Victory At Sea - High West Barrel-Aged
Ballast Point Brewing Company

A 12oz. bottle with no visible date poured in a 13oz. snifter.

Look- Pours a thin clean transparent brown producing a couple centimeters of tan foam. It settles in short order leaving a thin ring and moderate lacing behind.

Smell- Strong vanilla, a faint whiff of bourbon and rye.

Taste- Heavy vanilla, bourbon, oak, char and a little rye.

Feel- Creamy smooth up front yielding to considerable alcohol heat in the finish.

Overall- There is a lot of vanilla and oak in this beer. A bit too much vanilla for me and slightly artificial in taste. It buries the complexity of the bourbon and rye leaving only the heavy oak to emerge through it. A nice barrel aged porter for the price that falls short of being top shelf in my opinion.

2017 bottle poured into a Mountain Rambler Brewery Snifter

A: Pours basically black with a frothy taupe head that settles to a light layer and leaves a little nice lacing.

S: Roasty, dark chocolate and coffee, vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, smooth bourbon, peppery spice, underlying earthy char, a touch of oak, and a little Amaretto to round it out.

T: Brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, smooth bourbon, peppery spice, roasted malt, dark chocolate, bold coffee, a little earthy char, subtle oak, and a touch of Amaretto on the finish.

M: On the fuller side of medium body, moderate carbonation, a touch slick and oily, with a little alcohol warmth. (Not gonna lie, I was expecting it to sip a little smoother after its time tucked away, but I'm not mad at it.)

O: Over the last couple years a buddy and I realized that a large portion of our cellars are getting sneakily old and need to be consumed and have made efforts to work through them. This bottle is a prime example. In my head 2017 wasn't that long ago, but it is in fact nearly a decade ago now. The bottle that I put away thinking I might let mellow for just a few years would surely unidentifiably covered by a layer of dust had it been left out in the open, though that tucking away out of sight has both led to it being unopened for so long, but also holding up rather magnificently. All the flavors you'd expect from an amped up version of the classic are alive and well. I think my only gripes are that it's still a little warm and that the body is a little lighter than I was expecting. After all this time it's still a very enjoyable sipper.
As my glass empties, I'm feeling a bit wistful. I remember how excited I was to finally get my hands on this bottle after years of hoping that my area would finally get a taste of Ballast Point's rarer offerings. Now I look at how much has changed since this beer was brewed and bottled, how much Ballast Point has changed, and I wonder how many more beers like this I'll get to try in the future. Who knows the answer to that, but at least I've got this one in my glass now.

 

 

Pours black with a one finger light tan head. The aroma has cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, and dark roasted malt. Tastes just like it smells. The coffee has faded, but that is my fault for waiting this long to drink the beer. Full bodied and chewy. modest carbonation. Drinks very nicely.

 

Dark brown, almost black color. Nice, beige head. Roasted malt, chocolate, cocoa beans, vanilla, dark fruits, and bourbon in the aroma. A rich and smooth taste follows. Pleasant and warming alcohol in the finish.

Poured a black body with minimal khaki head and minimal lace. Mild roasted aroma with some minor vanilla. Medium body, slick, easy to drink, has a boozy woodiness that is slight and mostly hidden with a coffee and vanilla sweetness and easy to drink.

Bottle from Belmont Station. Dark pour, kind of fizzy. Sweet, Woody aroma. Taste emphasizes the porter, barrel notes take it to the next level. Really nice and smooth.

 

 

Mild Porter, aged in barrel 12% alcohol. Drinking Disneyland at ballast point brewery