Storm King Stout - Victory Brewing Company

kw24ever

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Was down in Philly visiting the brother-in-law and family and he took me to a local beer distributer. Was completly overwellmed by the selection of beers I've never heard of but with some persuasion decieded on this one and WOW. Poured DARK with a thick dark creamy head smelled wonderful and tasted even better. Had my first one and decided I had to eat something to sober up a little. CRAZY off of one beer!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 03:28:51 | More by kw24ever

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I've been drinking and adoring this stout for countless years now. One of the best moves Victory made was moving this from a seasonal offering to a year-round celebration. Storm King has so much going for it - a striking display, a bold aroma, a dynamic, complex flavor, and highly competitive "drinkability" (can we come up with a synonym for "drinkability"?...considering it's mainstream reference point)

What a perfect beer to enjoy from my favorite serving type - the growler (on-tap/cask, I love you, but I can take growler home, it looks hot, and I can have my way with it - without peeeeople around). This might pour one of the most gorgeous, busty heads I've laid eyes on - uber-full, chocolate(-colored) mousse-creamy, filthy-thick stains of lacing spattering the middle-man (pint glass) - stark-dark onyx. Ultra-smooth, lightly bitter cocoa/roasty, blue-green fresh-pungent hop aroma - pounds the sinuses with sultry loveliness. Other notes in the scent - black licorice and booze - carry over into and explode in the taste, which, with all said descriptors combined, plus a soft coffee undertone and a silken cream liqueur feel and Irish dry finish...(pause)...make quite possibly the most all-quality-encompassing strong stout in existence. I've gushed over this on-tap, on cask, from growler (3 times), from bottle, and siphoned from the belly of the storm king bird itself. Stellar.

Serving type: growler

11-11-2010 05:26:10 | More by Bouleboubier

ChuckGeramita

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bar none this should be the stout that all other stouts strive to be. This beer changed my life...

I was your typical Miller Lite 12 pack a sitting guy until I had this. If you are in an all day drinkfest this IS NOT your beer or you will be stone cold pie whacked.

Warning, it is hard to go back to the typical selections after having this.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 11:44:30 | More by ChuckGeramita

Murph

Arizona

4.97/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow. This is one amazing brew. Absolutely the blackest black ever. Not one ray of light gets through this stuff. Pours with a nice head that sinks down to a clinging lace. I picked up aromas of dark chocolate, dark fruits, and a very faint alcohol aroma. The first thing that hits my tongue is chocolate and espresso, lots and lots of both. Lots of roasted malts too. A very chewy beer, very creamy in the mouth. For as full bodied and chewy as this beer is I find it incredibly drinkable. It is like my taste buds just can't get enough of it and my somach has no objections to more and more of it. An absolutely awesome beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2002 22:53:19 | More by Murph

budsboy

Ohio

4.97/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sweet Victory. This is one I can't resist. This is top shelf. If you have a macro-drinking friend, give them this. If they can't recognize its greatness, give up. They don't get it.

Smells sweet, malt, chocolate, coffee, fruit.

Pours slick from bottle, black color, frothy inviting tan head.

Tastes like a stout should. Complex full-bodied with hints of citric, robust malt. Damn good.

ABV is barely believable, this beer is so drinkable. But after about two, you'll have no trouble believing the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2003 17:15:41 | More by budsboy

ellisdee97

Pennsylvania

4.97/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottled on date of Nov. 18th 2005.

A: Espresso black with a bubbly one finger dark beige head which quickly dissipates leaving a light ring with light sticky lacing.

S: First breath is of fruity alcohol and toasted chocolate malt. Crisp aromatic hops with toffee and coffee. This brew has an interesting nutty almost peanut note as well as a buttery smell.

T: Smoky dark chocolate, toffee and coffee with crisp bitter hops. Taste is like butter, with the alcohol content hidden exceptionally well. Smoky and nutty notes.

M: Chewy chocolate feel. Good carbonation with a dry finish.

D: The alcohol is so well hidden that all you get is taste, and this beer tastes awesome. I will definetly be picking this up for a nice winter warmer.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2006 14:34:00 | More by ellisdee97

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

4.97/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Reviewed from notes some time in December 11

Poured jet black into a snifter.

The smell of this one is hops, chocolate, big malts and a small coffeee.

Taste, Wow what a big awesome flavor you get big malts, chocolate, minor coffee and a really nice hop kick. Creamy mouthfeel with a slight bitter bite towards the end.

