Baltic Thunder - Victory Brewing Company

Lukafer

Indiana

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A- Pours dark red with about a pinky finger worth of head.

S- Malty with some chocolate.

T- Starts sweet with some chocolate, then the hops kick in to balance everything out. The alcohol isn't very noticeable for being 8+%.

M- Feels good, not too watery and not too thick, perfect.

D- Very drinkable. Wouldn't think there was that much alcohol in this until you finish the bomber and stand up. Plus, I got this 22 for $3.49, excellent! Definitely worth checking out, and I'm glad to see you can get good beer without paying $10+ for a bomber. Definitely work getting!

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2010 05:53:13 | More by Lukafer

engagechad

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I brought this beer home from Capital Ale house last night in a growler - poured into a Victory tulip glass (how fitting)..

Although my experience with pouring from a growler is limited to this one occasion, I did manage to get some good head on this beer with moderate lacing. This beer smells incredible! A lot of sweet malts and maybe some brown sugar notes in there which I love and the taste backs it up. When I was drinking this brew I forgot that I was having a porter for a minute so I had to take into account this deviation from the style when reviewing. The beer is sweet and malty, almost like a big brown ale so that was a little misleading, however I loved the beer.

This beer is amazing on the mouth and under the tongue, and VERY drinkable for it's ABV. I had about 22oz of this beer within about 15 minutes and I usually never do that, it was just that dern delicious.

Serving type: growler

01-26-2011 16:33:23 | More by engagechad

ziggy13

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this little gem on a lazy Friday. Nice to see a Victory beer in a 22oz. bomber.

Appearence: Pours a deep brown with a nice two-finger tan head. Maybe a little thinner than a lot of porters.

Smell: Beutiful bouquet of chocolate and caramel. Also a great nutty aroma in the nose. Very pleasing and certianly not overpowering.

Taste: Very easy going down. Again the nut hits you first, followed by the chocolate and caramel. Really an exquisite flavor. I'm very glad that Victory got their hands on this recipe from Heavyweight. It is pretty darn close to the Perkuno's Hammer. Great all around!! Nothing bad to say here. Just as I remembered.

Mouthfeel: This is a medium-bodied beer. Not nearly as chewy as some other Baltic porters and that's fine with me. Definitely easy to handle from first sip to last. Which leads me to...

Drinkability: Had two bombers in an hour and a half sitting. That should say it all. Although not a session beer, it's definitely easy to have a few.

Again, thanks to my friends at Victory for ressurecting this recipe for year-round sale. It was truly a pleasure!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2008 04:20:32 | More by ziggy13

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4.45/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thanks to Kegatron for the trade.

This porter pours black with a beautiful blood ruby tint in it and a nice fluffy off white head.

Smell is of roasted malt and lager.

The taste starts with a nice roasted malt flavor and then transitions into a good style signature slight creaminess. Malt flavors ride the whole way through. There is some very slight coffee notes in the middle and on the finish. slight sweetness on the finish as well.

The mouthfeel is a tiny bit thin, I would like it to be a little thicker for the style, but it does make it very refreshing, so I won't knock it too hard in this category. Carbonation is very evident.

Drinkability is incredibly good on this brew. Very refreshing for the style while maintaining alot of flavor. The 8.5% is NOWHERE to be found. I would have guessed 6%.

I have one bottle of Perkuno's Hammer in the cellar. If it is better (like most seem to think it is) it must be wonderful. Ill post my comparison in that review. Great beer, well worth the trade. Thanks again to Heath.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2008 05:00:42 | More by AKBelgianBeast

ommegangpbr

New York

4.47/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at the Blind Tiger for their Victory/Heavyweight/Baltic Thunder event.
Into a tulip it pours an opaque black as far as I could see. The place was dimly lit and crowded so I didn't have a chance to get a great eyeful of the stuff, but I got a good enough look. Some deep tan head forms with no lacing.
Smells pretty enticing even though it was on the cooler side. Think good quality, sweetened, iced coffee.
Over the lips and past the gums...
I can't help but think along the lines of Storm King Lite. Quite a similar set of characteristics going on (again with the good, sweetened, iced coffee stuff) but much lighter and dare I say, creamier.
The relative lightness of this brew makes the drinkability of Baltic Thunder pretty damned dangerous. I often don't look to session richer, darker brews but I don't think I'd have any sort of problem making a night out of this guy.
I'm liking this on tap. I hope I see bottles soon and that the bottles match up to this batch.
Go Scandinavian power!

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2008 05:34:23 | More by ommegangpbr

leif86

California

4.47/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drink by Dec 31, 2008.

Admittedly I haven't had many Baltic Porters to compare this to, but here goes.

