Victory at Sea - Red Wine Barrel Aged
Ballast Point Brewing Company

 

Victory at Sea is one of my top three imperial porters. So, while I'm not a huge fan of beer aged in wine barrel's, I thought that I would give it a try. Pours a dark black with a nice head. Slight smell of the wine barrel offsets the malts and sweet smell of the base beer. From a taste perspective, it took me awhile to enjoy the beer (a little too much barrel notes at first). However, as I worked my way through the glass, I did end up enjoying the beer. This would be an excellent beer if balanced better.

Red wine aging on dark beers isnt always my favorite route to journey down but I was feeling risky. Turns out, 'twas a good choice because this beer actually works. The wine adds a sort of fruity acidity that tones down the porter's bitterness and ends up making this beer nice and velvety while maintaining the barrel richness. Not too shabby says I.

Had on tap... server replaced my orig order of BA 3sheets.
Not a big wine barrel fan, but thought this worked.