throughout without being cloying. Big, long finish.
D - Drinkability is high. Especially following Infinium, this beer is just fantastic. The smell, taste, and mouthfeel are incredible and I could easily drink a bomber of this and come back for more. Only downside to this beer is the relatively weak appearance, but the rest more than make up for it. One of my favorites.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan
4.44/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured very dark brown and capped with an ambitious light brown head that climbed three inches very quickly.
The aroma to my chemically damaged nose was mild but still featured proper porter smells- roasted malts, coffee, a touch of chocolate.
The taste- I grabbed the can again to verify, but vanilla plays top position. Not sweet at all, but no mistaking there is vanilla in here. Coffee shows up later, this drinks true as it warmed.
The feel was good, ideal even. Not sure if it could be better. Ideally viscous.
OA- very happy to have been able to try this finally!
Jun 05, 2022The aroma to my chemically damaged nose was mild but still featured proper porter smells- roasted malts, coffee, a touch of chocolate.
The taste- I grabbed the can again to verify, but vanilla plays top position. Not sweet at all, but no mistaking there is vanilla in here. Coffee shows up later, this drinks true as it warmed.
The feel was good, ideal even. Not sure if it could be better. Ideally viscous.
OA- very happy to have been able to try this finally!
Reviewed by griffinwelsh from Texas
4.97/5 rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.97/5 rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
If you've ever wondered what could make a great porter even better it is notes of vanilla. This beer has a rich coffee flavor and a satisfyingly vanilla aftertaste. Color is dark and consistency is very smooth. It's a shame I can't buy it in Texas.
May 04, 2022Reviewed by sjrider from California
4.43/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.43/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Can pour- dark as night with foamy khaki head leaving frosty/foamy lacing and a ring of bubbles. Nose is vanilla and coffee for days. Taste follows with some roasty malt and mild espresso bitterness. Vanilla lingers on the finish. Tasty.
Dec 18, 2021Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.21/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2021 release from can. Poured from fridge temp. Pours black with a really good amount of light brown head. Sticks around for quite a while as well. Nose is incredible. Vanilla, marshmallow, coffee, dark chocolate, red licorice, burnt toffee, and a nice amount of dark fruit. The taste nicely follows the nose, but with a distinct bitterness on the back end. Vanilla and coffee (very dark) are dominant. Definitely some charred wood, black licorice, roasted malts, almonds, and tar. Not sweet at all. Mouthfeel is fairly thick. Overall a really nice coffee stout.
Sep 17, 2021Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts
4.37/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.37/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
After being impressed by the High West BA version of this a few weeks ago I figured I'd give this a shot. Quite affordable at $3 for a single bottle given it currently sits at #323 of all time on this site
Pours a very dark brown with just a finger of espresso colored head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing and decent legs
The aroma here is sweet but not overly so, bringing a nice balance of vanilla, hazelnut, toast, milk chocolate, medium roast coffee, and a slight dark fruit note
A bittersweet balance is maintained throughout the entire sip, starting off with notes of cocoa powder, lightly toasted malt, raisin, and a touch of grain alcohol. The swallow makes this one a bit sweeter, bringing notes of rich vanilla, slightly astringent coffee, milk chocolate, and almond
A medium silky body pairs with gentle carbonation for a smooth slow sipper. The finish is mostly dry, due to the roasty character of the coffee
Damn delicious beer right here. It hits all the notes expected and doesn't feel overly sweet or strong despite the high abv. I'd definitely get it again
Dec 29, 2020Pours a very dark brown with just a finger of espresso colored head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing and decent legs
The aroma here is sweet but not overly so, bringing a nice balance of vanilla, hazelnut, toast, milk chocolate, medium roast coffee, and a slight dark fruit note
A bittersweet balance is maintained throughout the entire sip, starting off with notes of cocoa powder, lightly toasted malt, raisin, and a touch of grain alcohol. The swallow makes this one a bit sweeter, bringing notes of rich vanilla, slightly astringent coffee, milk chocolate, and almond
A medium silky body pairs with gentle carbonation for a smooth slow sipper. The finish is mostly dry, due to the roasty character of the coffee
Damn delicious beer right here. It hits all the notes expected and doesn't feel overly sweet or strong despite the high abv. I'd definitely get it again
Victory At Sea - Coffee And Vanilla from Ballast Point Brewing Company
Beer rating:
97 out of
100 with
7159 ratings
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