Ballast Victory at Sea

It's probably gross. Send it to me and I will dispose of it right proper.

 

I always drink it fresh, the vanilla and coffee fades over time. Buy a fresh one and do a side by side to see what you think of the aging.

 

Fresh is delicious, but there are some flavors in there that I'm sure would benefit with age. If you're considering drink v. drainpour, then by all means drink it. If it's drink v. give away, then drink.

Actually, just drink it. In the threads I've started RIGHT before I drink a beer, most people just say drink it.

 

I drank one from 2008 earlier this year. A little age on it was nice, so I picked up a few more for the cellar. And a few more for the fridge. Delicious now, slightly better later.

 

It's a beer that's ready to drink fresh IMO. That's not to say that it doesn't/won't age well.

 

Still some vanilla left, but a ton of dark roasted coffee. Not as much flavor on the nose or balance... but I'm sure it's still a fine Imperial Porter!

 

I just got some fresh bottles and they have a 1 year drink by date on them, but of course rules are meant to be broken. I definitely plan on having one fairly fresh and then letting the rest sit for a while.

 

Great question and I can answer first hand. I did a side-by-side a couple of weeks ago with a '10 and '12. The '12 is bitter coffee forward with faint vanilla. I remember earlier vintages being the same when fresh. The '10 seemed to have lost some coffee bite with stronger vanilla flavor. This being the case, I say aging these bottles ain't a bad thing unless you really like the black coffee bitterness.

 

This is a general rule imo for these types. Coffee fades, vanilla grows.

 

I actually prefer VaS with some age. It can be a little strong (vanilla/coffee bomb) when its fresh and after a year (or more) it smooths out nicely. Vanilla and coffee do tapper off some but balances out with the underlying roasty porter. IMHO

 

I just hand some fresh Victory at Sea on tap and would 2nd it's coffee forward-ness. I bottle at about 6-8 months has a really good mix of coffee and vanilla. In that ballpark this was a top 10 of 2012 beer for me.

 

I agree with the black coffee bitterness part. However, even fresh you get the black coffee. Aging, in my opinion, takes away the vanilla and the integration. Aging this one also takes away (again, IMO) the luscious integration of flavors and makes it taste a bit thinner and more like old coffee. To each his own but, if this is your style, fresh is nice.