A: A cola like head, that is to say, frothy and light brown and short to live. No lacing. The brew is near black but when held up to light allows a tiny bit of dark, dark ruby glow to appear on the edges.

S: Molasses much? Also some general maltiness. Beyond that I can't truly identify because of all the molasses.

T: Molasses, as can be expected, but with a slight fruitiness I wasn't expecting. Also, deliciously balanced at the end with some an oh-so-nice hoppy bitterness. Alcohol level is barely decipherable. Again, balance is the name of the game here.

M: Smooth yet creamy and crisp all at the same time. All the benefits of lager done well. Carbonation is near perfect.

D: Holy crap, give me some more. I could drink this all night and that's something I can't say about nearly any other porter - usually all the sweetness gets to me after a bit. Finally, a delicious winter brew without all that spiciness.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2008 01:36:49 | More by leif86

TheHoppiest

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a deep mahogany brown with glints of garnet. A very modest head disappears almost instantly, leaving a wisp of soapy tan floating up top.

Smells oaty, with pleasant biscuit-malt overlaid with a nose tingle of alcohol. Toffee and coffee notes are also present.

Tastes very nice; has a nice, roasted coffee taste, mellow yet distinct, with hints of chocolate and toffee. An almost bready malt gives this a full bodied taste. Ends slightly bitter for a nice finish.

Full mouthfeel, smooth yet bold, with a slight bitter feeling around the tongue and inside of the mouth.

This is an excellent porter, certainly one of the better I've had this year. Full and delicious, I would absolutely have this brew again.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 04:00:53 | More by TheHoppiest

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.49/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pour is a dark brown with a bit of light shining through. A full head at pour disappates but leaves a nice rim around the glass and some lacing.

S: Malty, sweet, brown sugar and a hint of hops.

T: Hops catch up front and balance nicely through to back with the ample malt addition. Again a presence of a sweetner.

M: Leaning towards the heavier side although not a thick beer.

O: Great brew and a good one for colder months... with a hop kick.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 14:06:05 | More by Oakenator

abankovich

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This beer pours a dark black, especially dark for a Porter, although it isn't too vicsous. A very small head was present after pouring that faded quickly. Not much lacing at all throughout drinking this one.

The aroma is great, it is full of toffee and mocha with some sweetness from dark the dark fruits.

That sweetness from the nose is present again on the back end upon tasting. Up front there is a great bitterness and dryness that makes for a great balance.

The mouthfeel is good, not too thick though, which actually increases the drinkability. There is a great richness and smoothness that goes down very easily with this beer, especially at 8.5% ABV and I could definitely have some more of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 02:16:41 | More by abankovich

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a snifter)

A-This beer pours a jet black body with a lot of little tiny bubbles stuck to the sides of the glass. There is a rocky tan head that fades to a thin film that slides back into the beer with each sip.

S- The smell of dark roasted quality is smooth with a rye bread note and dark toffee hints get stronger as it warms. There is a faint dark chocolate quality that adds to the richness of the aroma.

T- This beer has a soft dark chocolate malt flavor blended with some dark roasted black malt notes and a bit of cream. The finish has a nice red wine tannin quality with roasted dryness finishing each sip.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a slippery texture and no alcohol heat noticed.

D- This beer has a very smooth fresh flavor with great dark malt flavors but still keeping it to the porter flavors with not that char of a impy stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2009 15:48:43 | More by rhoadsrage

ROMER79

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: When poured it was a thick brown/black just like a good porter should be with a nice tan head. The head disappears after a few and leaves a ring of suds around the glass with spotting here and there.

S: You can definitely tell what it's going to taste like once you catch a wiff of the beer for the first time. I could detect chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. The balance was there though, they did not overpower one another.

T: Again rich chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, and alcohol with a hint of molasses for a sweet spot.

M: Thick and smooth.

D: Very good! I think that it is definitely worthy of it's status.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2008 01:34:15 | More by ROMER79

jchow79

New York

4.55/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Opened a bomber at a friends holiday party.

Appearance: Dark as night - think of oil in a glass

Smell: Fragrance of chocolate and molasses and smoke. I love the aroma. Theres an earthy undertone as well - smells a bit like dirt was mixed in. Absolutely awesome.

Taste: High concentration of malt and chocolate. Delicious on the tongue with a long finish. Smooth and delicious.

Mouthfeel: Thick and oily in the mouth. Coats the tongue and smooth all the way down.

Drinkability: I probably could have finished this bomber on my own. Loved it. I think this is a really great offering!

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 16:23:24 | More by jchow79

Dodo2step

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this beer at the Knickerbocker on tap in Altoona. This was the first i have heard of the thunder and i love anything that comes from a Victory. Now it has been 3 days sincei had so bare with me on the review.

