St. Victorious - Victory Brewing Company

ManekiNeko

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a sample cup at the Michael Jackson Beer tasting held at RFD's.

Appearance: A slightly murky cherry red/burgundy colored liquid topped by a light tan head that dissipated to a small ring of foam. No real lacing of note was left.

Smell: Aromas of prunes, cherries, assorted fruits, and caramelized malts beckon you, sirenlike, to sip upon their goodness.

Taste: Mesmerized by the siren-song of the nose, a hearty quaff gives you sweet and dark caramel malt flavors with a hint of smokiness lingering in the background.

Mouthfeel: Solid medium body. Nice and crisp.

Drinkability: A lovely and contemplative beer. One to quaff while poring over the Old Testament or maybe Homer, I'd say. I'd have no problems drinking a decent amount of this stuff.

Marginalia: In a total beer geek moment, and I blame Randall th' Enamel Animal for this, I was able to pick out the rauch malts used in this. It's such a small amount of rauch that you'd be hard pressed to taste it if you didn't know beforehand. I "blame" Randall for this since all the other taste receptors in my mouth were still reeling from Randallized 120 Minute IPA. The only thing that I could taste with assured clarity was smoke.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2004 04:04:55 | More by ManekiNeko

pheurton

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

1/2 gallon growler: glowing burnt crimson with a creamy beige head that retreats to a small collar, but leaves little patches of lace on the glass. caramel-dipped candy apple aroma with a touch of noble hops. relatively low carbonation results in a creamy and full mouthfeel. layers upon layers of malt complexity are mind boggling. i taste toasted munich malts, all kinds of fruit, and a caramel backbone. light earthy hops come in at the end to keep things toned down just enough. the drinkability is amazing, considering the style and ABV. the first quaffable doppelbock i've ever had. just fantastic stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2004 22:13:17 | More by pheurton

Jason

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Obvious decoction mash here, some many complex levels of maltiness it is crazy! Nice layer of hop bitterness to keep any kind of cloying sweetness away. The mouth feel was so creamy from the dense malt body. Tasted of freshly baked brown bread with a hint of spicy alcohol.

On of the best domestically brewed Double Bocks I have had to date.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2004 12:00:19 | More by Jason

Edwin

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Victory Brewing Company.

Appearance - An amber/brown color like a strong Lager. Not so much head on top, but most Doppelbocks I have had don't have a lot of head to them.

Smell - A malty, fruity mix with pssibly a dash of a hop scent mixed in. Some candy-like smells come through as the glass gets emptier.

Taste - Malty and fruity with some sweetness and a slight alcohol tinge. A very nice spring offering.

Mouthfeel - Deadly smooth and easy to drink. Thank goodness I was trying to sample different beers, or else i'd have been swimming in these. They go down too fast and easy!

Drinkability - I wanted to drown myself in this one, but the 8.5% scared me off, as I was driving 75 miles home. Definitely a good offering from a very good brewery. Thumbs up!

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2004 21:03:00 | More by Edwin

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow, I tell you what there are breweries out there that claim to be world class, but Victory doesn't have to act, they are the real deal. This authentic German style Strong dark lager or Doppelbock is dead on, pours a ruby deep amber tone off white cream colored head not very thick and doesn't stick around very long leaves behind specks of lace on my imperial pint. Aroma deep plentiful layers of malts supporting a cast of other stars, the German Hallertau whole leaf hops and plum esters. Smells predominantly of fruit soaked in alcohol with caramel malts around the edges, hmm hmmmm good. Flavor is flowing with a wave of malts creating over ripened fruit notes and a touch of hop flavor bringing mild but perfect bitterness to the table, I think I'm in love. Rolls down the palate with a slick slightly syrupy texture and medium body packs a nice punch with 8.5% abv. Suprisingly incredibly smooth and drinkable, I am sold never had two doppelbocks in a row, I had two imperial pints of this with dinner tonight damn good. If this is an option I will pass on Celebrator, Salvator, or any other (insert word here)ator knockoff.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2004 06:18:43 | More by WVbeergeek

nomad

Kansas

4.78/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

1/2 gallon growler

Gorgeous deep ruby with fine carbonation supporting a wispy head. Fairly consistent lacing is moderate and slick. Starts with a thick foamy head but settles away to nothing. The color is most impressive, shining transparent and gem-like.