This is my favorite stout I love the big hops and the big flavor and I really love the small price tag!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 13:20:10 | More by nickapalooza86

mmthompson33

Kansas

4.95/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Definitely one of the best, if not the best, stouts I've ever had. Every sip is a pleasure. The complexity and fullness are strong down to the last drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2001 17:39:37 | More by mmthompson33

StevieW

Florida

4.95/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

An exceptional beer in every category...Deep black color, perfectly creamy tan head. It stayed and laced the glass perfectly. Nice smooth balanced chocolate, roasted fruit aroama. Plums, raisans, and sweet hit the nose. The taste was everything to be expected. Heavy chocolate taste, balanced with some unexpected hoppyness. Perfectly smooth, silky chocolate finish and feel. Flavors are perfectly balanced and more subtle than the Old Rasputin, lacks any harsh bitter finish. It would be a dream to have on tap. Another highly hyped Victory product that lived up to the hype.
3 Cheers to Victory....................

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2002 18:51:40 | More by StevieW

pio

Virginia

4.95/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

totally wicked lookin' owl face comming from the darkness with purple lightening and a crown. no extra points for that though-there's no room for them. as soon as i poped the top off the smell hit the air and lit it up with molasses, brown sugar, chocolate, coffee, some earth tones and a touch of floral odor. it poured a gorgeous dark and it's probably opaque. dark tan coco colored head is very sturdy and leaves impressive sheets of lace down the inside of the glass. the flavors are great! death by chocolate first and some hints of honey glide me into a sweeter ripe fruit/dried fruit like figs. that fleets as quickly to reveal a solid malt and toast. it feels like it actually roasts and eventually chars on my palate. it really dries up and becomes plesantly bitter and crisp on the finish. it leaves a hint of honey that i found perticularly nice. the mouthfeel is in my opinion creamy and soft yet definately for real. i couldn't wait to have another!

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2003 00:58:30 | More by pio

thebrood1987

New Jersey

4.95/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Getting huge aromas of that whole flower fruity almost cherry or in this case blueberry smell. A bit piney as well and then underneath you get the subtle coffee, chocolate and sweet dark roasted malts.

It's sweet up front with the chocolate and coffee and sweet dark roasted bitter malts up front and then the piney, fruity hop resin taste. You get a bit of the alcohol in there as it warms. When it does warm the hops subside just a bit and the dark roasted sweet malt and the chocolate coffee taste comes through a bit more.

This beer comes in two phases really. When its cold its all about the strong bitter hops with the stout flavors residing a bit behind it and then they come out more as it warms with the hops still playing a good role. Its almost like a black IPA in my mind which I dont mind at all because I love IPA's and the taste of Pacific Northwest hops.

What I like the most about this beer is definitely its hoppy character for a stout but not only that but how they meld the dry bitterness from the dark roasted coffee chocolate malts with the whole flower hops so well. The whole flower hops definitely give it that more hoppy flavor than you'd find in a stout but it really is quite a beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 01:05:29 | More by thebrood1987

Globetrotter

Virginia

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Oh. Ooh! Oh, yes. Oooh, Yes! Yes! Yes! YES! YES! YES! Aaah! Whew! Mmmmmm!

Brought to Moscow by friends from Northern Virginia, my precious bottle was filled on 1/28/03, and emptied on 8/16/03. The label calls this an Imperial Stout. Supposedly, imperial stouts were first developed in Russia for the Czar's court. I guess the commies ditched the style when they ditched the Czar. I sure haven't found anything in Russia that comes close to this masterpiece.

Pours black as coal, with a thin dark, almost amber colored head. This head faded too quickly, however, causing me to mark down the appearance. There was no lace on my glass. The nose was big with caramel and malt, but relatively subdued when cold. It grew, ever so subtlely as the brew warmed in the glass, until it was bold and assertive like few brews anywhere. The mouth was, in my view, too bubbly for the style, hence the other markdown in my review. It was heavy with roasted sweetness, though - very nice.

Then there's the taste. My goodness! Sweet and malty to start, with hints of chocolate, coffee, and plumbs. There is also hops from the start, getting stronger as the liquid and the tongue indulge in a mutually passionate embrace. The finish is thus bitter and flowery and smooth, with some lingering caramel and roasted chestnuts. The aftertaste is sweet, bitter and roasty all at once. Not only the nose, but also the taste get even better (although less sweet) as the brew warms, so don't be in a hurry to drink this one. Savor it. Enjoy it. Relish it. Yum!

