Storm King Stout - Victory Brewing Company

StoutHunter

Michigan

2.83/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I bought a bottle of Victory's Storm King Stout last weekend for $2.19 at The Lager Mill. After trying a couple different beers from Victory with them all turning out good I decided to really put them to the test and see how their RIS stands up to the rest. It had a best enjoy by date of March 2nd 2016. Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into a imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks good, the hawk or eagle wearing a crown is pretty eye catching. It poured a dark looking motor oil black that didn't let any light through. It had four and a half fingers worth of fluffy light brownish tan colored head that died down to a thick layer that stayed till the end and it left some nice rings of lacing.

S- The first thing I noticed about the aroma is that it is a little on the sweet side. The sweet roasted malts stand out the most and impart some black coffee, milk chocolate, a little bit of brown sugar, and a very slight amount of dark fruits. There was also a mild amount of grassy hops at the end.

T- Thankfully the flavor is not nearly as sweet as the aroma led me to believe. It starts out with a large amount of dark roasted malts that have just the right amount of sweetness to them. The coffee and chocolate flavors are there but they aren't as bold as I was expecting and the dark fruit flavors were barely there. The finish was pretty heavy on the grassy and earthy hops and it made for a pretty bitter finish, I wasn't thinking this was going to be that bitter and I think I would like it better if the bitterness was toned down.

M- Smooth and medium full bodied, its full but it isn't sticky and heavy. The carbonation was a little out of hand in this brew and could have be toned down a couple notches.

Overall I thought this was an Ok stout but it really can't hang with any of my other favorite RIS's. It's a solid RIS, but to me it lacks the balance and complexity of some of the better RIS's. This beer was going in the right direction but I feel like those dark roasted malts could have been more robust and the bitterness was just too much for this brew and that threw it off balance. It went down fairly smooth but that excess bitterness would prevent me from grabbing another one, the over the top bitterness of this beer doesn't make for good drinkability. I don't think I would buy this again, even though it is pretty much available year round to me I would much rather have an Old Rasputin. If you like hop heavy RIS's this may be your thing, but it wasn't my cup of tea. This beer just wasn't on the same level as their other beers that I have tried, maybe since it is one of my favorite style I am being a little to critical but compared to all the other RIS's on the market this one fall shorts. From my experience Victory has a heavy hand with their hops and in this case it didn't make for a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 03:19:09 | More by StoutHunter

lackenhauser

Maryland

2.8/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Black in color-you probably couldnt get any blacker. Ok carbonation level. Quite floral aroma wise. Reminds me of a bottle of ink. Some roasted flavor that is dominated by way too many hops. Perfumey and flowery flavors just dont belong in a RIS for me. More hop flavor then bitterness. Decent enough mouthfeel. Overall this just doesnt cut it for me. None of the deep, roasted, almost espresso like flavors I love in a RIS. Cross between a double IPA and a stout if you ask me. Bleh.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 02:42:28 | More by lackenhauser

SourHopHead

New Mexico

2.8/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A- Poured a deep brown, but mostly black with a tan head and good retention.

S- Chocolate, slight roasted smell. I didn't get any hop aroma at all.

T- Chocolate and roasty flavor. Finished dry.

M- Not much carbonation and tasted fairly thin.

D- A lot of flavors but chocolate and roast overpowered them all. Tasted on the thin side and I drank the 2 I had and I was done.

I expected more from Victory.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 08:15:56 | More by SourHopHead

terranova770

Virginia

2.78/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

This beer was just a little too complex for me, drank fridge cold and room temp, better closer to room temp, think predominant flavor was toffee and coffee, remember those hard coffee candies I think they are now called nestle nips, that is this beer for me. Alcohol in this packs a real punch to the brain but is not dominant in finish. I may consider this beer again on a winter evening, in front of a fire when I am ready to pass out in a big comfy chair, stout drool on my chin. To me not a six pack beer get a single and save for that special occasion. Purchased from Westover Market in Arlington, VA.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 20:29:14 | More by terranova770

association330

Michigan

2.78/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle with the marking "Enjoy By: Oct. 1, 2014"

A - Pours with that nice motor oil look, and just the slightest tinge of ruby on the edge of the glass. A huge, two-finger plume of glossy mocha head forms and lasts very well while slowly settling to a tight, half-finger cap of foam. Nice lacing.

S - Grassy hops, with suggestions of burnt malt, coffee, and bitter chocolate.

T - Strong grassy hops up front, then a touch of roasted malt. A dry, harshly bitter, hoppy finish with a hint of coffee and alcohol astringency. Too harsh, and sorely lacks a roasty malt balance.

