Vital IPA
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

355 ml can, BB date 13 days ago. ABV is 6.5%. Pale golden colour, moderate white head. Fresh aroma of pine, spruce, citrus and newmown grass. Medium dry and crisp flavour with distinct notes, notes of pine needles, spruce tips and grapefruit. Refreshing.

 

 

Not bad at all. A bit bitter, but not bad at all.

 

355ml Can from Asda, Glasgow (£2.03):
Pleasant & balanced stuff from Victory here, the beer was relatively bitter at points but never overpowered thanks to the pale, slightly sweet malts & floral flavours alongside the hints of banana featuring later on with the taste too. Definitely a nice change up from the more hop-forward beers of this style that can be heavy on the bitterness but this one manages to strike a nice balance & the beers a good one as a result.

 

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

L---Lightly hazy, light amber color. Thick white head with good retention. Left excellent lacing.

S---Tropical fruits and citrus. Grapefruit.

T---Well balanced between bready malts and tropical & citrus fruits from the hops. Really nice taste. Just a tinge of bitterness.

F---Creamy yet still some resinous feel. Excellent carbonation. Juicy.

O---Excellent IPA. I wish I had another, but I'll be getting more for sure next time.

 

Pours a hazy light amber and orange color. A fingernail length creamy head displays great retention and yields thick lacing.
Aromas of candied fruit, apricot and peach. Soon, the scent of citrus sets in, orange peel, lemon seed, and grapefruit. Although it takes a while, eventually the malt aroma kicks in, toasty and nutty and emitting a bit of caramel.
The taste aligns with the aroma in terms of the order that flavors are perceived. Fruity on the tip of the tongue, peach and apricot provide a moderate sweetness, the finish smooth and dry at first. Then, the mid palate; a bitterness develops, gentle at first, evoking pine and grass, intensifying gradually. However, the flavors of citrus soon overpower this, evoking grapefruit peel, orange rind along with an odd taste of alcohol. The finish becomes quite bitter, even astringent, with hints of grapefruit pith and resin; it lingers somewhat uncomfortably. However, soon the German malts, somewhat absent at first, rescue this beer with their nutty, toasty and biscuity flavors. They balance and smooth things out quite nicely.
Medium bodied, medium carbonation crisp and frothy at the same time.
In the end this was enjoyable. For some reason, midway through, the alcohol and astringent taste bothered me. However, as stated, it was temporary as the malt base corrected it and made the last half of the drink very enjoyable.

 

 

 

Sampled from bottle

 

 

The color is a very gently hazed golden with thick band of foam with white hue and fine bead, lace sticks to the glass in rings. The smell is great with strong fruity tropical citrus with a light malt odor and hint of yeast with gentle grassy aspect. The feel has a good malt support with moderate carbonation and bitterness with low astringency and subtle spiciness in the hops with almost sweetish yet semi-dry finish with low alcohol influence.

The taste is very good with a nice balance of citrus and mild grassy hop flavor with a malt breadiness and light tropical fruit quality with a light orange zest taste and mild sweetness as it finishes -you get a hop resinous mouth coating citrus hop bright flavor which I like. This is a goood Ipa more juicy and tropical with citrus and mild dank essence a good update to the portfolio and nice drinkability.

(12 oz bottle, Enjoy By: 08 Feb 2018, purchased as part of variety pack ... poured into a nonic)

L: yellowish, hazy liquid with a slight tinge of orange and tiny speckled sediment afloat; inch-high, rocky-spongy, white foam... keeps a scummy cap till the end; laces in broad, splotchy bands

S: similar smells to their Prima Pils - floral, mildly herbal hops with essence of spicy yellow grapefruit peel... mellow underlying sugar cookie-like malt... the fruity, perfumy hops do dominate, however... more of a British-German hybrid of aromas, with excellent overall potency

T: again, similar to Prima Pils, but with a noticeable underlying, vaguely honey/light-caramel, (ale) sweetness... herbal, green-leafy (raw escarole) hop flavors linger long through the aftertaste, moderate + (plus) bitterness and softly spicy, with an almost menthol background note... fresh pale malt flavor with relatively vibrant definition quickly emerges in the background after first few sips

F: soft, frothy, cottony texture - seems resin-rich... its bitterness and tonic alcohol leave a whirring numbness on the palate... light and wonderfully dry in its finish... its feel begs for a caramelized, barbecued, fatty food to counter-balance it

O: not what one would consider an 'American' IPA - very much a product with European flavor, and delicious flavors at that... savored at a cellar temp, this beer is actually pretty darn good - maybe not unique within its medium, but does seem to be marginally distinct among Victory's other hop-forward beers

Poured into a grip shaped goblet: color is slightly hazy straw gold, head is brighter white with fine to small bubbles, good lacing on the glass.

Smell is well blended toasty, crackery malt and hops with herbal and citrus notes.

Taste amplifies those aromas, both with malt and hops: good lightly sweet malt with toast and crackers forward, hops balance and maybe overtake with bitter presence and flavor.

Mouthfeel is a bit bitter and dry after the initial moderate presence.

Overall a good IPA with great spin on the stronger malt presence.