It poured a dark thick smoky black and left a little bit of head but not too much.

S- i didnt have a chance to actually smell it but i could smell it briefly as i toko a sip. A roasted yet lightly burnt flavor.

T- taste was great and i could get a hint of the roasted malted hops that is in there. It was delicious.

D- i would def recommend a six pack of this beer. It has full flavor yet it goes down pretty smooth. No bad aftertaste and it is a victory brew.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2008 00:25:43 | More by Dodo2step

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.58/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber from the Liquor Shop in Tyngsborro, Mass. My first Victory beer! Pours a nearly opaque black body with ruby-red highlights and a quarter inch of short-lived light tan head. Hints of chocolate, caramel, and coffee characterize the aroma. Chocolate, coffee, caramel, toffee, a tinge of grassy hops. Full-bodied with ample carbonation. Way too drinkable for the flavor and ABV. Wow. A phenomenal beer; flavorful, balanced, one sip definitely invites another. The best Baltic porter I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2008 02:49:40 | More by MrHurmateeowish

templar316

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours deep and black with an off white head that hangs around for awhile, moderate lacing. Subtle ruby notes appear when held to the light. The smell is understated toffee and dark fruit and the alcohol is there, with just a soft warning.The flavor starts with dark cheeries and chocolate, rolls into toffee malts and finishes with a burst of hop bitterness. There's a nice vanilla to the midbody and te flavor makes you sit back and try again. It's not too heavy or surypy like many imperials or east euro porters and my 22 is almost gone already. I could go for another. This is a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2009 03:57:51 | More by templar316

deaconoflove

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Ap. Poured a very dark, almost black, with a deep amber red. Produced a large tan frothy head that held on quite a while. Good lacing, too.
Sm. Caramel and some hjops, bready malts maybe. Sweet.
Ta. Caramelly candy(in a good way), coffee with a hint of grapefruitiness thrown in later.
Mf. Good carbonation. Smoothly coats the mouth and fills it up with goodness.
Dr. A very nice porter that I could drink way too much of too quickly.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2009 22:45:37 | More by deaconoflove

hitokiri

North Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Maybe it was the way i poured, but I didn't get much head at all, other than that it is dark black and holding it up to light shows just how black because the light doesn't shine through.

S: Smell is deceiving to me. It smells like a RIS and I get a hop scent. I get roasted malts, dark dried fruits, maybe some coffee. I know it is not wood aged, but I get a hint of wood in there. Also get a little smell of alcohol.

T: Taste is very balanced, more on the sweet and roasty side, but the bitterness is there. I actually prefer it to not have an in your face bitterness. Taste some smokiness/roastiness. A little alcohol tase too. Reminds me of very dark chocolate.

M: It had a good amount of carbonation in the begining but as it heated up it became more slick, not bad though, the alcohol seemed to make up for the lack of carbonation.

D: I could drink it all the time.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2009 03:52:25 | More by hitokiri

ThreeWiseMen

California

4.65/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The final beer in a trade I got from Aprilluvsbeer. Victory really surprised me - what a great brewery! Surprisingly, my least favorite in the bundle was Storm King. Te others were HopDevil and Hop Wallop.

Appearance: Deep, dark brown with shades of red when held to light. Thin tan head quickly dissipates to a ring of tight bubbles around the edge of the glass. No lacing.

Smell: Dark chocolate-covered cherries soaked in alcohol. A bit of merlot, some barbeque/smoke, wiseman Justin says meat. Very floral for a porter. I'd give it a 5, but wiseman Justin likes 4 instead. He's not a fan of fruity beers. Solution: compromise. EDIT: Wiseman Justin didn't finish his beer - Wiseman Nick takes control of this review.

Taste: Again with the dark chocolate, alcohol-soaked cherries. Some charcoal-burnt malts, oily hops, and a touch of alcohol finish it off. Great balance - flavors meld together perfectly. I almost gave it a 5... but... well, I don't know. 5's should be definite - this one teeters on the edge. Wiseman Nick thinks this is fantastic! Justin wasn't a fan, but screw him - he's done!

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with a somewhat dry finish. Medium carbonation and lots of chewiness.

Drinkability: Big time flavor and fantastically smooth. Watch out for the ABV, but other than that, DRINK UP BABY!

