Bags Packed Porter
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

Reviewed from old notes but based on multiple servings.

The dark brown beer with the 1/2" light tan head is served in shaker pint glass. While the head is a bit thin it leaves some nice lacing.

The aromas include some coffee, some chocolate and a touch of nuttiness.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the dark chocolate, the coffee that are mingled with some light sweetness. The hops seem a bit citric and floral with a nicely restrained bitterness.

The mouth feel is medium bodied and very smooth with the gentle persistent carbonation.

A enjoyable porter that I've like well enough to have more than once and would be happy to have again. As usually a well made beer from Victory.

 

A: Light-medium brown. Solid off-white head. Decent retention and lacing.

S: Coffee, caramel, roasted chocolage, earthy hops

T: Mostly coffee and roasted malt flavors. Bitter earthy hop finish.

M: A bit thin, but smooth. Crisp finish.

D: Pleasant, but unremarkable flavorings detract from the drinkability here.

I had this on Friday the Firkinteenth at the Grey Lodge. It was presented in an 8 ounce pour, nice dark chesnut color with a slim white head. The aroma was dominated by sweet malt, with chocolate notes thrown in. The taste followed the nose, a bit sweet for my liking but not bad. The mouthfeel was creamy but a bit thin. An easily drinkable beer that I consumed rather quickly.

I had this on tap tonight at Cobblestone's in York. Poured chilled into a standard pint.

A - A deep brown w/ dark deep red hues and a thin band of tan that collects on the glass quickly as lacing. The clarity is very good in this porter.

S - A deep roasted nose w/ subtl smoke, coffee and cocoa w/ a mild vanilla note

M - The feel is nice and rich w/ moderate carbonation and dry/roasted texture in the malt w/ a subtle hint of sweetness and spice

T - a traditional take on the porter style w/ a roasted emphasis, yet has a sweet edge I look for in a porter. The flavor is sufficiently malty and there is subtle fruit notes from the yeast. The hops are earthy which is fitting for the style and gives a subtle woody taste complimenting the toasted malt taste w/ a hint of caramel in the background. A nicely balanced mix of roasted coffee and sweet caramel malt w/ hop bitterness for a balanced tasty ale.

D - Not my first choice if pressed for porters, but very highly drinkable and excellent drinkability in an American Porter. The finish is dry and the roastiness is kept in check by a balance of hops, malt and yeast. The cohesion is important and drinkability is a prime factor for this beer. The amount of carbonation is appropriate and I find this to be a solid American Porter

A- Pours a dicceptivly light brown, good amount of white head and lacing
S- Coffee, malt, chocolate, faint faint hop notes
T- like coffee, a little espresso, the hops really came out going down
M- suprisingly light for a porter, very smooth malty
D- Pretty good, low abv

i will reach for this one again

I was able to enjoy this hand pumped at TDR - Spring House.

Pours a foamy hot cocoa brown, but settles into a dark brown with reddish hints. Foamy big-bubbled light brown head takes its time to disappear.

Roasted malt dominates the nose, followed by a noticeable hops presence. Hints of chocolate emerge as it settles and warms.

The taste follows the nose - roasted malts, chocolate and hops all blend together rather nicely.

The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Far from being heavy, but full enough for the style it represents so well. This is an extremely drinkable brew, very tasty and inviting.

Appearance - Reddish-Brown color with solid head.

Nose and Taste - Roasted character and tea and a hint of milk chocolate and cocoa, woody, animal, mineral, and tame hoppiness. Some dark chocolate and mint.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability - Both are solid.

Served on cask at the VBC via hand pump on 10/25/08.

Pours a dark brown with a touch of ruby highlights coming out through the body at times and 1/2 finger of creamy light tan head. A thin retention skims the top, leaving a wonderful looking cascade of lacing behind. The aroma starts out with zippy smelling coffee character immediately greeting the nose, followed by some milder accents of roasted chocolate malts, light nuttiness, and floral tones.

The taste is a solid mix of dark roasted coffee and chocolate sweetness that are engulfed in an all around toasty feel along with a tinge of citrus and light hop bitterness that floats along the back of the profile. The mouthfeel is medium bodied that feels a little lighter from the cask conditioning but is still incredibly creamy and easy going.

I was very pleased by this new Victory offering, as I've been waiting for a regular Porter to go on tap here for a while now. And this is good one too, with some prominent perky coffee character, an overall pleasant roasty feel, and a fantastic drinkibility. Plus it's on cask. More please!

A: Very dark ruby almost black with a two finger tan head that holds nice and leaves very nice lacing.

S: Chocolate and minty hops blended together with some earth and a note of citrus in the background.

T: Chocolate, herbal hops, and some coffee notes. This is a hoppy porter.

M: Medium body and slightly oily with a long bitter finish from both the chocolate and the hops.

D: This is a fine example of an American take on a traditional style. Quite quaffable and even though it is much hoppier than the traditional style porter it is not overdone to the extreme.

On both cask and draught at Victory's brewpub.

Poured a slightly cloudy brown with 1 finger of creamy off-white head. Nice lacing. Smells of chocolate, coffee, and nuts. Tastes of roasted malt, nuts, and baking chocolate followed by some molasses sweetness and then a bitter coffee and dry grass finish. Medium in body, smooth with great roasty feel and a nice dry finish. A very sessionable porter from Victory, great for the dark beer lovers.

Served as a cloudy dark tan beer that slowly became darker as the head resolved. Beautiful.

Smell has strong notes of roasted malt, coffee, and bitter chcolate.

Tastes has in strong on coffee and roasted malt. Not much sweetness. A strong hop dryness emerges at the ending.

Leaves a profound dry sensation at the finish.

Very flavorful, very esy to drink. Another winner from Victory.

On cask at Victory brewpub on 9/21/08.

A - Deep brown with burgundy highlights and one-and-a-half finger creamy alabaster head that transformed into a patchy film and left some sparse lacing.

S - Prevalent coffee aroma with hints of dark chocolate, roasted malt and mild alcohol. Some dark fruit is also in the mix.

T - Bold coffee notes and, to a lesser degree, chocolate. Malt is big on roasted flavor with some graininess and bread. Hops emerge in the backend with a leafy, earthy tinge. Finishs with roastd malt and some chocolate sweetness.

M - Medium body that's a little thin and watery overall. Finish imparts a bit of earthy bitterness on the palate.

D - Solid cask porter with lots of flavor. A little thin in the mouthfeel, but very flavorful and drinkable overall.