Donnybrook Stout - Victory Brewing Company

gtlaw

Newfoundland (Canada)

2.38/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Guiness is the first thing that comes to mind.. It may be a good representation of the style, but its a style that is a waste of time IMHO. I was dissapointed, and chugged this one down very quickly so I could move on to beers that have 3 times the flavor, and alcohol

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-08-2009 18:18:12 | More by gtlaw

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

DonnyBrook pours a cascading dark brown with a creamy head, Guinnesseque. Lacing, sure. Looks good.

Smell: Bready, and something smells slightly off.

Taste: Bland, thin watery beer with little in the way of roast, coffee or chocolate. Bitter and a bit dirty and not in a good way. Still nothing as bad as the smell would indicate, but Donnybrook is nothing but a Guinness imitator.

Mouthfeel: Thin and lightly creamy.

Drinkability: I like stouts, I like Irish Dry Stouts, but this one falls flat for me. Victory can brew much better beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-28-2010 18:11:09 | More by Stinkypuss

marcpal

New Jersey

2.63/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at the brewpub and was looking forward to having due to its exclusivity. Overall, unimpressed.

A: Pitch black with nice formed head and appropriate lacing.

S: Maltiness but not much coffiness but the balance seemed to be there.

T: Falls short, went down easy but seemed like a watered down stout. It may be partially due to enjoying the hell of a storm king prior to this- almost an unfair comparison.

M: Very thin, weakest attribute to the beer. No substance for what I would consider a 'stout'

D: Seemed to be unsuccessfuly tribute to Guiness but a bit too thinned out. The nice thing is the low abv but in comparison to something like the Chicory, this falls far short.

One of Victory's very few low performers.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2007 02:10:26 | More by marcpal

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.65/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On nitro-tap in a shaker pint. Near black with a thick cap of beige foam, Creamy sheets of lacing are left behind, but they mostly slide back in, leaving just scattered streaks.

Typical of nitro pours, the nose is somewhat blunted, but it's a pleasant mix of roasted and toasted malts nonetheless. Lacks the nice dry feel and robust roastiness of a top notch Irish stout, but it's still pretty decent. More tangy and slightly sweet than dry and roasted; kind of reminds me of a more flavorful and fuller bodied Guinness draft, actually. A quick nip of bitterness in the otherwise clean finish.

Overall impression: I love Irish stouts, but this one doesn't quite hit the spot.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-17-2010 15:38:56 | More by PDXHops

TheWorstGuyEver

New York

2.7/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

I actually had the bartender check to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with the tap or keg. He did and said "Can't notice anything wrong, just a bummer beer." His words, but I'll stand by them. This beer is nearly flavorless. Poured inky black with a healthy light-brown head that held all the flavor. Sipping through the head I got hints of a semblance of roasted, nutty malt. From there on it tastes like watered-down Guinness. This beer is thin, watery, boring and offensive for those reasons. Not sure what niche Victory was going for with this one. It's not enjoyable for Beer Geeks at Beer Bars, it's not familiar enough for the lawnmower crowd, and who on earth would buy a six pack of water-Guinness for a fireside or front porch session? Truly "a bummer beer." Drinks easy, though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2010 07:09:27 | More by TheWorstGuyEver

thagr81us

South Carolina

2.73/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served from nitro-tap into a standard pint. Pours an almost black with a one finger light tan head. Maintains decent lacing throughout. The aroma is comprised of earthy and nutty notes. The flavor is of light malt and nutty notes. It had a medium feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall I was not really a big fan of this one. It wasn't bad for a low ABV stout, but not good for being considered a stout. Basically everything needs to be a little more robust on this one and amplified.

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-22-2010 23:46:33 | More by thagr81us

ehammond1

California

2.78/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

On Tap (Nitro)

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Black in color with a thin and creamy head after the cascading nitro pour. Decent lacing--I couldn't expect anything more from this beer.

Faint aroma. Some slight roasted malt and grain presence.

Not a lot of flavor going on either. Some slight malt, a touch of roasted malt, and a bit of sweetness. Goes away quickly.

Thin mouthfeel.

A simple, undefined, uninteresting dry stout.

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-18-2011 20:27:25 | More by ehammond1

Kolsch

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Jean Bonnett Tavern in Bedford, PA.

