Donnybrook Stout - Victory Brewing Company

williamjbauer

West Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served nitro tap in a pint glass at their brewery

A - Obsidian with 2 finger ecru foamy head with excellent retention and good lacing.

S - Coffee, spice, chocolate.

T - A more subtle stout characterized by many of the nitros with a smooth chocolate and coffee flavor at the front contrasted by a spicy tobacco smokey notes. Pretty subtle and some might say weak but this is an irish dry.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, smooth, a bit watery.

O - I have yet to fall in love with this style and this beer is yet another setback. I feel like the nitro version of these stout just come off as a little too subtle with a rather watery mouthfeel as well. I'll keep trying, but I wouldn't get this one again.

Serving type: nitro-tap

06-13-2012 22:26:41 | More by williamjbauer

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

I got to try this hard to find beer at Barcade in Jersey City, NJ. I like nitro beers, and I like Victory... so this should work out pretty well (surprise ending, it does. I'm doing the review from notes earlier in the day.).

You gotta love the cascading foam on the glass as the nitro settle. The good looking irish stout, where it is surprisingly dark for the low ABV.

I like this example of an irish stout. It is incredibly easy to drink. I like the complex flavors, but the drinkability is very easy. The texture is kind of velvety on the tongue.

This is far and away the best irish stout I have ever had. Much props to the great brewers at Victory.

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-25-2012 21:52:05 | More by ummswimmin

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

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

Offa

California

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on nitro-tap at La Jolla Public House in La Jolla, CA, and it is an excellent, characterful stout that packs in a lot of character for the low alcohol, making it a great session and food beer.

Black, it had a creamy, medium-big tan head slowly shrinking and leaving some nice lace.

Aroma was mild but nice, very toasty and lightly fruity with faint hint of dark chocolate.

Taste was great, a light roasted barley and charcoal with hint of dry dark chocolate, light woody bitterness to balance a very light sweetness. It had nice well-rounded body, and a great, solid feel, esp. for such low abv, etc.

Serving type: nitro-tap

11-27-2011 18:45:39 | More by Offa

dontspookthehors

New York

4.72/5  rDev +27.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Outstanding in every aspect. This dry stout coming in @ 3.7%ABV is everything I could ever want for this style. Very high whole hop flavor (EKG I assume) for style, without the typical roasted malt bitterness normally present. I can't say enough about this offering from Victory. They are my darling East Coast Brewery, and they should be yours too!

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-30-2011 03:19:06 | More by dontspookthehors

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The pour reminds me of Guiness, thick and viscout looking. Pours a deep dark brown almost black color with a thick off white foam head. There is some moderate lacing.

S: There is a mild amount of dark chocolate, lightly roasted coffee and toffee. Nothing overlly potent.

T: Starts off with ample amount of roasted coffee. In the middle there is some roasted coffee along with milk chocolate. On the back end, more of the same, not ovely complex but still tasty.

M: Leaves a really dry,creamy taste on the palate. Nicely carbonated.

O: One of the better Dry Stouts I have had. Not an ovely complext beer, but a great session beer.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-30-2011 23:52:08 | More by IronCitySteve

OutFox

New York

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at Barcade Jersey City, NJ 9/15/2011. Reviewed from memory

A - Dark, almost black, with a seriously thick and creamy head. Reminded me of Guinness (it is a Irish Dry Stout after all). Good retention since it was poured on nitro and lacing.

S - Truly not a lot of nose to this but you can pick up small tones of coffee and malt. It even smells dry.

T - Rich, smooth sort of toasted malts. Very thick and enjoyable. Dryish, I wouldnt really define it as all that dry but its a good expression of the style.

M - Fantastic. Once again stouts on nitro never seem to dissapoint. Thick, rich, creamy, just all over the palate.