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2003 08:17:28 | More by Globetrotter

GeoffRizzo

Texas

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pitch black hue with a thin, well-retaining tan head. Hops, espresso, cherry and light alcohol rather inviting on the nose. Up front, a great velvet smoothness, a bit oily and at the same time dry; some dark chocolate, licorise and definitive hop presence noted in the body. Toasted malt combined with a slight citrus touch, warming detection noted towards the end. Robust, rich and tasty; incredible flavors, perfectly balanced, lives up to it's reputation as one of the best.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2003 16:14:45 | More by GeoffRizzo

beermanbrian

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Time to sit down and review the storm king. This is one that i've had a few times in the past but not since i've been reviewing beers here.

Pours a deep black color with a nice fluffy 1" foamy tan head. The foam slowly disipates to i thin cap that leaves trails down the glass after every sip. Smell is roasted chocolate malt, my favorite. Hint of cherries too, and more hops than expected. Taste of chocalate malt but the big surprise is the level of hop bitterness. Just a great tasting stout. The high ABV is well hidden. Smooth and creamy mouthfeal. This just goes down sooo smooth. This is going to be a regular on my beer list. Also, the price is incredibly reasonable (less than $30/case) for the quality. If you haven't had this beer, you must try it. Great job Victory.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2005 13:30:39 | More by beermanbrian

budducci

Minnesota

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is one of the best beers I have ever drank. I have to say, though, that I am partial to stouts and imperial stouts.

This pours a solid black with a very slight head that disappears quickly. If it had a good head on it, i would have rated the appearance tops. The smell is almost like a nutty coffee but isn't overpowering. The flavor is like a rich coffee and dark chocolate. In fact, eating dark chocolate with this beer brings out the flavors in both.

I highly recommend this.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2008 01:40:20 | More by budducci

greg202stewart

Rhode Island

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The best Imperial Stout I've had off the shelf so far. Surprised it packs such a high ABV when it's so damn smooth. It pours a dark brown, with a small head and is pretty thin. But the taste is exceptional, with chocolate and a bunch good stuff. I liked this beer better than Old Rasputin, Stone RIS and Left Hand Imperial Stout. Great beer and way drinkable for an Imperial Stout

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2009 13:11:20 | More by greg202stewart

BerkeleyBeerMan

California

4.93/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Black with brown undertones and a medium tan creamy head that leaves fantastic lacing.

Smell: Mild smokey aroma of oatmeal, nuts and yeasts. Estery and alcohol forward with some similar qualities to a doppelbock. The hops are floral. The malts give off smells of dark fruits, plum and fig.

Taste: Very dry with roasted smokey malts. Fruits such as plum and cherry are noticeable. The overall impression is of espresso with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium and chalky with a great balance between hops and malts. The malts and hops make many subtle impressions on my palate. Nothing is too cloying but rather the flavors make their impression and then fade into a decent bitterness.

Overall: Good price and amazing drinkability for a beer of this strength. It satisfies without being too think or heavy. Lots of character in a European interpretation of the imperial stout. I could drink two of these in a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 03:01:11 | More by BerkeleyBeerMan

jtw5877

Ohio

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep dark brown/black color with tan head. Nice full flavor with strong malt flavors such as coffee/caramel chocolate, also a real nice hop flavor which balances out the malt. Amazing smoothness for the high alcohol content. This was the first Victory brew I've tried, and I love it. Special thanks to StevieW.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2002 21:09:35 | More by jtw5877

pezoids

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

My first impression of Storm King was the complex and rich
flavor and it's drinkability. The alcohol was subdued but it was
definitely there. It was midnight black with a creamy, leather-
brown head. This beer matched perfectly with the chocolate cheesecake I was enjoying. A great cold weather beer. I tasted hints of chocolate and coffee, along with some fruitiness. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2002 06:30:50 | More by pezoids

JISurfer

South Carolina

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is the best beer I've ever had. It's so good, and the only way that you could possibly know how good it is, would be to drink it yourself. The color is very dark and you can't see light through it, which I totally dig. The head is a great brownish-red color. Started out super thick, but went down to a film later. The taste is like a very light chocolatey coffee mixed with a peppery stouty taste. The finish is so smooth, it's like butter. It just slides down your throat and coats it. To experience this stuff is half the "fun" of it. I'm just glad that they finally got it at The Vintage Cellar. The price isn't too bad either.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2003 21:07:08 | More by JISurfer