Appearance is very much like Guinness. Dark ruby highlights with cascading head. Though not as bubbly as Guinness.

Smell is lacking and devoid of anything in particular.

Taste is really thin and watery. For a Dry Stout, this was lacking any the depth of malt flavor or bitterness. I was not expecting a malt bomb given the low abv but was expecting something with a little more heft to it.

Overall, a disappointing Dry Stout. Ready to move on to something else.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-09-2009 12:17:54 | More by Kolsch

womencantsail

California

3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On nitro at Beachwood BBQ

A: Dark brown, almost black, in color with the anticipated creamy tan head to go with it.

S: Smells pretty off-putting at first--a lot of vegetal aromas. Once you get past those, there is some coffee and chicory with a good enough roasted malt character.

T: The flavor is disappointing as well in that it's highly watery. Coffee and coffee grounds, along with a touch of roast and dark chocolate, but a lot of water in there, too.

M: Thin and watery with a the usual low but smooth nitro carbonation.

O: Overall a real let down. The watery nature of it just ruined the beer for me.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-27-2011 05:17:33 | More by womencantsail

GallowsThief

Florida

3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On tap at The House of Brews in Jensen Beach. Nitro.

A – Nice chocolate milk brown color with huge two fingers of creamy brown head courtesy of the nitro tap.

S – Light smell of roasted malts and chocolate. Faint coffee and vanilla.

T – Follows the nose with again a very faint roasted malt, chocolate and coffee flavor. Nothing stands out in this brew. Its just there. It’s not bad but no flavor makes it memorable. Just a light bit of sweetness to finish it off.

M – Creamy with a thin mouthfeel. Flavors slide on and off your palate quickly.

O – This is an average brew to me. It is very drinkable for sure but there is nothing in the taste that grabs me and wants me to drink more. Not bad but not memorable.

Serving type: nitro-tap

11-11-2012 23:03:35 | More by GallowsThief

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Black, creamy-looking body with an off-white and equally creamy-looking head. Leaves a wall of lacing along the glass on the way down.

Smell: Meek aroma of washed out roasted grains with ultra minor hints of chocolate.

Taste: Dry, mildly flavored roasted malt taste with an almost imperceptible dark caramel and chocolate sweetness. Faint roasty bitterness. Finishes dry and roasty.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Smooth carbonation. The nitro tap offers a boost in creaminess, but, man, it's still very, very thin.

Drinkability: The drinkability is fine from a low ABV, session-type standpoint, but being so devoid of flavor, I doubt it'd hold my interest beyond the one pint.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-31-2009 17:30:43 | More by ChainGangGuy

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On nitro-tap at Rustico - Alexandria. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a very dark brown with a very impressive reverse-cascading mocha head and good retention. The nose carries some very light roast and a touch of chocolate. Nothing too complex, but I wasn't expecting too much. Flavor falls a bit flat after the nose, with just a bit of roast and not much else. Medium body with a nice nitro feel. Pretty good, though below Victory standards for me.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-17-2011 14:26:26 | More by Thorpe429

julian89

Georgia

3.23/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Octane coffee in Atlanta

Appearance: Black, thick and creamy body with a head of 1 inch. Very good retention and nice lacing throughout.

Smell: Roasted grains and sweet brown sugar smell. Some residual chocolate as well.

Taste: Its a roasted malt and nutty taste with a slight smokey flavor on the back end. Seems like it would be a great cigar bar stout.

Mouthfeel: It's quite watery and weak-bodied for a creamy stout as is. Not a lot of points here.

Drinkability: It's decent for such a simple stout, but not something I'd return to on a regular basis.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2012 03:54:11 | More by julian89

Stimack

New York

3.28/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This brew came in a standard Nonic glass. Poured to a deep black color with a frothy Guinness like head that broke down slowly and did leave a nice sheen on lacing down the side of the glass, nice looking brew to say the least. The aromas seemed to be more on the burnt side than toasted, some coffee like scents and a slight hop. The taste seemed to resemble the aromas quite closely. The malt seemed to have a slight astringent flavoring but to me this brew tasted like it was missing something, not overly robust. Slight hop finish was good but just think that I have had better dry stouts. The feel was very creamy and again to its style had a dry finish. All in All, I was let down by this brew, but again I am viewing a single persons view. Let me just finish by saying that my expectations where high and was a little let down and this is probably why I have been as harsh, it is a fair brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2007 14:05:09 | More by Stimack

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.31/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Sampled at Tap and Handles in Fort Collins CO. Pours a chug achuga chuga chuga midnight black color with nitro legs. Good rocky head with great retention and legging around the glass.