M - The beer is only medium-bodied and carbonation is a little too high for the style, causing the beer to lack the rich, velvety nature of a RIS. Warming alcohol reminds you of the ABV.

D - Much like how you can't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a beer solely by its appearance. The flavor of this brew is too unbalanced for the style - it's almost like drinking a dark IIPA. The long, bitter finish is out of control, and the mouthfeel is amiss.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2010 07:38:25 | More by association330

Naugled

New York

2.78/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Pours with a nice dark brown thick head and an opaque black body. Chunks of sediment came from the bottom of the bottle.

Smell is a bit vegetal up front sweet and hoppy second.

Flavor is very bitter and harsh, way too much, either a bad bottle or it needs to age and mellow, there was no date on the bottle to know for sure.
It's hard to get a good malt profile because the hop bitterness is so dominating.

Mouthfeel isn't bad but long aftertaste.

Not a very drinkable beer at this point. I may buy another and let it age. I'll update the review afterwards. But as is, not a good example of an imperial stout IMO.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2010 16:11:37 | More by Naugled

SIRIUS2

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Sharp hop nose with secondary malt aromas. Virtually no head on the pour of this nearly pitch black brew. The flavor is sharp and warm, with heavy malts coming in afterwards. It finishes very hoppy and warm all the way down. The alcohol is present and is hardly masked by the intense flavors of the hops & malts.

Oof. I know Storm King is probably representative of the Russian Imperial Stout style but it just isn't my speed. Apologies to those that enjoy this style but I had a hard time with it.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2008 01:43:52 | More by SIRIUS2

litheum94

California

2.75/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle. Best by 12/10/15. Reviewed on 2/28/11

Oil slick black body, with a gigantic brown head that tries to bubble over the glass. Head is sticky and thick, and takes forever to settle.

Aromas of sweet chocolate, with hints of roasted coffee. Some plum aromas. Floral hops. Loads of dark malt scents, and some alcohol aromas.

A DIPA amount of hops hits you in the face, with flavors of pine and citrus. Espresso bitterness. Semi-sweet chocolate mid-palate leads to some more hop bitterness and a very biting, alcoholic finish.

This beer is screaming for balance. The finish is overly alcoholic and off-putting for me. It's almost at rubbing alcohol levels. I was disappointed by this, but almost want to buy another bottle just to see how it ages.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 04:36:49 | More by litheum94

BreadSlicer

Georgia

2.73/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Appearance: I was very excited on the first pour since it lived up to it's exceptionally dark and bold image

Smell: Typical RIS smell but more to the hoppy/nutty side

Taste: WAY too alcoholic for my tastes. The only other stout I've ever had that had a more dominating alcohol character was a Yeti IS which I hated. It makes every little sip a bit too far on the harsh side for me personally. Almost like drinking a brandy. But if you like drinking brandy...

Mouthfeel: Nice. Nothing special, but nice.

Drinkability: For me its barely drinkable enough to keep me from pouring it down the drain due to the 'way too alcoholic' character. There's actually a very good stout behind all that alcohol though.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2007 19:27:38 | More by BreadSlicer

Finkel

Pennsylvania

2.7/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

It pours very nicely and is an attractive looking beer. The beer is onyx in color and is topped with a chunky, milk chocolate colored head. Lace surrounds the glace when swirled and retains nicely. Although I am not a stout guy myself, I have to admit that it looked very pretty.

The nose was much weaker than I thought it would be. Chocolate and toffee as well as a fair amount of hops were identifiable, but were not powering in any way.

The taste was a crescendo of flavor and grew progressively stronger as it went down. Hops were definitely noticeable as well as a burnt popcorn flavors at the end of each sip. The strong coffee aftertaste is gross to me, which is the reason why I'm a tea drinker.

The mouth feel was clearly thick, which is one characteristic of stouts that deters me from drinking them. Furthermore, I disliked that it was astringent - it made me feel slightly dehydrated.

