Victory At Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter | Ballast Point Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Ballast Point Brewing Company
California, United States
ballastpoint.com
Style: American Porter
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 10.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
Our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter is a bold, smooth brew with just the right amount of sweetness. We infused this robust porter with whole vanilla beans and San Diego’s own Caffe Calabria coffee beans. The subtle roasted notes and minimal acidity of the cold brewed coffee, balances perfectly with the sweet caramel undertones of the malt, creating a winning combination for your palate.
Added by radshoesbro on 03-17-2009
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 6,868 | Reviews: 1,425
4.24/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.3/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.42/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.29/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz brown bottle
Ballast Point Victory at Sea filled my tulip glass with an opaque very dark brown almost black hue. Atop sat a milkshake like 1-1/2 finger tan that held well. The nose is dominated by coffee and roasted malts. Coffee and roasted malts are the first flavors detected followed by dark fruit, caramel, and chocolate. The coffee and roasted flavor seem to overpower the vanilla as only very little is noted. I was hoping for a stronger vanilla taste to come through. The mouth feel is rather full bodied, thick and creamy with a light bitter finish.
My first brew from Ballast Point and I am a fan. Good representation of the style. Remember, do not drink this Ale too cold as the flavor really comes out when it is warmer.
751 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz brown bottle
Ballast Point Victory at Sea filled my tulip glass with an opaque very dark brown almost black hue. Atop sat a milkshake like 1-1/2 finger tan that held well. The nose is dominated by coffee and roasted malts. Coffee and roasted malts are the first flavors detected followed by dark fruit, caramel, and chocolate. The coffee and roasted flavor seem to overpower the vanilla as only very little is noted. I was hoping for a stronger vanilla taste to come through. The mouth feel is rather full bodied, thick and creamy with a light bitter finish.
My first brew from Ballast Point and I am a fan. Good representation of the style. Remember, do not drink this Ale too cold as the flavor really comes out when it is warmer.
751 characters
4.5/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I cracked open this porter in the fall of 2015. Very deep and rich vanilla notes that pair well with the strong alcohol presence. Ballast Point does it again.
158 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I cracked open this porter in the fall of 2015. Very deep and rich vanilla notes that pair well with the strong alcohol presence. Ballast Point does it again.
158 characters
4.38/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.12/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.77/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
3.32/5 rDev -23.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Look - jet black in the glass with a nice and fluffy 2 finger tan coloured head.
Smell - coffee is the dominant smell here. I'm getting a touch of the vanilla, roasted and malt and slight alcohol.
Taste - coffee coffee coffee. It's quite bitter. I was hoping for a bit more sweetness. Its that type of bitterness you get from an espresso with no sugar. Alcohol slightly present. I was expecting more.
402 characters
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Look - jet black in the glass with a nice and fluffy 2 finger tan coloured head.
Smell - coffee is the dominant smell here. I'm getting a touch of the vanilla, roasted and malt and slight alcohol.
Taste - coffee coffee coffee. It's quite bitter. I was hoping for a bit more sweetness. Its that type of bitterness you get from an espresso with no sugar. Alcohol slightly present. I was expecting more.
402 characters
4.44/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.62/5 rDev -16.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
Deep chestnut brown and frothy brown head with good retention. Coffee and roasted aroma and faint hint of vanilla. Coffee and very bitter burnt nut upfront gradually give way to a light sweetness and the slightest hint of vanilla in the finish. Smooth, full bodied feel with a slight tack.
Roasted burnt coffee is a little too forward and overwhelming right off the bat. Unfortunately it continues in such a way that only hint of sweetness and vanilla break through at the end. Not a bad overall flavor but not completely as promised and just a little heavy handed on the roasted flavors.
589 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5
Deep chestnut brown and frothy brown head with good retention. Coffee and roasted aroma and faint hint of vanilla. Coffee and very bitter burnt nut upfront gradually give way to a light sweetness and the slightest hint of vanilla in the finish. Smooth, full bodied feel with a slight tack.
Roasted burnt coffee is a little too forward and overwhelming right off the bat. Unfortunately it continues in such a way that only hint of sweetness and vanilla break through at the end. Not a bad overall flavor but not completely as promised and just a little heavy handed on the roasted flavors.
589 characters
4.4/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.21/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.46/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.28/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.52/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle with no bottle date to be found; I think it's fair to assume that it's fresh as Ballast Point is making a return to my area after a long hiatus.
Look - Pours a deep dark brown with minimal foam. Even a heavy pour seems to yield little foam.
Smell - For a beer labeled "Coffee Vanilla" I smell surprisingly little of either. It's a well-crafted beer with notes of a typical porter roast and chocolate, but with time (and a little warmth) the sweetness and distinct coffee notes are there.
Taste - Again, like the smell, I really expect more coffee and vanilla from a beer labeled this way. However, it's a fantastic beer. Victory at Sea skews very bitter for the style. It's actually a blessing that Ballast Point was delicate with the coffee and vanilla; it's very much in balance with the expected porter roast and just makes this beer a little rounder with more depth. Any more of either and it would be a gimmick or dessert beer. This beer is intensely bitter, almost to the point of being some sort of Black DIPA. Almost. This beer is an imperial porter through and through.
Feel - Right on target for a beer like this. It has more body and feel than a porter, but they didn't bump up the viscosity for the sake of being chewy or heavy. It finishes remarkably without really coating the palette.
This beer would pair excellently with tomato and brown sugar beef-based BBQ from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma or Texas. Victory at Sea with beef burnt ends might be a good last meal.
It took me several beers (over several days) to really understand Victory at Sea; It's an Imperial Porter with a distinct west coast slant. It's not a beer for everyone, nor a beer that I want every day. However, I enjoy this beer more every time I drink it, and that's quite rare. Outstanding.
1,809 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle with no bottle date to be found; I think it's fair to assume that it's fresh as Ballast Point is making a return to my area after a long hiatus.
Look - Pours a deep dark brown with minimal foam. Even a heavy pour seems to yield little foam.
Smell - For a beer labeled "Coffee Vanilla" I smell surprisingly little of either. It's a well-crafted beer with notes of a typical porter roast and chocolate, but with time (and a little warmth) the sweetness and distinct coffee notes are there.
Taste - Again, like the smell, I really expect more coffee and vanilla from a beer labeled this way. However, it's a fantastic beer. Victory at Sea skews very bitter for the style. It's actually a blessing that Ballast Point was delicate with the coffee and vanilla; it's very much in balance with the expected porter roast and just makes this beer a little rounder with more depth. Any more of either and it would be a gimmick or dessert beer. This beer is intensely bitter, almost to the point of being some sort of Black DIPA. Almost. This beer is an imperial porter through and through.
Feel - Right on target for a beer like this. It has more body and feel than a porter, but they didn't bump up the viscosity for the sake of being chewy or heavy. It finishes remarkably without really coating the palette.
This beer would pair excellently with tomato and brown sugar beef-based BBQ from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma or Texas. Victory at Sea with beef burnt ends might be a good last meal.
It took me several beers (over several days) to really understand Victory at Sea; It's an Imperial Porter with a distinct west coast slant. It's not a beer for everyone, nor a beer that I want every day. However, I enjoy this beer more every time I drink it, and that's quite rare. Outstanding.
1,809 characters
4.27/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.74/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
4.37/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Victory At Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter from Ballast Point Brewing Company
4.35
out of 5
based on 6,868 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25