Victory At "Candy Cane Cove" - Ballast Point Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

on tap at Churchill's Pub. A story in peppermint. Peppermint aroma and taste.Some roasted coffee. Above average mouthfeel.Not very drinkable. Either its the tap that didn't make it work, or its Ballast Point as it seems the cask was there for 10 days. Good on looks alone.

Serving type: cask

01-22-2012 22:13:29 | More by northyorksammy

ehammond1

California

4.18/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cask

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Jet black, shiny, with a thin light brown cap. Sheets of lacing down the glass. Thick and menacing.

Peppermint, a bit of vanilla, and some chocolate make for a hugely aromatic porter. The coffee elements found in the base beer are pretty much lost. The peppermint is dominant, and while pleasant, it certainly covers up what else must be there. That being said, the combination of peppermint, chocolate, and vanilla aromas is divine.

The flavor is remarkably reminiscent of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. It's a huge combination of peppermint, chocolate, a bit of vanilla, and little else. Delicious, though somewhat simple and limited by the huge amount of peppermint present.

Medium to full mouthfeel with low carbonation.

A delicious, specialty, holiday porter, though all that being said, the original version of Victory at Sea is the better beer.

Serving type: cask

01-11-2012 19:31:08 | More by ehammond1

HopHead84

California

3.45/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12/22/2011

Cask at Ballast Point.

A: Black with a big frothy brown head.

S: Definitely smells like a candy cane. Peppermint is strong, and it blends nicely with dark chocolate and roasted malt. Coffee and vanilla are light, both overwhelmed by the peppermint.

T: Pronounced peppermint with dark chocolate and a low earthy bitterness. There's a big roasted malt presence and a little coffee. The peppermint dominates.

M: Full in body with moderate carbonation and a sticky mouthfeel.

Overall: A cool concept but the peppermint is too strong in the flavor to make one desire more than a couple ounces.

Serving type: cask

12-23-2011 19:37:50 | More by HopHead84

DarthKostrizer

California

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Blue Palms

Look: Black and opaque with a huge 1 inch head and good retention with some spotty lacing

Smell: Lots of peppermint on the nose and I guess that is what they were going for so it is spot on. The peppermint is backed up by the victory at sea's very nice coffee note

Taste: The flavor is exactly the same as the nose except the peppermint lingers on for quite a while and actually takes away from the base beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and medium carbonation and a bit tingly from the mint

Overall: My expierences with mint in beer lead me to believe that this would be just as bad. However I was pleasently surpirsed but again the mint did become a bit of a distraction. IMO when you have a beer that is damn near perfect if not perfect like VAS is then why mess with it

Serving type: cask

12-13-2011 05:01:27 | More by DarthKostrizer

UCLABrewN84

California

4.53/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Blue Palms Brewhouse in Los Angeles, CA as part of their Jingle Bell Jubilee.

Brewed with vanilla, coffee, peppermint and dry hopped with candy canes.

Served with a small peppermint candy cane adorning the glass.

Pours an opaque black with a 1 inch puffy tan head that settles to an oily film. Chunk thin rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark chocolate, peppermint candy, and Junior Mints candy. Taste is of dark roasted malt, bitter chocolate/cocoa, candy cane, and Junior Mints. A medium roasty and mint bitterness lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is a great version of Victory At Sea that is very festive. The peppermint combo with the normal Victory At Sea base beer works extremely well. I am very glad I was able to try this offering from Ballast Point.

Serving type: cask

12-11-2011 02:51:37 | More by UCLABrewN84

SanDiegoBeerLove

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On Cask at Blue Palms in LA. Served in a Snifter glass.

A - Dark Brown with a very large(3 finger) Tan head and good consistency. The head contained small bubbles and lasted quite a long time.

Smell - Peppermint(heavy), Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee, and Minerals.

Taste - Peppermint(heavy), Dark Chocolate, Vanilla, Calcium Carbonate, and Coffee.

Mouthfeel - Medium with a lot of spice from the Peppermint. Carbonation is good, a little sweetness and some Bitterness

O - Very good and unique. Each glass received a small peppermint candy cane, a nice touch. Glad I had the chance to try it. They will have to make this again next year. Thank you Matt.

Serving type: cask

12-10-2011 23:38:53 | More by SanDiegoBeerLove