O - Cant complain. Good Irish dry stout. Honestly havent had many but Guinness but this one doesnt dissapoint. I enjoy it more than Guinness. Well done Victory.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-16-2011 03:59:03 | More by OutFox

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

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

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out like a Guinness. The surge took a little while to finish. The head is creamy and thick, the color of the beer is a deep brown. The smell is light, not much on the nose just a slight roasted aroma. The taste is very smooth and has a nice light chocolatey flavor to it. The mouthfeel is light and slick, nitro makes this brew very smooth. Oveall it's a good Dry Stout, typical for the style, really nice.

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-12-2011 03:55:32 | More by Knapp85

Northsider

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap at The Fountainhead Chicago. VERY drinkable stout here. I can hardly taste or feel the alcohol. Definitely my kind of drink!

A - Dark black, perfect head that lingers forever

S - I can't say the smell is all that great...that is there isn't much smell at all to me

T - Very creamy with little to no bite due to low alcohol content. Perfect for me who doesn't like high abv.

O - Great stout! I'm glad it's on tap 1/2 a block from my house. Very drinkable, very smooth...I could drink this all night long.

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-06-2011 02:35:37 | More by Northsider

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - An absolute stunner of a pour... Cascading foam settles and provides a fingers worth of rich creamy light tan colored head... Excellent retention as this one never quite fades before finishing the glass... A deep dark brown that allows some light to leak in around the edges... An occasional carbonation streak can be seen climbing the sides of the glass...

S - Faint roasted malts... Subtle chocolate... Some distinct smoke notes...

T - Lightly roasted malts... Touches of chocolate... Caramel... Toffee... Butterscotch... A subtle nuttiness...

M - Light to medium bodied... Smooth... Sleek... Creamy... Goes down very easily... Very muted carbonation... Perhaps a tad thin...

D - This one is uber-sessionable as this one packs a lot of flavor into 3.7% ABV... Great appearance with nice flavor and aroma all while being able to drink several glasses... Another nice job by the folks at Victory... I'm shocked it took me so long to sample...

Serving type: nitro-tap

05-06-2011 02:13:03 | More by philbe311

jocosa

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nitro-tap at Taco Mac - Newnan, GA.

This is a session stout all the way. Nice to have such from Victory with out the usual extra hop profile. Dark, beautiful pour - settled into a classic creamy nitro head. Great aroma of roast grains, hint of coffee and cocoa. Taste of the same, slight sweetness, and all at 3.7%. Nice to have a stout with lunch and not feel wiped out afterwards. Very drinkable, wish I could find this more often.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-15-2011 18:38:28 | More by jocosa

philosobeer

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had at Binny's in the South Loop. Nitro-tap into a tulip pint. About 40-45° on serving, and warmed slightly (a very acceptable thing for this beer.)

A // Nice, bright frothy head that emerges over the cascading nitrogenated beer. A dark body with highlights of garnet at the edges, but overall looks dark enough brown-to-black where you won't see much of that

S // Mostly roasty, some malt sugar sweetness seems to be in the nose

M // Mostly dry roasted barley on the palate with those roasty notes reminiscent of coffee or, well, roasted grain, but has some balancing sweetness. British style hops (EKG a likely suspect) also hit the tongue (however lightly) and help to dry the finish.

M // Light, and very light at that. I find this acceptable for the style, but feel the body could be slightly more full. Slightly.

Drinkability & c. // I'd love to have a keg of this in my own home on nitro, I really would. Have two with lunch and three with dinner. I really wanted more after the first one. And this light alcohol, nice flavored beer brings to the table what so few American brewers ever manage to make. I hope to see plenty of session ales* follow the example it sets here.

*note for nitpickers, this is indeed less than 4% and I do mean I'd like to see more <4%abv beers like this.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-09-2011 03:35:05 | More by philosobeer

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nitro tap poure into a pint glass.

Pours a very dark black with a nice big super fine and creamy light brown head. Nose is tame and mellow, the nitro subdues it.