AudioGilz

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottled on Oct. 15th, 2002. It pours like black syrup or motor oil, 100% opaque with a large creamy tan head that laces wonderfully. The aroma is full of roasted barley and hops. There is definitely a sign of serious hop character in this brew. But before the hops kick in, you're treated to some chocolate, coffee, and just an all around sweet roastiness. And then hops come in for an amazing finish that makes you beg for more. The alcohol is mellow but definitely there throughout consumption. And it's great. Everything about this wonderful stout is gargantuan and robust as hell.....a truly perfectly balanced and drinkably strong stout. As a stout lover, I think this is the perennial fallback imperial, as long as they keep it the way it is.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2003 21:58:58 | More by AudioGilz

rotsaruch

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Well this SK was not sampled from the bottle, draft or the cask, but was from the firkin. I treated myself to a handsome British pint this evening at Victory. This is a jewel of a treat for "firkin Friday" in the middle of the summer. It was brewed in March 2003.

It's appearance was black as nite with a creamy mocha head. Everything, including the aroma, the taste and presence of alcohol were subdued. Just a perfect balance of hops and malt were present as the initial liquid black gold tantilized the palate. There was this overwhelming combination of chocolate, coffee, mocha, dates and rasions that were present from start to finish. The complexity of this brew was simplified into very incredible level of smooth, silky heaven. It's truly hard to capture and describe something so delicate and delicious.

If SK from the bottle, draft or cask is considered No. 1 on the BA website, I would suggest an aged-version SK from the firkin has to be No. 1 in the world.

Serving type: cask

08-16-2003 00:27:35 | More by rotsaruch

Ianhockey91

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow what a brew, this is as close to a perfect five i go in the stout category. The aroma has some hints of burnt coffe and a few other scents i cant really discern. As far as taste goes, wow, excellent excellent brew, it is a bit over the top, but it hides the alchohol very well (which can be good or bad, this brew will sneek up on you). I found the flavor to be slightly mellower when warm, and in true victory fashion the hops were definetly present. Top notch brew from a top notch brewery. One thing though, i thought the bottle could be redone.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2003 02:51:29 | More by Ianhockey91

Lafe

Virginia

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This beer is excellent.

It pours an opaque black, and offers up a very thin tan head as I pour it down the side of my pint glass. The head doesn't linger long. The aroma is malty and roasty, with only a slight hint of alcohol.

The flavor is all that one could want from an imperial stout. I would serve this beer to an emperor. A full mouth-feel, with chocolate, roastiness, maltiness, and a subtle but firm bitterness from the hops, this beer pleases on many levels. Very satisfying.

I think I'll have another.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2004 04:09:21 | More by Lafe

joshlara

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottled Sept. 2002. This review was done within three months of bottling.

Appearance: Pours an opaque black color with a darker brown tan head that dissipates to a thin lace that clings to the glass. When you get that color head you know it is going to be one big beer.

Smell: Aroma is wonderful, cascade hops not usually associated with the imperial stout genra, tobbaco leaf, black cherries, coffee, and burnt chocolate all come through. Outstanding!

Taste: Wow! This is one extremely bitter beer. Burnt chocolate malt flavor up front, hints of coffee and tobacco throughout, finishing with that extremely bitter citric hop punch. I love the high amount of hops used which in my opinion takes this beer to another level and seperates itself from other imperial stouts. Finishes with an alcohol kicker to round out an incredible drinking experience.

Overall: I love this beer right after it is bottled as the hop presence is most pronounced. I absolutely love the aroma. I remember someone asking what is your favorite smelling beer and this is hands down. Black cherries, tobacco leaves, and pacific northwest hops dominate both the nose and the flavor. Extremely bitter but oh so drinkable. I love it!

I have also sampled the '02/'03 a little over a year after bottling and it is much more subdued, much more like other imperial stouts. The dark fruit flavors are more prominent and the citric hop flavors I like so much are definately take a back seat. They fade to the background. It mellows, more black currant, prunes, and raisins are found in both the nose and the flavor. It does seem smoother and silkier as it ages, but personally, I much prefer this beer young. The ratings reflect the first review.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2004 02:50:51 | More by joshlara