Java Latte
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

2.44/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

16 oz can, enjoy by 3/21/20. Pours brown with a big fluffy tan head that retains fairly well and leaves some lacing.

The aroma is subdued - sweet lactose and ashy roast coffee.

The flavor is lots of sweet lactose with some roast coffee and an odd bitter metallic aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, overly sweet with some odd notes and not enough coffee.

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3.77/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a can -clear dark mahogany/brown with frothy khaki head leaving lots of lacing. Nose is roasty malt ,vanilla,coffee and such. Taste mildly follows with a sweetness and a rather thin finish.Good but no cigar.

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3.84/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

16oz can into a pint glass. Enjoy by March 2020, so plenty fresh.

Looks great in the glass. Black body which turns a clear deep burgundy when held up to the light. A generous off white head leaves some very nice lacing.

God coffee aroma.

Upon tasting, the coffee is front and center. It's kinda thick tasting, which is okay, but no other flavors come through. (Chocolate, vanilla, etc). It's not even particularly sweet.

Mouth close to full, finish coffee.

Overall, a decent enough drink, but, kinda one dimensional.

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3.56/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16 oz can into a tulip glass.

Pours a dark cola brown color with 2 fingers of effervescent caramel head. The head leaves a crown of lacing as it dissipates into a thin layer of foam.

The aroma brings lots of coffee and caramel, as well as milk chocolate, roasted almonds, and sweet cream.

The flavor is a bit more toasty, with notes of almonds, caramel and burnt coffee. There's some chocolate and vanilla with a surprisingly earthy finish.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very smooth and creamy with some slight alcohol warmth.

Overall, a good but underwhelming milk stout. The flavors and aromas are nice, but nothing really stands out. That said, it's still a good and highly drinkable beer.

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3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz can poured into snifter.

Appearance
Black. No light penetration. 1 finger of creamy tan head.

Nose
Coffee, caramel, copper, and milk sugar.

Taste
Caramel and espresso. Medium roast coffee with light cream and sugar. Light vanilla and earth.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, crisp, smooth, and balanced.

Overall
It certainly doesn't taste like 8.2%. Props.

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3.52/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoy by 3/19/20. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours a very dark brown with mahogany hues; creamy khaki head that fades leaving nice retention and lacing. The aromas have a subtle amount of coffee and marshmallow fluff. Lots of malts. The flavors basically follow the nose for the most part. The coffee is very subtle once again. More hints of marshmallow. Some cocoa in the mix. The lactose comes through without dominating. Solid malt backbone. Nice balanced sweetness. Alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy, slightly creamy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a nice milk stout, but it's not the most bold coffee beer, in my opinion. The craftsmanship is on point. Not bad.

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4.24/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

DATE: November 29, 2019... OCCASION: a good Black Friday visit to my parents will be celebrated with another Victory... GLASSWARE: Duvel snifter... pours a coffee pot-black body teeming with tiny, vibrant bubbles that builds a roiling, uneven off-white head... the surface thickness varies: it banks at the glass, thins in a halo, and thickens to a mound... thick coffee bean, roasted malts, the light touch of decaf grounds, lactose, licorice, and the slightest vanilla... a lot to take in, and worthwhile draw... smooth at the start, slightly creamy in the transition, and subtly textured at the throat... easily drinkable at 8.2%--deceptive, if not powerfully invigorating... this retains its light coffee flavor, light but buoyant, with milky vigor, chocolate textures and a bit of vanilla... this wins with its pleasant sipability, its thick, appreciable flavor profile, its rewarding finish, and its warming substance... another Victory....

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4.64/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Loved it. Smooth and delicious. A tasty dessert beer that's not too heavy on the chocolate or the coffee. Blended very well. And, you can taste that the ingrediants were fresh and high-quality.

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3.79/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Look: It pours black with a creamy, tan head. Head retention is good.

Smell: There are aromas of rich and strong coffee. There are light notes of chocolate.

Taste: There are strong rich coffee flavors. There are some chocolate and lactose flavors.

Feel: The body is medium and quite creamy. It has a mostly sweet finish with slight bitterness.

Overall, a mostly coffee and sweet beer with some lactose and chocolate.

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3.99/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

16oz can ENJOY BY 20 MAR 2020 poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 8.2% ABV. The beer pours nearly black with minimal light penetration and abundant mocha colored head. The head recedes to fat cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is cold brewed coffee, dark chocolate and earthy hops. The taste is bittersweet chocolate and coffee with a moderate to strong earthy bitterness coming on mid palate. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. No cloying sweetness, but the lactose is evident. There's a touch of alcohol heat in the finish, but it's fairly integrated. Overall, good.

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3.34/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

A semi-dark black color with brown highlights on the pour. A good full head of white foam and nice lacing going on. The nose is rather lacking and really makes me nervous for the drinking. The first few sips hit with waves of chocolate malt. The coffee flavor is there but it is rather muted and not nearly as forward as I would like/expected. A smooth flow with a slightly sweet finish. Decent notes of cocoa, brown sugar, bakers chocolate, and lactose. A light/moderate body that drinks a bit thin at times despite it's abv.

Overall, its not a bad milk stout but it's not nearly as coffee forward as the marketing suggest.

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4.3/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

16 oz can, dated Best By 20 March 2020

pours a dark brown, not black, a little lighter than expected. huge cream colored head, nice head retention. big aroma of a ton of coffee. taste is sugared coffee drink, not overly roasty or bitter, pretty tasty. medium bodied, not overly thick, but smooth feel.

overall a much different beer than Java Cask, but pretty darn good too.

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4.27/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours cola colored with a nice bubble show that builds to a two finger head; excellent persistence and a nice wall of lacing

Smell: Smells like a latte with roasted coffee and milk tones

Taste: Latte flavors abound with the roasted coffee and milk elements progressing from start to finish; some chocolate flavors emerge, as well

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body; creamy, with moderate carbonation

Overall: Like a latte being a rather light bodied coffee drink, this beer is more akin to how a latte relates to black coffee - i.e. it is not supposed to be a big imperial coffee stout; it succeeds at what it sets out to be

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4.12/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark brown colored pour with thick, one finger thick caramel colored creamy foam laying on top.

S - Dark chocolate roast along with java/coffee bean, and a shot of light charcoal and faint spice.

T - Dark chocolate roast, char, light smokiness, cream, and coffee bean. Chocolate char hit the tongue hard and fast up front and builds momentum. Ends with a long lingering chocolate coffee char with a little bit of cream underneath.

M - A little thin around the edges but thick and robust in the middle.

O - This is a nice take on an Imperial English Stout. (A barrel aged version of this beer would be pretty crazy good, 'jess sayin'.)

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3.11/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

$11.50 per 4pack, couldn't resist.

This is a medium dark brown, let's a lot of light through for a stout. Nutty malts and mild coffee in the nose. This does not taste or feel like a stout. Thin bodied with almost no perceptible stout-like roast.

This comes across to me as a fine example of a brown ale with decent coffee character. As a stout this falls well short. The ABV is not noticeable at all, tasted blind I would have guessed 5%.

This tastes better than the score I gave it. As a brown ale I would have rated this higher but as a stout this is extremely disappointing.

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