Taste is very creamy and smooth, the mouthfeel is phenomenal. Very toasty and a bit grainy. No hoppiness but perfect for the style. Surprising good.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-07-2011 00:27:22 | More by kingcrowing

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

Halcyondays

California

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On nitro-tap at Beachwood BBQ, good to try another true session beer,

A: Pours black with a medium off-white to tan head, good lace and head retention. Has the great nitro look.

S: Roasted malt with a hint of smoke, intriguing.

T: Some roasted malt and coffee, dark chocolate, but a very light flavour overall. Tastes good but nothing to grab your attention.

M: Medium-bodied, still has a decent carbonation in the nitro serving type, frothy.

O: In the old drinkability category this would get a solid 4.5. Overall it's a good beer, I think the serving style is hampering the impact of the flavours, give me this on cask or even regular draft and allow the flavours to come out more. That being said it's still a very easy drinking pint, but there's not a lot to differentiate it from Guinness at this point.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-25-2011 00:12:35 | More by Halcyondays

oberon

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Milltown in Carrboro.Poured from the nitro tap jet black with a cascading beige head that settled into a creamy froth after awhile.Some dark roast coffee,unsweetened chocolate,and metallic aromas,pretty much spot on for the style.Creamy as suspected from the pour,flavors seem a bit light with dark roast flavors dominating,a tinge of iron in the finish.An easy quaffing nitrogen dispensed dry stout,creamy and good.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-06-2011 01:18:23 | More by oberon

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a nitro tap into a nonic

A- pours jet black with a two finger light tan head. Sticks around for awhile, great lacing

S- faint aroma of roasted malts, but not much going on here as you'd expect from the style

T- tastes a little bit watery, but I'm getting some roast here.

M- really creamy. A little thick, but good god do I love that creaminess you can only get from this style

D- really drinkable. Not a lot of alcohol at all, and just the right amount of flavor too.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-27-2011 21:00:19 | More by bigfnjoe

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: Pretty close to black with a thick, sticky, typically nitro head.

s: Fairly mild overall, I found some faintly bitter roast and little else.

t: This is a very satisfying small stout. My experience with these is limited, but this might be my favorite. Dry roast that is somewhat chocolatey and some fairly strong bitterness at the end.

m: Creamy and delicious.

d: Very drinkable and quite flavorful.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-14-2011 11:44:53 | More by DIM

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

bonkers

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on nitro at the brew pub today. The pour is jet black with a full fluffy, tan head. The aroma had some chocolate and roasted notes. The flavor is roasted malts and has a light dry finish. The body is medium/light and well carbonated. Very easy drinking, I had no idea it was so low in ABV. I prefer other Irish stouts, but this is not bad.

Serving type: nitro-tap

11-25-2010 01:36:41 | More by bonkers

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on nitro tap at the brewery

Pours a hazed mocha brown with a huge creamy off-white, tanned head. Settles similar to an English pup stout, resulting in a shrouded appearance, retaining well with plenty of ringed lacing.

Lots of toasted malt and grain in the nose with hints of chocolate and sweetness in the nose.

Light coffee beans with roasted malt and barley up front. Hints of coffee, caramel, and chocolate. Slight hop bitterness alongside tingly dry touches. Finishes with nuttiness, hops, and a bit of cream.

Ultra smooth feel with a much fuller body than you might expect, very pleasant on the tongue. Easy drinking and super low abv, making it extra sessionable. Instead of turning this into a watery, thin, boring beer, Victory preserved the body, feel, and flavor. Nice!

Serving type: nitro-tap

11-24-2010 23:33:40 | More by xnicknj

garuda

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Mostly black with ruby highlights, a tightly packed white head that has great retention and good lacing down the glass.

S/T - Nice combination of the typical roasted malt with touches of chocolate and coffee found in the style, with even some nuttiness to it.

M - Light body, nitro carbonation giving it a good creamy mouthfeel. Even though its light, it feels a bit more substantial to some of its counterparts, and never feels watery. Clean, dry finish.

D - Easily drinkable. A true session beer that I wish was more commonly found in area bars.

Serving type: nitro-tap

11-19-2010 20:40:04 | More by garuda