The nose is soft due to the nitro. Some minor malt notes. Maybe a touch of roast and chocolate.

The taste is more expressive. Soft malt undertones with the velvet like texture from the nitro. The roast comes out nicely with a good chocolate presence. Minor biscuit and a touch of rose peddles (sensitive). Some earthy hop notes a bit much for style.

The body is on par for nitro. Finishes dry and helps that roasty black malt note that comes out. Silky feel. Overall not a big fan of nitro but this is pretty really good overall. Malt comes out despite the nitro. Would like a bit cleaner and more body/depth.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-22-2013 02:40:28 | More by Oxymoron

Agold

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours with the characteristic cascading head of a nitro tap. It is a bit light around the edges though which is not too great. Aroma is mildly roasty with a nice little bit of coco. Pretty nice. Flavor is a bit on the light side, but the coco comes out s bit more with a mild bitterness. Mouthfeel was pretty on point for the style, maybe a bit more dryness, but is good nonetheless with the creaminess from the nitro. Pretty good enjoyable approachable stout.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-08-2011 22:18:37 | More by Agold

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-dark brown with a creamy light tan tap.

S-smells like black coffee with some creamy chocolate. Great strong scent.

T-comes in with a really mellow taste of black coffee and some chocolate: it's a bit watery but it's an awesome taste. Somewhat faint though.

M-light carbonation. More watery than creamy.

O-a very nice easy drinking beer. Very watery. Sadly not better than Gunniess. Not bad though.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-27-2012 16:56:22 | More by AdamBear

cichief

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on nitro-tap at the Frisco Grille, Columbia, MD.

A- Pours avery dark brown, nearly black, with a nice tan nitro head.

S- Scent of roasted barley and a little coffee.

T- Again roasted barley prevails, with a hint of coffee and licorice, nice clean dry finish.

M- Smooth, the beer was made for nitro, medium body, clean finish.

D- A low alcohol Irish stout that tastes better than the imports, a nice fresh stout, hard to beat.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-11-2008 21:10:05 | More by cichief

AltBock

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This was on nitro tap at Teresa's Next Door on 12/6/2008. They served it to me in a standard Victory Hop Devil pint glass.

Teresa's little info sheet said that it poured a pitch black color, but if you hold this beer into the light, it was actually more of a really dark crimson red color. Since it was a nitro tap, the head of foam on this beer was very creamy, at least 1 1/2 inches in height, and tan in color. This creamy head had nice retention that left behind a string of foamy tan rings and a tan film around the glass. Great appearance!

The aroma was mildly roasted with dark roasted malts, a hint of roasted nuts, a quick splash of sweet caramel, and a hint of roasted coffee beans at the end. It had almost everything that I look for in a Irish Dry Stout, but it was a bit on the mild side.

The taste was dry and roasted like it should be, but it was also lightly sour too. I should probably chalk that up to all the dark roasted malts in here. Behind the dark roasted malts was a hint of roasted coffee beans, a subtle touch of sweet caramel, and some roasted nuts here and there.

This was clearly a dry roasted light bodied beer with a dry roasted aftertaste of dark roasted malts, and roasted coffee beans. I couldn't get any of the sweetness in the aftertaste. It could have helped out a little bit. This dry roasted aftertaste will stick around for a few seconds.

In the end, it was another nice light, dry, and roasted Irish Dry stout. It wasn't too dry or too roasted. It was just good. If I saw this again on nitro tap, I might order it again.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-07-2008 18:42:51 | More by AltBock

jgasparine

Maryland

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Poured a dark (filtered) brown- almost opaque. No visible carbonation from the sides or top of the glass. Nice thin, flat, tan-colored head, which gave way to some wonderful proteinaceous lacing.

S- Prominently dry 'roasty' chocolate malt aromas. Further examination reveals some restrained coffee and cocoa aromas as well. No detectable hops on the nose.

