Victory At Sea - Coffee And Vanilla
Ballast Point Brewing Company

Poured very dark brown and capped with an ambitious light brown head that climbed three inches very quickly.
The aroma to my chemically damaged nose was mild but still featured proper porter smells- roasted malts, coffee, a touch of chocolate.
The taste- I grabbed the can again to verify, but vanilla plays top position. Not sweet at all, but no mistaking there is vanilla in here. Coffee shows up later, this drinks true as it warmed.
The feel was good, ideal even. Not sure if it could be better. Ideally viscous.
OA- very happy to have been able to try this finally!

If you've ever wondered what could make a great porter even better it is notes of vanilla. This beer has a rich coffee flavor and a satisfyingly vanilla aftertaste. Color is dark and consistency is very smooth. It's a shame I can't buy it in Texas.

 

 

 

Can pour- dark as night with foamy khaki head leaving frosty/foamy lacing and a ring of bubbles. Nose is vanilla and coffee for days. Taste follows with some roasty malt and mild espresso bitterness. Vanilla lingers on the finish. Tasty.

 

2021 release from can. Poured from fridge temp. Pours black with a really good amount of light brown head. Sticks around for quite a while as well. Nose is incredible. Vanilla, marshmallow, coffee, dark chocolate, red licorice, burnt toffee, and a nice amount of dark fruit. The taste nicely follows the nose, but with a distinct bitterness on the back end. Vanilla and coffee (very dark) are dominant. Definitely some charred wood, black licorice, roasted malts, almonds, and tar. Not sweet at all. Mouthfeel is fairly thick. Overall a really nice coffee stout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After being impressed by the High West BA version of this a few weeks ago I figured I'd give this a shot. Quite affordable at $3 for a single bottle given it currently sits at #323 of all time on this site

Pours a very dark brown with just a finger of espresso colored head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing and decent legs

The aroma here is sweet but not overly so, bringing a nice balance of vanilla, hazelnut, toast, milk chocolate, medium roast coffee, and a slight dark fruit note

A bittersweet balance is maintained throughout the entire sip, starting off with notes of cocoa powder, lightly toasted malt, raisin, and a touch of grain alcohol. The swallow makes this one a bit sweeter, bringing notes of rich vanilla, slightly astringent coffee, milk chocolate, and almond

A medium silky body pairs with gentle carbonation for a smooth slow sipper. The finish is mostly dry, due to the roasty character of the coffee

Damn delicious beer right here. It hits all the notes expected and doesn't feel overly sweet or strong despite the high abv. I'd definitely get it again

 

 

 

 

 

Yesss!
Well, you might hate it - or you might love it!
My wife didn’t like it but I did. Even though I’m not so fond of Porters or Stouts but THIS ONE, I’m telling you was really good!
Vanilla and coffee. Vanilla is really present in the aroma, sweet, but like some cookies or sweets or a kind of a cake? Very pleasant. And its taste is just as good as it smells!!! This isn’t always the case, as I’m sure you must have observed that beers often smell “better” than they taste - but this one was astounding. Sweet but not syrupy, sweet like vanilla sugar. Coffee? Not 100% sure I could decipher it, but maybe overall the thing tasted like drinking a Starbucks latte with vanilla added on top? Oh yes, don’t forget about its booziness, which isn’t harsh at all, rather makes the whole thing taste and feel like an Irish coffee.
This was the first that I had of this kind but it made me curious, I think I might seek more of such coffee or vanilla or oatmeal-infused Porters or Stouts out. Worth giving it a try!

 

Initially: robust/strong taste. After several months of sampling Porters and Stouts, Victory at Sea sat AFRAID in the corner of the refrigerator...reattemped tonight; world class favorite!

Smells like a starchy vanilla espresso. Tastes like one too almost, though the coffee is more pronounced and it almost has a dark chocolate taste. A good unique beer, though the smell is a bit too much for my preference.

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from 2/25/2020.
On tap at the Draft House in Austin and served in a 5oz snifter.
The appearance is dark brown with a thin tan ring of foam around the rim. 3.75
The aroma is medium in strength and of delicious chocolate covered caramel, and a little salt. How can a beer smell this good?! 4.75
The taste is moderately strong with chocolate covered caramel, roasted malt, boose, and a moderately bitter finish. 3.75
The mouth feel is above medium in thickness with moderate carbonation. 3.75
Overall, it's very good but it's not quite my thing. I think it's how the bitterness mixes with the flavor. 3.75

Ballast Point scores a home run with this big and bold imperial porter. The smell of vanilla greets you pleasantly and invitingly, not overpowering as your first sip brings you beautiful flavor notes of coffee and smoky marshmallow maltiness. This is an amazing porter- one of my favorites. Drinking this on a cold winter day - this beer is nearly perfect. I discovered this beer last year at a St. Patrick’s Day parade when I stopped at a local tavern and it made for a great day!

Dark golden brown color with tan cap and lacing.

Aroma at first of something like coconut, quickly followed by a vanilla laced light coffee which reminds me of a Kenya bean rather than something more robust from some other part of the World. Very clean and pleasant.

Taste is more coffeeish than coconut with some elements of roasted malt yet it's restrained. Again coconut blends with vanilla but that's just my perception. That all sounds rather sweet but the brew doesn't come across as sweet in the taste as it does in the scent. It finishes clean and dry.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

Overall it's a refreshing take on the Porter/Stout style, very drinkable.

Bottle from Albertson's. Wow, just wow. Black gold. Chocolate and coffee,slick and oily. Campfire, burnt toast and coffee. Molasses, yum....and the vanilla for a little bit of marshmallow

 

This is my first time trying this beer and it doesnt dissapoint. Very dark, i would have thought it to be a stout. The vanilla smells hits you instantly followed by coffee and some roasted malt. The taste follows the nose to a tee, with the vanilla hitting first then the cofffe and malts backing it up. All in all this is the best porter I've ever had.

Excellent well balanced Imperial Porter! It surprised me by being light for an Imperial. Quite enjoyable!

 

 

Ignoring the recent sale of Ballast Point to Kings and Convicts brewery, this is A GREAT imperial Porter! Their brewer notes description are right on for this. Notes of vanilla... Not to sweet.... low acidity.... Coffee comes through..... All flavors balanced so well! From bottle, an early Christmas present from my DW!