Vienna Woods
Valkyrie Brewing

Vienna WoodsVienna Woods
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From:
Valkyrie Brewing
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Vienna Lager
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
79
Avg:
3.33 | pDev: 16.82%
Reviews:
30
Ratings:
32
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 20, 2020
Added:
Sep 12, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beveragecaptain:
Photo of beveragecaptain
Reviewed by beveragecaptain from New Jersey

2.76/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
22 ounce bottle. This beer pours out a mostly clear amber color with a small off-white head. Cloyingly sweet and fruity aroma. The flavor is very much like the Viking Sylvan Springs. Sweet and lemony. The three Viking beers I've had have really rubbed me the wrong way. They've all been overly sweet and tart. No bitterness at all. Not much malt flavor either. Just sweet oranges. This is perhaps the best of the three Viking beers I've tried, but that's really not saying much. I'm swearing off this brewery for the third time.
Nov 04, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of scaliasux
Reviewed by scaliasux from Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
L - Medium amber. Slight haze. Medium tall, cream colored head. OK persistence.

S - Malty. Bread and toast.

T - Again malty. Sweet grain, fruit (tart apples or grapes), a little toast.

F - Medium-light.

O - Not the flavors I'd be looking for in a Vienna Lager.
Sep 20, 2020
Photo of Victory_Sabre1973
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear amberish color with a 1 1/2 finger slightly off white head. The head is frothy and the retention is very good. There's some lacing on the glass.
The nose is quite lacking. There's really nothing there. Just a slight aroma that's slightly sweet.
Taste - A slight sweet caramel flavor. A slight citrus flavor - very slight. Not a very strong flavored beer.
Feel - Not bad. Decent body. Slightly creamy feeling. Some carbonation feeling.
It's ok, but nothing I'd get too many of the next time I go to Dallas and get a mixed case of beer from them.
Sep 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by d5001986 from Wisconsin

Jul 29, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by harpus from Alabama

Aug 25, 2015
Photo of SykDoc
Reviewed by SykDoc from Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. It pours a nice clear amber color and for a 1/2 inch very light tan head that leaves a full coverage lacing. Carbonation is visible and no sediment.

A bit mild but definite malty sweetness mixed with a earthy/piney component.

The flavor seems driven by the caramel malt sweetness with some toastiness. It has a cidery and mildly spicy component that briefly appears. Earthy hops are also noted, primarily at the end.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and fairly smooth. Carbonation is quick and somewhat intense, but disappears quick as well and leaves a mild dryness.

Overall, this is a reasonable beer to drink. Nothing really stands out in either direction, beyond my initial thoughts on the appearance and the solidness of the parts that are present.
Jan 14, 2010
Photo of darklordlager
Reviewed by darklordlager from Wisconsin

2.53/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
A: Pours an opaque, light nut-brown with a small butterscotch head after a vigorous pour.

S: Surprisingly, very sour smell (infection?) that seems to dwarf everything else. Smells like a Vienna lager mixed with a NG Olde English Porter.

T: The sourness is definitely manifest in the taste as well. Acidic sourness dwarfing just about everything else. The smell pretty much covers it. Not at all what I was expecting...

M: Thin with low carbonation.

D: Luckily I enjoy sours and this tastes slightly reminiscent of a watered down NG OEP. For a Vienna Lager though, this is miles away.

If Viking wants to be taken seriously, they need to get their QC in order...
Jan 13, 2010
Photo of roadhouse
Reviewed by roadhouse from Florida

3.53/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. bottle into a pils glass

Appears a mostly clear copper color with a half inch off-white head that goes down to a skim quickly. Spotty lacing throughout.

Aroma has some caramel maltiness, a bit of toasty malt, and a pretty good nose of grassy hops with a bit of a pine scent to them.

Taste is very strange to say the least for the style. Up front it is actually kind of sour, a bit like white grapes. A bit of malt taste, though not sweet at all. Grassy and earthy hop flavors round out the back end and make it quite interesting actually.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, pretty smooth and creamy. Not hard to drink but I think it would be more so if it was a better Vienna lager.

Well this beer is terrible for the style, but I actually am finding myself enjoying it. Don't expect a good Vienna lager.
Jun 15, 2009
Photo of Wisconsin
Reviewed by Wisconsin from Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This beer has been sitting in my fridge for over a year so this might be somewhat different from those who have a recently brewed beer.

A - Pours a one and half finger head that dissipates very slowly. The body is a solid brown in color and is hazy in appearance.

S - Barley, hops, malts and faint bitter caramel sweetness that is rather faint.

T - Malts, hops and the caramel bitterness hit your mouth. The beer isn't all that full or complex so I have a hard time giving this much higher than a 3. It has good initial flavor but it seems to die off midway through.

M - Good initially. This is a good beer for those who are new to lagers. The beer is pretty smooth after the initial flavors hit your mouth but it isn't complex enough to rate it any higher.

D - Decent session beer. I could have a couple in a sitting.
Jan 09, 2009
Photo of kmeves
Reviewed by kmeves from Wisconsin

2.3/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours a deep amber color with a very smallish head. Aroma is very sweet with caramel and sugary bubblegum. Flavor is really more of the same. Very thick mouthfeel, medium carbonation. This would have been a drain pour but my wife opted to finish it. I doubt I will try any more Viking beers.
Dec 10, 2008
Photo of BeerBelcher
Reviewed by BeerBelcher from Ohio

2.36/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
This beer pours a rich amber color with very little head and its appearance was not very reassuring as it did not promise me a very pleasant beer experience in my near future. Quite syrupy looking. Aroma was caramel and copper. Flavor is so carmel-y as to be cereal-y with some other off notes I could not quite identify. Mouthfeel is tremendously (too) thick. Struck me as being quite like a bock I wouldn't like.

