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

macrosmatic

Florida

4.23/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to maximumu13 for bringing this along as an extra for our IP trade. Cheers, my friend! Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into an Upland pint glass.

A: Very dark brown to black, opaque, with a thin tan head, and low visible carbonation.

S: Dark black bitter coffee, sweet malt, some vanilla and a bit of dark cacao.

T: Coffee, some vanilla, with a touch of very dark cacao near the end. There is some hop bitterness as well.

M: Thick mouthfeel for porter, heavy-bodied, but a good amount of carbonation sensation, and a moderate alcohol presence.

O: This was pretty good, but I'm not sure it quite stands out among its peers. I expected more vanilla, but what was there was overshadowed by the coffee.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 06:15:58 | More by macrosmatic

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev -9.1%

05-18-2013 20:59:46 | More by Photekut

drgonzo2k2

California

3.5/5  rDev -20.5%

05-18-2013 17:47:50 | More by drgonzo2k2

bcm75

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-18-2013 04:37:57 | More by bcm75

D_Villa

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%

05-18-2013 04:23:18 | More by D_Villa

philaduffia

New York

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%

05-17-2013 14:56:43 | More by philaduffia

lndsy

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-17-2013 13:02:34 | More by lndsy

ElizabethEleanor

Texas

5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-17-2013 03:08:19 | More by ElizabethEleanor

carlosega

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-16-2013 20:15:16 | More by carlosega

jwk7324

California

5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-16-2013 05:42:29 | More by jwk7324

deekyn

California

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%

05-16-2013 04:03:43 | More by deekyn

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-15-2013 19:18:15 | More by ZEB89

Zbeetleman

California

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-15-2013 03:43:14 | More by Zbeetleman

illy0sis

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-14-2013 22:23:44 | More by illy0sis

KAMOO

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%

05-14-2013 18:36:56 | More by KAMOO

GoBlue12

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%

05-14-2013 15:46:27 | More by GoBlue12

TheRuss9585

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%

05-14-2013 00:33:47 | More by TheRuss9585

mverity

Florida

5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-14-2013 00:19:09 | More by mverity

DIPAFAN

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -3.4%

05-14-2013 00:10:43 | More by DIPAFAN

Absolut

California

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%

05-13-2013 18:50:55 | More by Absolut

mkennedy119

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%

05-13-2013 02:45:04 | More by mkennedy119

dar482

New York

4.71/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

It had an Enjoy By Date before 11/23/13. This beer should have a year on it for the Enjoy By, so this was a 6 month old bottle.

The beer comes in a pitch black color with a khaki head.

The aroma has espresso, chocolate, and vanilla.

The flavor has an initial bitter coffee and then it just grows and grows. The coffee eventually just coats your whole tongue. It's almost like drinking a creamy dark black coffee. I don't think I've had a brew with more coffee in it. There's then some milk chocolate and the vanilla as well.

The mouthfeel is thinner than an imperial stout. Having had it on tap, it is super creamy then. From a bottle though, it's a less like a creamy cappuccino.

This is really an incredible beer. It's one of my favorite big stout/porters, which is a category that is already filled with amazing beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:27:46 | More by dar482

Stevie_Janowski

Illinois

5/5  rDev +13.6%

05-13-2013 01:25:40 | More by Stevie_Janowski

IPeteA91

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +8%

05-12-2013 22:25:23 | More by IPeteA91

Davit

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.3%

05-12-2013 20:14:04 | More by Davit