Smells like a fruit cordial, along the lines of maraschino cherries wrapped in a thin caramel sauce and a nice drop of alcohol. Opens to Munich malts, among others, with a wonderfully grainy accent. Builds a creamy and nutty sense that gently melds into the fruity, malty core. Classy and almost liqueur-like on the nose.

Like its smell, it comes across with a first flavor of a cherry cordial that is actually only faintly sweet, leading to an even better flavor of figs' skin, meat, pit, and all. Next come roasty notes turning to musty/earthy notes with a soft, mellow noble hops deftly blended in. Like a good doppel should, it has rough and sizable malt rippling through the whole profile. Mellow but full of bockness, it slowly develops a smooth sense of grainy, earthy flavors of molasses. Has the definition of a nutty finish from first to last pint.

Yet as fruity, roasty, and quietly dark as it tastes, St. Victorious is in sum none of the above. It has a serene, creamy, and smooth approach that expresses a deep sophistication hard to find in others of the style.

Full bodied but slick, it slides back way too easy. At the brewpub, at home, this beer's mouthfeel greatly helps its dangerous drinkability. I could write about its mouthfeel as much as its flavor - smooth, big, yet silky. Exquisite. God bless the man who figured out the decoction brewing method.

I've been waiting eight months to quaff this beauty, anticipating its release since the first day I became a Philly resident. Take a trip to the brewery to taste the care and love that exudes through this creation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2004 16:23:02 | More by nomad

JimsArcade

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

St. Victorious is back on tap at Victory!

The beer is poured into a 12 oz. glass with minimal foam, but what is there is white and lacy on the sides of the glass, like the remnants of a Belgian ale's head. It is deep cinnamon in color.

The aroma is barely detectable, both in the nose and in the mouth. There is a slight hint of a doughy-malt aroma, but it takes effort to discover it.

The first sip is a complete and utter shock given the mild aroma. This is a BOLD beer! The unbelievably strong flavors of the German malts and hops vie for dominance, and are pretty much even through mid-glass. The carbonation reminds me again of a Belgian brew, only this beer's level is practically off the charts. The combination of this and the nearly-overwhelming level of alcohol make this beer tingle without relent in the mouth. It is a very dry beer: there is no hint of sweetness whatsoever. As the beer warms near the finish, the malt and alcohol become dominant and the mouthfeel remains energetic.

I was disappointed when I first brought this beer to my nose, but once I started drinking it I was floored. I only wish now that I opted for the 20 oz. glass. Highly recommended!

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2004 03:29:35 | More by JimsArcade

cerevisiaephilus

Michigan

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

My second favorite Victory brew after HopDevil, this beer is outstanding. Drinking it fresh on tap in one of the 0.5L German style glasses in the spring is an awesome experience. The beer is so beautifully malty it almost makes me shed a tear. Then I realize its only available for the spring and definately not where I live currently (Indiana) and I acutally do shed a tear. This beer is overwhelmingly smooth. The malty goodness is not too sweet, not too dry, just right in my humble opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2003 20:32:23 | More by cerevisiaephilus

bierman2000

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Creamy, delicious and malty with an opaque dark reddish brown color.. excellent Belgian lace throughout the glass and very chocolaty as well as that kick of alocohol. Mouthfell is smooth and velevety but be warned this Doppelbock will hit you hard due to the ABV..very drinkable but very dangerous.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2003 16:30:38 | More by bierman2000

Jarod

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer came to me a brown/copper/amber color that was clear. The head was a cream/light tan color that was not that dense and lasting. Semi-decent carbonation was felt on the tongue. I did not really notice a lace. The aromas that came from the glass were of dark rich malts, dandelions, and some dark fruits (plum, raison) It has a solid rich flavor that was really good. I tasted caramel, dark malts, light cocoa, dark sweet fruits, roasted nut, light earth and some bitter hops (which was not overbearing, rather enjoyable.) This beer is not over powering in any departments, all smells and flavors are well balanced. It left a great feeling in 3 senses; my mouth, nose and even eyes were all pleased. Another score for VICTORY.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2003 09:22:47 | More by Jarod

frank4sail

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Average for this brewery is a huge disappointment. I love all of their brews, but this was a shock to my system. This is the only beer from victory that i have drank and did not want another. 8.5% ABV but is boring in its complexity. I guess I like a bolder taste in a beer this strong. Also it seemed to settle too fast with ahint of under-carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2002 16:43:34 | More by frank4sail