T- Delicate 'roasty' chocolate malt is the dominant flavor, as anticipated. This is backed by some restrained flavors of dark chocolate and low-alpha hop bitterness. Overall, the flavors are MILD... I have has many dark milds are equal this beer in terms of strength of flavor... The finish is delicately bitter and roasty, but short-lived.

M- This is where this beer shines. You get a nice medium body with just 3.5% ABV. It is creamy with ultra-fine carbonation, and a bit oily at the end... it coats the mouth nicely as you would expect from a much bigger beer.

D- This beer is exceptionally drinkable, but its mild aromas and flavors could get bland and boring after a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2009 23:15:01 | More by jgasparine

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Tap at prezo

Big creamy nitro looking head 1.5 fingers fades slowly plenty of lacing, semi clear molasses reddish brown colored beer, more like brown ale or even darker reddish ale than stout.

Nose has a bit of nitro gas aroma, then toffee, caramel, toasty brown malts slight aged like, light nutty syrupy aroma, hint of cocoa, but pretty light and most of the nice aromas live in the shadow of the nitro.

Taste again starts with creamy nitro, then moves to light stout, very light, hint of brown malts, light caramel and toffee, light syrupy malt flavor, touch of nutty brown malts, slightest hint of chocolate, light bitterness from slight earthy hops and from light char. Finish is a bit more bitter, not dry but also sticky syrupy, hint of malt and nitro left.

Mouth is thinner, light nitro creaminess and light carb with little nitro bubbles.

Overall not great, way too light, very little malt or stout flavors at all, thin and watery, and what there is for flavor is overpowered by the nitro. at least I can drink this like chocolate milk and pound it.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-16-2012 12:31:49 | More by jlindros

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Nitro pour at the Warwick. Big bonus points to this establishment for serving this in a matching Donnybrook nonic. The brew pours dark brown with a khaki, silky finger of topping. Some ruby coloring is seen around the edges. The typical nitro look here with a head that lasts until the last sip and produces a webby pattern of lace all over the glass.

The aromatics are quite phenolic almost like burning plastic at first. As it settles, pete smoked malts emerge along with a faint roasty aspect. Some suggestions of coffee and plenty of earthy tones fill out the void. Overall, despite having that pete quality, it is a mild smelling brew.

The flavor has a minor smoked aspect like pete mixed with a mineral element almost like chlorine. A little bit of herbal hops character and hardly any roasted maltiness to be found which is a bit of a let down. However, overall it fits the style in that it is very mild flavored.

This is a super light bodied brew with a modest amount of that silky smooth nitro feel. But this is very watery in the feel even by irish stout standards. It is lacking quite a bit in body and character but was a pleasant unique offering that I would probably have again.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-22-2013 15:48:02 | More by stakem

LeftyBWS

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at D's Six Pax & Dogz, Pittsburgh, PA.
Dark brown color with a thick layer of creamy and rich darkish tan head on top. Smells strongly of roasted malts, with some subtler notes of sugars and dark fruitiness. Taste was a little paler and subdued than I expected given the appearance and smell. Had a slightly metallic and watery aftertaste that sort of ruined the initial taste which was a great mix of malts and sugars with some underlying bitter bite. Felt good in my mouth, round and filling but not too heavy; quite creamy. If the taste was vamped up a bit to maintain the initial level, I could easily have a couple of these, but as it was, I moved on to something else.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-19-2007 00:53:50 | More by LeftyBWS

kimcgolf

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

This one didn't do much for me. Poured from the tap to a dark brown with medium tan head that lingered awhile and left okay lacing. Nose and taste were botrh a faint chocolate malt and the mouthfeel was fairly flat and watery. At only 3.7% abv, there was no noticeable alcohol, and the finish was short and non-descript.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2009 02:13:34 | More by kimcgolf

gford217

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Nitro at Leon's Full Service served in a Donnybrook pint glass.

Pours dark, dark chocolate brown with a massive creamy nitro head that lingers for the duration and leaves good lacing. It's like a lighter version of Guinness.

The aroma is very sedate on this one with some dark chocolate malts and little else.

The taste is a slight step up from the aroma with a more noticeable chocolate presence and more sweetness overall. The finish is dry and roasty.

The mouthfeel is thin and slightly watery with soft carbonation.

This is a decent dry stout but it's nothing to write home about.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-11-2009 03:28:53 | More by gford217