is Victory the best brewery around?

You are not alone in this regard.

 

One thing the OP stated as was part of his reasoning was accessibility and affordability. Many of the other breweries people are listing are expensive beers and limited hard/to gain access brews. Including those 2 factors, I agree that Victory currently could be considered at the top of the list with a few others from around the country.

 

I definitely agree with this statement, except I don't think that Victory would even crack my top ten favorite US breweries. I was just bustin your balls man. Perhaps I'll use a winking face next time to show that more effectively.

 

When did Troegenator go from year round to seasonal? Kinda hard to believe since they recently started canning it.

 

Laugh it off if you want, Storm King was and still is a world class beer and a pioneer for hoppy stouts.

I could be mistaken, but I thought in the past it was a seasonal and not part of their everyday lineup.

 

Great, you think that Storm King is a world class beer, and I'll assume that you like hoppy stouts. Stouts are way down my list of favorite beer styles, and I think the last thing they needed for me to like them more is additional hops.

Hey! I'll leave my share behind for you though! Sound good?
Cheers!

 

This doesn't really seem like it's headed in a productive direction.

 

I can't take Victory seriously sometimes because a lot of their labels are just so childish.

 

The only people they are asking for "trouble" with are the beer snobs out there that are just drinking the beer for the label. A good beer is a good beer, north, south, east, or west, doesn't matter.

 

Yeah because that is what matters........

 

I enjoy quite a few of Victory's brews, but they really do need to work on their labeling. Come to think of it, that's probably why they got rid of Hop Wallop.

 

100% agreed with FW. Nice call

 

That doesn't make much sense. Things like Victory sit on shelves up here in VT, and by the sounds of it lots of places around the country. If you move distribution into an area that is already saturated with great local (and often fresher) beer, it certainly raises the concerns you quoted.

 

Care to elaborate? What does DFH specifically do to beer that isn't kosher?

 

Then why are you even commenting on Storm King and mocking it if you don't even like stouts?

 

Aside from some well measured posts, much of this thread is a poor reflection on us.

 

I should have replaced Trouble with profits or cash money. Sorry. All the breweries expanding Distribution are seeking to grow in size and income. More money more problems. Which leads to trouble.

 

I find it a bit ironic that while Victory's popularity on BA waned a bit in the past few years (after all, at one time they had 2 beers in the BA top 10), in the real world they did nothing but expand their brewery, expand their line up, open new locations, and increase distribution.

To me it says something about the microcosm this niche beer forum represents. And how it's relation to the real world is a bit skewed. Especially in the minds of many members.

People say that Victory is back in top form now because they have some DIPAs that fit the current trends. Meanwhile those same beers probably represent a small slice of the pie compared to what actually keeps their lights on.

 

I highly doubt that they got rid of Hop Wallop because of they labeling on it. Many brewers rotate their beers and moreover, they could just change the labeling if they really wanted to...

 

I have no problem with brewers expanding to increase cash flow. That just means they can get their beer to places it hasn't been before. I think it is a great idea even. How many U.S craft beers can you get nation wide or even internationally? Not many. I'd love to see the day when I'm traveling somewhere to see people of another country enjoying some U.S craft beer.

 

Don't quite understand what "beer snobs...drinking the beer for the label" means, but FatBoyGotSwagger's comment re: "trouble" was in reply to my post:

So, the "trouble" would be for the retailers, the distributors and, ultimately, for Victory - since beer that is pulled because it's past code can cost them money and the stale beer that isn't pulled can cost them future sales from disappointed customers.

Yes, and an old beer won't be as good, regardless of how far it is from the brewery - it's Victory that picked the 5 month shelf life period, not the "beer snobs". Entering new, distant markets, where distributor loyalty and brewery representation might not be as strong, can be problematic for breweries, regardless of the quality of the beers.

 

I live very close to Victory, and as such have grown in my craft beer life with their beers for quite some time, and I find myself in the brewpub a decent amount of times per year to try something new on tap (hello Liberty Bell Ringer!) or just to pick up a fresh growler or two when the mood strikes me. I'm all over the map when it comes to purchasing decisions, but as has been mentioned before in this thread it seems, Victory to me is somewhat of a consistency king. I think that saying they are the best around was getting off on the wrong foot from the get-go, but like so many others have said, they are a well respected regional brewery.