I would not recommend this beer, which I bought at Three Cellars in Franklin, WI.
Nov 10, 2008
Photo of Pauly2X
Reviewed by Pauly2X from Wisconsin

3.87/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A- Light golden amber, half finger head.

S- Malt aroma is a good blend of toasted and caramel malts. This is accented by a light noble hop aroma.

T- The caramel malt sweetness gets nearly bullied out by an assertive toasty flavor. Some malt sweetness sneaks back up just before the pleasantly smooth and dry hop finish.

M- Slightly fizzy but all in all smooth.

D- Not bad I just might grab the six pack.

Not quite as good as Eliot Ness, but still a very good vienna lager nevertheless. This beer is worth picking up if you see it.
Nov 01, 2008
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.24/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a copper color with just a thin film of head. Some spotty lacing is left on the glass.

I smell toasted malt and some earthy hops.

What happened to the malt? A bit weak in the flavor department. The aroma led me to believe some good malt flavors where to be found but I left disapointed. Just average.

The body is a bit watery. Carbonation is good without being harsh.

Just an average lager. Maybe my sample was not very fresh but as it is it is mediocre.
Oct 10, 2008
Photo of KeefD
Reviewed by KeefD from Minnesota

3.52/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Got this one in a variety sixer from Amy's Cheese and wine in Stanley Wisconsin. It was one of 6 Wisconsin beers I've never had, sampled over the weekend. Review is from notes I took Friday and Saturday May 8th and 9th.

Pours a nice dark amber color with no head and little lacing. Carbonation is ok. Very malty and fruity. Has an apple cider sort of taste to it and the hops are very mild. Veyr smooth and easy to drink and rather tasty. It's an average tasting Vienna-style lager, but not bad quite an interesting find in a small town.
May 12, 2008
Photo of happygnome
Reviewed by happygnome from Minnesota

2.94/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
a: pours a very nice orange color with about a half inch of head that dissapears rather quickly leaving a little lacing
s: caramel malts, earthy piny hop notes that arent too prevalent but are deffinatly present
t: caramel malts a very sweet malty beer, theres a very odd sour flavor that i dont really understand, not much hops, the sourness makes it not such a good brew
m: medium bodied beer with a lot of carbonation

overall, im not a fan at all of the sourness that is so strong i wont buy this again
Mar 13, 2008
Photo of Tballz420
Reviewed by Tballz420 from Minnesota

3.42/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Very tiny and fleeting tan head tops a pretty hazy copper colored brew. Scent is the typical vienna malt scent. Taste is fairly intense malt-wise. Seems kinda strange the malt mix, not bad necessarily. Vienna malts mixed in with fruit tastes, touch of hops. Malt is intense, yet muted, somehow. Kinda hard to describe this one. Thinner mouth. Dunno
Oct 25, 2007
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a deep, cloudy orange tone. The unfiltered yeast slowly descends in a spiralling tornado column. An inch of dense foam rises to the top of the pilsner flute, but not over.

Smells like caramel apples, a winner in my book. A little grain or hay as well.

Taste has a juicy apple quality, smooth and lightly malty, with a full body and noticeable yeast character. Almost like an extremely light Weizenbock. Toasted malt in the aftertaste. It has a slight tartness that is also reminiscent of Dortmunder. Carbonation is fairly low, but the tart element seems to take the place of a spritzy bite. This was an interesting beer, and i'll try it again when I have the chance.
Jul 21, 2007
Photo of Atron67
Reviewed by Atron67 from Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured a darker amber color with off white head, poured a centimeter head that lasted for a little while and left medium lacing.
S- Sweet malty caramel scents predominate
T- starts with a strong malty flavor with a lighter caramel finish
M- light carbonation and medium/light body
D- an ok beer, still not a fan of caramel in the beer, but it goes and is a pretty smooth lager
Jul 07, 2007
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Toasty Vienna malt leaps out at you in Viking's Vienna Woods! It dominates both the aroma and the flavor!

The hazy auburn body offers glowing golden and orange highlights beneath a frothy head of antique white. The head retention is a bit limited, particularly given the style; but it leaves walls of tiny-spotted lace behind.

Apart from the toasty and bready Vienna malt in the nose, there's also a delicate touch of floral and grassy hops in the background, as it should be. There's also a bit of yeastiness present, but that may be because I didn't let the bottle sit long enough, and disturbed the lees with a rough pour. Regardless, the yeast is an important aspect of this beer, affecting it's flavor, aroma, pH, and carbonation level.

In the mouth it's medium bodied and lightly zesty and then gently crisp with a natural, bottle-conditioned median carbonation.

The flavor is a little less toasty and grainy than the nose suggests, with more floral and grassy hop flavors coming through, and a softer malty character that has a little bit of woody character, and some nuttiness to it - which may be due in part to the yeast. The yeast also adds a touch of acidity that helps cut through the richly toasty malts. A firm bitterness balances it, and it's pretty well-rounded and drinkable.

A touch more refinement could make this a world-class contender! Perhaps a yeast that settles into a tighter sediment; or maybe even less yeast altogether. Still, well worth trying!
Jan 21, 2007
Photo of objectivemonkey
Reviewed by objectivemonkey from Minnesota

3.56/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Into a pint glass pours a pretty nice amber orange with decent short lasting head and ok lacing. Aroma is weak, very light fruitiness to it... all I can really say about it is.. 'mmm, lager.' Taste is better, a nice hoppy citric middle, dry grains at end, short lasting slighly bitter finish. Also, maybe a bit sour (though that maybe be just the way my taste buds are precieving things lately). Mouth is lively, medium bodied, and overall not too bad, not going to write home about it, but I'd consider this a good everyday beer.
Nov 21, 2006
Vienna Woods from Valkyrie Brewing
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 32 ratings