Admittedly, I didn't finish the beer, which was only delight to my friend. My rating will definitely be skewed due to the fact that I'm not a fan of this style. However, if you're one that likes stouts, this is a very well composed beer and it might be the brew for you.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2008 19:30:03 | More by Finkel

PaleAleHater

Connecticut

2.7/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I sampled this brew on a cold New England evening. Paired it with a dill havarti cheese and artisan crackers. Notes of asphalt, gum base, and chocolate. Immeditely boozy and diacital. Hints of lavender and buckskin leather linger, unwanted. Its mouth feel is puzzling and thick, reminiscent of authentic Italian soda syrups but wrought with an overabundant hop presence.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2008 00:31:31 | More by PaleAleHater

beercar

Pennsylvania

2.7/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Got a fresh sixer. Smell is all hop and cocoa. Nice tan 1 finger head. Black as night...no light penetration. Taste is way too hoppy and dry IMO. This beer could definitely benefit from more cocoa and coffee. Light mouthfeel and overly carbonated. Imperial stouts are my favorite style, and there are too many better options out there to consider purchasing again. If hop forward stouts are your thing, look no further. Tasted side by side with Blackout Stout. Not even close.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 04:30:06 | More by beercar

Arbitrator

California

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Chilled bottle into a glass. Courtesy of a trade with Uwftke26.

A: A brown-colored body that pours a pitch black in the glass. Has a huge, foamy tan cap that recedes into thick clumps on top of the brew, and leaves substantial lacing with register marks down the glass. Exquisite.

S: Chocolate, espresso, smoke, and rotting citrus. Yuck.

T: Starts off with huge espresso, smoke, and roasted malts. Remains mostly bitter, although the mid-taste sees a slight sweet contribution of dark chocolate. The finish is again smoky, with citrus hops rounding it out. Leads into a bitter espresso aftertaste. Wow, kind of a clashing taste.

M: Full-bodied. Slightly high carbonation that prickles the tongue a bit. Well hidden ABV.

D: Surprisingly hoppy for an imperial stout, and the hop variety isn't one that blends particularly well with the traditional RIS flavors. I could see this aging into a well-rounded stout in a year, after the hops fade a bit. But it's fairly harsh as a young brew, and the experience is not spectacular enough to make me seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 08:54:17 | More by Arbitrator

vkv822

Oregon

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into pint glass.

Pours a thick, frothy milk chocolate colored head that dissipates fairly quickly, with a black body.

The smell is of coffee with rich roasted malty notes, also fairly hoppy.

The flavor starts out with a surprising amount of hops, as in thr nose though it does start to smooth out with some chocolate and roasted malt notes towards the finish and a very light warming finish from the alcohol.

It has a very nice thick full bodied mouthfeel with a nice amount of carbonation.

Overall it is a pleasant beer, but the hops were a bit strong for my liking in a RIS.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 05:24:20 | More by vkv822

crosamich

Florida

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

dark & roasted, VERY astringent. way too much high-roasted malts here for my taste. Rather than smooth, chocolately flavors from a balanced use of malts I had to choke this one down. Had this several times in the bottle and remember generous hops but that was missing here. drinkability was low due to acrid, dry, and harsh taste.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2010 15:43:10 | More by crosamich

otto251068

Tennessee

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Rochefort chalice. "Enjoy by Nov 08, 2015" printed on the bottle, making this bottle (according to my research) about six months old.

Appearance: A very dense, dark, chocolate brown head rises to about the width of a finger. It really takes it's time to fade, but once it does there are only a few blotches left. The beer itself is pitch black, and only a sliver of dark brown is detectable when held up to the light. A ring of foam clings to the inside of the glass.

Smell: A little surprised by the level of hops, the first thing I smelled when I cracked the top. Once I get beyond the them, there are the toasted malts. After the pour it really opens up, similar to what is mentioned before, only more aromatic and noticeable. The hops have a bit of grassy, outdoors, wheaty characteristics. A touch of sourness makes itself present.

Taste: Charred malts completely take over, really dominating the flavors from the start to finish. Once I get beyond them there is some dark, unsweetened chocolate, and some coffee bitterness. Some of the bitter, grassy hops eventually fight their way to the front.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high carbonation level. The body is pleasant, maybe just a touch on the thin side. The carbonation level becomes very foamy inside the mouth. A good bit of bitterness lingers after the swallow, really sticking to the back of my throat.

Overall: Heavy and harsh charcoal through out, from start to finish. This beer has a good aroma and looks great in a glass, but the burnt flavors are simply too overwhelming for me, although, it does completely hide the alcohol. A bit of a chore to finish this 12 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2011 22:37:02 | More by otto251068

divineaudio

Michigan

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

from notes. served in a pint glass.

a - pours dark brown to black with a thick tan head.retention is good and leaves some sticky lace in the glass.

s - floral hop character with some grainy malt and a distinctive sweaty foot smell.

t - piney hop bitterness overpowering a roasted malt base. strong alcohol presence. ipa territory to my tastebuds.

m - full bodied with too much carbonation for my liking.

o - maybe i got a bad batch? i heard a lot of good things about this beer and it certainly didn't live up to the hype. probably won't buy this ever again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 06:40:56 | More by divineaudio

ClavisAurea

New York

2.65/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle served in a pint glass.

