Red Thunder
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

a: Deep ruby tinted chestnut color; poured with a small fizzy head.

s: Fairly muted; vinous oakiness, a trace of vanilla, and tart sort of cocoa.

t: Lots more going on flavor wise. Some vinous fruit from the barrel, but cherry from the original beer as well. Oaky cocoa at the finish and a lingering dry tartness. Grew on me as the bottle dwindled.

m: Smooth and gently carbonated.

o: Barrel treatment worked extremely well, much better than the original.

 

Found this buried in the back shelf of a local liquour store. I'm pretty sure I had this once before. Served in a snifter.

L- Pours a dark brown with a red tinge, with thin beige head that evaporates quickly. Barely any lacing.
S- Smells of chocolate, coffee, wine and sour cherries. Interesting aroma.
T- Got a classic porter start, chocolately, barleyish but then there's that tinge of red wine, grapes and a sour twist.
F- Smooth, complex mouth feel but leans toward the heavy side.
O- I definitely like this porter with a hint of sour thing going on. Got it for a deal actually, I'm going to go back to the store and buy the rest.

05/15/20 bottle @ home (unknown bottling date; cellared > 5 years @ 53F)

 

 

L- Pours a dark cherry red, with a thin, creamy, off-white head. A decent amount of carbonation. Nice lacing.
S- Sweet cherries and grapes, wine barrel, and slight sour funk.
T- Chocolate malt and coffee up front, with the dark cherry appearing. Finishes with a red wine, dry, slight pepper. Very interesting and complex.
F- Smooth, complex mouth feel. Alcohol is well hidden with a slight warming feeling.
O- An interesting and well enjoyed offering.

 

 

750mL bottle poured into a pint glass, bottled 8/7/13
A: Translucent reddish brown with a one-finger tan creamy head that lingers
S: Chocolate, red wine, cream/vanilla, chocolate malt
T: Matches the nose in the same order
M: Full-bodied, a bit smooth but doesn't feel fresh
O: A good lesson to check freshness dates before taking the bottle home. I'm sure the aromas/flavors pretty much match what they were when fresh and it hasn't aged poorly, but it does taste tired

 

Chocolate, red wine, tannins and malt. Dry and oaky. Little to no sweetness. Not much flavor but it's ok. Not the worst. This is definitely past it's prime.

750ml bottle. No apparent bottle date. Appearance: Dark brown and opaque with a light khaki head that dissipates. Aroma: Complex blend that starts with strong red wine and charred oak, with an underlying chocolate, roast, and vanilla. Wonderful aroma. Taste: Rich malt sweetness upfront that quickly hits a tannic red wine and light oak flavor that dominates the taste profile. Roast and chocolate show up on the back end at the swallow. Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy body with some viscosity and low carbonation. Finish: Roast and chocolate malt character linger from the swallow thru the finish. A touch of oak and toffee as well. Overall: An interesting beer here. Starts with an amazing complex aroma that blends the characters of the red wine barrel, chocolate, and roasted malt beautifully. The taste doesn’t quite back it up though. The wine barrel charter really dominates, and it’s not until the swallow and finish that the true Porter malt characteristics come thru. Perhaps a little less barrel exposure would provide better balance.

poured from a 25.4 fl. oz. brown bottle

Red Thunder has a very dark auburn almost black body producing a 1 1/2-finger bubbly tan head that dissipated to a collar of foam. The aroma is of roasted malt and some coffee and chocolate. The taste begins sweet, with flavors of dark fruit and a little chocolate followed by some hops. Then a good amount of malt is present helping to balance the hops. Mouth feel is smooth, with a medium body and carbonation. A nice alcohol warming at the finish.

Red Thunder is flavorful and not too filling.