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2008 05:58:02 | More by ThreeWiseMen

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Clear and dark tone of burgandy. Big ol whipped crop of brown froth on top. Retention and lacing are outstanding. Big aroma of baltic goodness....chocolatey, roasty, bready. Nice. Flavor is very, very good too. Nice toffee roast malt base. Clean dark malt flavors intermingle with some dark fruits and a little black licorice. Velvety smooth mouthfeel. Creamy and easy going. And for 8.5% a/v, the alcohol is not detectable. It is integrated so finely into the fabric of this beer it is reduced to nothing. This is an excellent baltic porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 05:21:07 | More by Bighuge

techdiver

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep dark red brown that appears black unless held to light. Modest head that dissipates quickly.

Molasses, coffee, and chocolate to the nose.

Taste is very well balanced, just a great tasting melange of flavor.

Mouthfeel is light for this style, just an easy drinking and most enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2008 02:00:04 | More by techdiver

shbobdb

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +24%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Mmmm. Thanks Muenchenerkindl. Just for full-disclosure, I haven't had the original Hammer, but this bad-boy is absolutely amazing as it is. Everything Victory touches is gold, and this is no exception.

Pouring a nice rich black that becomes something between a deep garnet and a nice tawny, with a faint brown, almost white head that quickly collapses into a nice ring-around-the-glass with a few small islands of foam.

The smell is quite muted. A whiff of chocolate blending with a nice, light blast of alcohol, but nothing too in-your-face.

Which is what makes the taste so surprisingly wonderful. It isn't an extreme porter, the chocolate/roast presence is certainly the dominating aspect of the flavor but it isn't harshly acidic. Instead it ends in a pleasant mixture of prunes and plums, rather reminiscent of a good doppelbock or munich dunkel. Basically, it combines the best aspects of the Germanic and British brewing traditions. The hops are certainly present, but I couldn't tell you which hops they are. They basically stand in the background adding a nice note of complexity without trying to steal the show.

The mouthfeel is pleasant. Nice and silky smooth.

And the drinkability is insanely good. As I said, the best of two great brewing traditions in one. Soooo good.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2008 20:20:51 | More by shbobdb

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Enjoyed on-tap at the brewpub.
Served as a very dark brown colored beer with moderate off-white puffy head.
Smell is very nice, with strong notes of dark fruit(painins, dates, plums) abounding. There is also a good presence of roasted malt.
Taste is truly extraordinary. The raoseted malt and the dark fruits combine pertectly. The taste sensation and smoothness is difficult to decribe.
Leaves a great taste in the mouth.
Way too drinkable at 8.5%. I'm glad I bought a case to take home.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2008 00:18:48 | More by tgbljb

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.88/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I am sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. Ive been cellaring this beer for about 12 months and Im excited to drink it tonite.
The beer pours a deep cola brown with no light passing through the glass when held up against the lamp.
Very loud fizziness eminates from the glass throughout the pour. A tan fizzy head of 2 cm foams up and fades to a sturdy surface layer quickly, leaving a few wispy islands.
Aroma is deep chocolate malt with some rich molassess and dark fruit. Not any hop presence to speak of and only limited hints of the forthcoming booze.
First sip revels a thick slightly syrupy beer but the smoth texture and minimal gentle carbonation keep this beer a very drinkable one.
Flavor is deep dark fruit, maybe plums, heavy with molassess and brown sugar and a bit of roasted malt and baker's chocolate.
Again there is no hop profile and the booze is amazingly well hidden.

I really enjoy this well crafted big beer. Quite complex and dangerously drinkable! WIsh I had another bottle in the cellar.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 04:19:47 | More by sulldaddy

nriech

Virginia

4.9/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Wow, I have been waiting for this since Perkunos Hammer disappered and have not been disappointed.

S: Great aroma consisting of coffee, chocolate and a little sweetness(maybe light molasses)

A: Good dark brown. Some head and lacing. Appears to have plenty of carbonation.

T: Insanely good. Balanced. Chocolate, roasted nuttyness. Good malt flavor thats toasted just right. A little sweet but just as a teaser. Some vanilla notes come off in the end and a clean roasted malt backbone that stays clear through the whole drink.

I suggest anyone that finds this should try it. Its not too far off in left field so that anyone would enjoy it. Baltic porters are among my favorite styles and this is a perfect example of that style

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2008 19:05:27 | More by nriech

garyc2112

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bought two bottles of this from Abe's in Allentown.
Has a dark chocolate appearance with a hint of chestnut. Almost a cola-like look. Poured a rich head that went away quickly. Smell has hints of malt that are not strong and very pleasing. Great smooth taste for being 8.5%, very drinkable. Wow! Very flavorful. Has a subtle toffee flavor with hints of fruit and spice. This beer is awesome! Very litle bite with a load of alcohol content. Great for an after dinner drink. I'll definitely be picking up more bottles if I can.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2008 03:21:13 | More by garyc2112