Victory At Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter - Ballast Point Brewing Company

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.65/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Momar42 for the bottle share! Part of a 22 oz bottle poured into a Hunahpu's snifter. Notes from last night's Skins/Cowboys game.

A: Pours a nicely opaque black color. The head is a one finger offwhite color with decent levels of lacing on the glass.

S: Lots of vanilla to start off - and I'm impressed by how naturally it comes off, as well. After that comes a moderate coffee profile...and then after that, tons of chocolaty dark (not necessarily roasted) malts. Not the greatest aroma ever, but I really like how it evolves in its layering.

T: The very first sip is a little harsh with vanilla, though it will smooth out after a few more sips. I really enjoy the layering of the flavors; first vanilla, than subtle mocha coffee, and finally a chocolate and licorice finish. There's a vegetal component in there that I feel harms the balance. Quite good, apart from the overboard vanilla bittersweetness - but some aging will tone it down nicely.

M: The finish is pure sticky, wet sweetness, which fits what this tries to accomplish as a dessert beer. I could do without the slight sugar burn, though. In general, it's lighter in texture and more sharply carbonated than a typical imperial stout - but its best feature is how superbly the alcohol is hidden. I didn't get a look at the ABV on the bottle, but I could easily guess it to be 5.5% rather than 10%.

O: I hope it was just palate fatigue from drinking a quartet of sours before hand, because this was a bit of a letdown. Regardless, this a damn solid dessert beer that can become a really great one after the vanilla fades some. This wipes the floor with certain vanilla porters that will remain nameless, at least.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 18:49:24 | More by ThisWangsChung

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