I'm excited to see what comes from the DTown location now that Parkesburg is handling the bigger production schedule, now if we could only work on their brewpub food! (new menu came out last week, but I still find it lacking to a few years ago...)

 

I think there are so many breweries that its hard to determine one particular one as the "best" one. Also certain areas in the Unites States can't get Victory, so maybe people from Texas will disagree and say Deschutes is the best, while never having a product. We don't get Deschutes in PA so I can't compare it to Victory. I can only compare it to Companies can be found in PA.

I can say since I live in PA, that yes Victory is perhaps the best brewery in PA. East coast? maybe. But, then again that means its better than Cigar City, DFH, Brooklyn and other great breweries. Its better to just enjoy great quality beer. But thats just me.

 

Victory is really good, but by no means the best. I don't get why people are so hung up on DFH... IMO they're extremely overrated. Maybe 4-5 years ago they were great, but they've been surpassed.

 

Well I don't agree with not expanding solely on the fact that there are other really solid brewers in the area. That will just be on which ever brewer is expanding to market to that area and find ways to break into that market area. Competition is a great thing for the consumers.

 

They are good but nothing compared to firestone walker.

 

I've never even had Inversion. I just find it ridiculous that the guy's first reaction upon tasting a beer he doesn't like is to not just pour out the open beer, but pour out the entire six pack.

 

Its not the competition itself, its what the consumers buy. Yes, you have to find ways to break in, and competition is good. Just from my personal experience, Victory doesn't sell well here and sits on the shelves. Sure, when something new hits people try it...but there are 750s and and sixers on the shelf that have been collecting dust for many many months. Who exactly is this benefiting?

 

Friction of distance is real. Fresh local beer is real good. Eventually common sense wins over availability to drink every beer from every state. Especially when most flagships are pale ales or IPAs.

 

Thank you for saying this, you're spot on. If you're replying to this thread with a simple, "LOL" you need to get your head out of your over-hopped, bourbon barrel ass.

They're a top 5 for me. How many breweries can range from a Dirtwolf, to an Uncle Teddy's Bitter on cask, to a TRUE balanced pale ale in Headwaters, and finally have the balls to brew a decent Helles in their Victory Lager?

Other breweries I put up there with them (I'm not ranking them) are Troegs for Dreamweaver, Sunshine, Troegenattor and now Cultivator.....all personal favorites for those respective styles, and they're styles often neglected or poorly brewed in the US (with the exception of Troegenattor, somehow I've never tried this one, but it's highly regarded for the style around here) and Sierra Nevada. Sierra Nevada for the same reasons I stated above for Troegs, however they're turned things a bit TOO hoppy lately for my tastes.

 

no.

 

I think the above hits the nail on the head (including the referenced post from rollom as well). The range of the four beers mentioned really illustrates how well this brewery handles pale ale in addition to lager.

 

Cracked - out - beer - geek… I'm writin' that one down.

 

I understand what you are saying and also agree with you that when beer is sitting on a shelf it benefits no one. However, I don't really feel that is the brewery's fault. It isn't like they are auto-shipping directly to stores. A store orders a certain amount, usually from a distributor. So if a store as a ton of beer that is just sitting there, it is usually the store's fault. And when a beer store that is manage right notices something isn't moving or catching on, that is a decent beer that should be selling (not saying that it is the best beer in the area or anything, just like hey this is decent give it a try), they usually do somethings to change that; sampling, sale price, promoting it, etc.

I will never blame a brewery for a past day beer on the shelf of a beer store. That is solely on the store. I forget who posted it, but someone said in a recent post that beer on the shelf will lose a brewer future sales. I fully disagree, it will lose THAT store future sales.

Also beers really never go "bad" their taste profiles just change, sometimes it is a good thing i.e. aging a stout, and sometimes it is an awful thing i.e an old seasonal beer. But I feel like that is a whole other thread lol.

 

Thank you. Last time I was Troegs, they had less than 10 beers on tap versus the 28 Victory had. I love Troegs, but they always let me down with variety when it comes to both ales and lagers.

 

Based on their overall brewery score, they are not the best brewery in the country. Or were we looking for "different" opinions on the brewery that are all compiled in one location for easy viewing?