Appearance: pourd black as night with a tan head

Smell: flowers and coffee

Taste: hops from hell, strong flowery flavor, bitter, like an old pot of coffee, full body

No doubt this is an imperial stout. Way too bitter to drink more than one at a time. Stout continues to be my weakest link.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2008 00:35:22 | More by ClavisAurea

aasher

Indiana

2.63/5  rDev -36%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This beer looks fantastic. It poured a midnight black with a two finger dark khaki head that sat atop the beer like soap suds. The aromas are VERY subtle but I'm picking up some light chocolate to go along with the light coffee as well. The initial taste is pretty solid, like coffee with a chocolate creamer but I really don't like the after taste. It's like straight soap, almost bitter. Very sudsy and unappealing. It's also very thin for a RIS. This beer started great but went downhill from there. I wasn't impressed.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 03:31:29 | More by aasher

tcfishler

Maryland

2.58/5  rDev -37.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Black with cocoa-brown highlights and a very good head for the ABV.

Deep, dark, roasted nose with liberal grassy/grapefruit hops.

Rich and very full, but a bit abrasive on the tongue. Alcohol is definitely noticeable - the flavor is simply not concentrated enough to cover it.

A hearty he-man brew, but too rough for my regular rotation. It's too bad, since I've loved every other Victory beer I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2007 15:31:24 | More by tcfishler

yamar68

Minnesota

2.55/5  rDev -38%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

From 12oz to stange: Pours with minimal clarity and a loose, soft two finger mocha head. Nose showcases milk chocolate, cocoa, minimal booze, vanilla extract. Taste is burnt coffee - rough around the edges and a surprising hop bite. The feel is too thin, I wish the burnt coffee wouldn’t linger. Overall, decent for an inexpensive imperial stout but... meh...

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 04:55:48 | More by yamar68

adammills

Michigan

2.5/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I poured this beer into a brandy snifter at cellar temperature. Very dark brown to black with a large brown head that persists. This beers nose is underwhelming. Some roast, slight burnt coffee, some boozy hints (anise?). Big roast up front of the palate, with some chocolate and what appears to me to be a substantial hop bittering backbone. Some warming alcohol and a touch of anise again. The bitterness lasts well into the finish. This beer leaves me wishing it had a more substantial mouthfeel, more creamy, with a touch more residual sweetness. Perhaps that will come thru with some age as the bittering drops.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2007 01:55:00 | More by adammills

TrevorGW

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Black body. Typical imperial stout with the paper thin, tan-colored head that leaves a few laces here and there.

Aroma was of pungent bleu cheese. Heavy funk that was very off-putting.

Taste was big on the warm alcohol, with the roast and chocolate holding their own. The bleu funkiness was only mildly detectable on the tongue, but the aroma spoils at the start and finish of each sip.

Chewy mouthfeel, not very creamy.

Probably the 6th or 7th imperial stout that I have tried and unfortunately the worst. It may have been a damaged bottle, but I won't be ordering this again any time soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2008 20:26:08 | More by TrevorGW

DefenCorps

Oregon

2.48/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

12oz bottle best by Nov 16 2012, which would mean this is a little less than a year old. Into my snifter

A: Pours an inky black with a dark brown head that recedes fairly quickly to a wispy disk.

S: This smells nothing like the bottle and draft versions i had last winter (earlier vintages). This smells hot, solventy, sweet and a hint of the dreaded burnt tire aroma a la Mikkeller Black. Pretty disgusting, yeah. There's some chocolate but it isn't enough to mask this

T: Starts off with heavily burnt and roasted flavors with a ton of dark chocolate. Some fusels are present which really ruin things. Finish is long, bitter and burnt.

M: Rather full bodied, which is what i was hoping for, and the carbonation is light enough but god, this tastes nasty

D: Nope. Down the drain

Notes: When I did an RIS tasting in March, the 06 vintage finished 2nd or 3rd in a field of 9 commonly available RISs. This bottle would have finished dead last

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2008 03:41:18 | More by DefenCorps

robwestcott

Indiana

2.48/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

poured cold and pitch black from the bottle to a surly darkness 10oz goblet with a 1/2 finger, super thin and short lasting mocha head.

hmm... relatively unpleasant, medicinal aroma. strange for the style.

bitter and not very good truckstop coffee followed by dark fruits. this ain't looking good.

low carbonation, medium bodied, creamy (?).

drinkable - nope, not for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 00:32:12 | More by robwestcott