1337 Ale
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

1337 Ale1337 Ale
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From:
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 10.5%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
53
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 03, 2016
Added:
Mar 31, 2014
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  6
In 1978, our world was more about street hockey and "Star Wars" than brewing beer—after all, we were only 15. But in October of that year, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that legalized brewing beer at home for personal or family use. H.R. 1337 went into effect 1979 and a few years later my ever-resourceful Dad was cranking out credible lagers.

In 1985, we took up the hobby for the flavor and the culture of handcrafting beer. Cheering the opening of each new "microbrewery," we honed our craft. Hoppy ales were the vogue and bold enough in flavor to mask the flaws a novice brewer often stumbles into.

Now, with a brew kit that makes 200 barrels per batch and 49 years professional experience between us, we have things pretty dialed in. So we dusted off an old, old recipe of ours to ride the wayback machine with you. Hoppy trails, behind us and ahead for all!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by whatname:
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Rated by whatname from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

Apr 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by calcnerd from Pennsylvania

Jun 03, 2016
 
Rated: 2.57 by AD17 from New Jersey

Apr 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.43 by PaulSlazinger from Pennsylvania

Jan 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Obi-Wan-Bonjovi from Pennsylvania

Dec 10, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by schmitter from Pennsylvania

Sep 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by robertjskelton from Florida

Sep 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by ChrisKayler from Virginia

Aug 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Fenix2009 from Pennsylvania

Aug 08, 2014
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
"In 1978, our world was more about street hockey and "Star Wars" than brewing beer—after all, we were only 15 years old. But in October of that year, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that legalized brewing beer at home for personal or family use. H.R. 1337 went into effect 1979 and a few years later my ever-resourceful Dad was cranking out credible lagers. In 1985, we took up the hobby for the flavor and the culture of handcrafting beer. Cheering the opening of each new "microbrewery," we honed our craft. Hoppy ales were the vogue and bold enough in flavor to mask the flaws a novice brewer often stumbles into. Now, with a brew kit that makes 200 barrels per batch and 49 years professional experience between us, we have things pretty dialed in. So we dusted off an old, old recipe of ours to ride the wayback machine with you. Hoppy trails, behind us and ahead for all!" Brewed in the style of an American IPA, this is a limited release available in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served above 62º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a frothy cream head of a tan-white color over an orange amber body with high clarity, moderate haze and plenty of modest sediment. Retention is good, lacing is light and spotty. 4

(Smell) Biscuity, grainy caramel malts with a mild bread malt undertone forms a solid aromatic malt body, while herbal, fruity hops with a mellow bitterness round out the hop profile. The aroma is fairly clean and well rounded with no significant high points nor low points worthy of mention. Potency is medium. 3.5

(Taste) Much of the same flavor as in the aroma, with slightly grainy and dry bread malt forming a mild under sweetened malt base, and a subtle hop presence generates a fruity hop flavor with a mild bitterness. While very drinkable, it's nothing to write home about. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Texture is silky, smooth, and slightly dry. Carbonation is very mild for a soft, mildly frothy mouthfeel. Body is moderate for the style, medium overall. Balance is just about even, with both a mellow sweetness and bitterness rounding each other out perfectly. Alcohol presence is very mild, with no notable off characters. I appreciate the relaxed tone of the carbonation in this beer for the sake of the subtle malt and hop flavors. 4

(Overall) Thanks to the help of industry grade equipment, even the muddiest, most unclean kitchen sink beers can be cleaned up a good bit, so it's good to see an old homebrew recipe from a pair of brewers become rejuvenated and released to the public. To some, this will be a sign of the times, as American IPAs have come far in the past 20 years and neither the malt character nor hop bitterness is likely to blow any critical enthusiasts away, but the balance was fair for what is in there and the beer itself was ultimately highly drinkable. As it was fairly priced I did not regret picking up a bomber of this. 3.75

Victory Brewing Company's
1337 Ale (Bill + Ron's Excellent Homebrew)
3.63/5.00
Aug 07, 2014
Photo of wiegs4life
Reviewed by wiegs4life from Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
I poured this baby into a nice glass. Standard copper color with most other IPA's. It is a lot less interesting than the more contemporary IPA's. I like the idea of showing an old recipe. There is a good mixture in the smell with the citrus mixed in with caramel scent. This beer is brewed well, but did not fancy my style.
Aug 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by mcsauter82 from New Jersey

Jul 31, 2014
Photo of KTCamm
Reviewed by KTCamm from New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a bomber into a perfect pint glass. 6/16

Pours copper colored, some orange, next to no foam. Malty nose, a little bready too. Faint citrus. Light pale taste, firm hop, some bitter which fades into the malt. Firm carbonation. Little bit of bitter hangs out. Simple by tasty. Love the concept of bringing back an old recipe for a specialty bomber.
Jul 20, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by IPAchris from Pennsylvania

Jul 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Drknight from Virginia

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by bret717 from Pennsylvania

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by supermanny from Virginia

Jul 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Iamstryker from New Jersey

Jul 04, 2014
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.52/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: The beer is somewhat hazy orange amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige colored head that gradually died down, leaving a large patch of bubbles in the center, a collar around the edge, and bits of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of caramel malts are present in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is dominated by flavors of caramel malts but any associated sweetness is masked out by the underlying malts, the latter of which contribute a slight amount of bitterness and faint hints of pine.
M: It feels medium-bodied and slightly crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Compared to today's IPAs, this beer might taste a little bland, but is interesting to try if you want to see what the brewmasters' predecessor to Hop Devil Ale tasted like. It's not bad for a homebrew recipe.
Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by WuBByG999 from Pennsylvania

Jun 25, 2014
1337 Ale from Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 53 ratings