Oak Horizontal
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

Oak HorizontalOak Horizontal
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From:
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.04 | pDev: 11.39%
Reviews:
67
Ratings:
341
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 26, 2021
Added:
Dec 28, 2012
Wants:
  17
Gots:
  58
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BuckeyeSlim:
Photo of BuckeyeSlim
Reviewed by BuckeyeSlim from Ohio

3.18/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Bottled on Dec. 20, 2012

Crystallized/caramelized light brown sugar immediately swept away by bourbon and ABV. Once the nose settles down, there's light molasses and more caramelized brown sugars, with notes of unfinished oak wood and hints of dark red fruit. As it warms and opens, orange rind and hints of vanilla appear; butterscotch appears later. The nose is the most enjoyable part of this bottle. Assertive without being pushy, it's nicely nuanced and accessible for exploring. The rough oak floats to the front, and then into the background, back and forth.

Taste is moderately toasted malt, toffee/caramel, and molasses that gets overrun right away by the booze and moves directly to the finish. Finish is dominated by a bitter wood sensation that sits in the middle of the tongue, with a bit of maple sugar on the sides. Red fruit sugars remain on the lips. The lack of integration between the beer and the booze is a problem here. Letting the beer sit and warm in the glass helps take the edge off, but the dry pine hops and rough oak remain front-and-center, making this a bitter barleywine – it gets almost medicinal. I've decided to use the 2nd half of the bottle for a slow-cook pork roast.

This beer could use some more time – at least a couple of years – to age and mellow in the bottle. As it is now, it's a rough, boozy brew with a bitter finish that feels like doing shots. If you have a bottle of this and you're thinking about waiting, do so. This one is a strong argument for releasing big beers in 12-ounce four-paks; I'd have three more I'd know what to do with. This beer is also one of the booziest brews I've had in ages; so many big beers do a great job of hiding and integrating the ABV into the taste profile. This one is still pretty hot, and only time can fix that. If it ages into the nose, it will be worth the wait. If nothing else, the hop bitterness should subside, and that would be a big plus.
Nov 23, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by SiepJones from Pennsylvania

Feb 26, 2021
 
Rated: 4.21 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Mar 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.17 by Muss42 from Michigan

Mar 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.3 by Cpmitchno1 from Virginia

Mar 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.6 by Curt3 from Ohio

Feb 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.28 by liquorpig from Massachusetts

Feb 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4.02 by AdamSteve from Michigan

Jan 03, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Dec 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by JMS1512 from New Jersey

Nov 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.04 by AlarmClock314 from Wisconsin

Jun 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.09 by GetTheYayo from Pennsylvania

May 12, 2016
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.81/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
"Represented by a snoozing moon, our Old Horizonta Barleywine-style ale is a substantial brew that has been serving as a winter warmer since 1996. Now it has finally earned a little rest of its own. We brewed up some batches and put them to bed in oak barrels that once held bourbon. During this three-month nap, the newly named Oak Horizontal enjoyed a transformation of flavors as the rich sweetness of the ale combined wit hthe oaky, vanilla flavors of the barrels to become a truly dreamy brew." Brewed in the style of an American Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels. Available in 750ml. bottles and on limited draft. Special release version of Old Horizontal Barleywine, released 2013.

Poured from a 750ml. bottle to a snifter glass.

(Appearance) Pours a frothy cream head of a buttery white color over a densely hazy muddy copper body. Retention is below average and lacing is light and patchy. 3

(Smell) An evident bourbon-oak impact creates drying notes, soft tannins and subtle vanilla-bourbon aromas atop a smooth and accessible Barleywine base of bread malts, smooth caramel, soft grains and delicate dark fruit sugars. Potency is moderate. 3.75

(Taste) The flavor has an incredible wave of bourbon oak up front, strong combinations of raw and toasted oak barrel with potent vanilla and bourbon flavor in tow, giving way slightly on the finish to the barleywine Old Horizontal recipe, which largely drifts underneath the intensity of the oak character as a sturdy malt base, without contributing much to the beer otherwise. It's actually quite enjoyable if you like an oak and bourbon-led beer, as this one certainly preserves and displays those character very well without much combative Barleywine flavors. 4

(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, moderately residual, smooth, medium dry. Carbonation is modest, generating a light frothiness and a softly crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, medium/heavy overall. Balance is moderately oaky dry and grainy over sweet. Alcohol presence is moderate, and there are no off characters to note. 3.75

(Overall) This is probably Victory's best oak-aged variant in their 750 ml. line, from the ones I have sampled to date. The oak and bourbon flavor is incredible, very potent and strong in delivery, leading this beer over the barleywine base, but I find the Old Horizontal Barleywine to be rather evenly balanced without stark highs and lows, so this experiment is welcome by me as an opportunity to compliment and amplify the flavors of an old classic, and ultimately recommended. Even with a few years of maturation in the bottle- it turns out to be very enjoyable. 4

Victory Brewing Company's
Oak Horizontal Aged In Bourbon Barrels
3.81/5.00
Feb 15, 2016
Photo of spinrsx
Rated by spinrsx from Canada (ON)

3.42/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
2012 vintage. Was flat and oxidized.
Jan 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.99 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Jan 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.2 by REVZEB from Illinois

Jan 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.43 by cjohns73 from Delaware

Jan 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.22 by GreenMind from Pennsylvania

Dec 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.27 by harryhops from Delaware

Nov 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.35 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Oct 18, 2015
Oak Horizontal from Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 341 ratings