Yakima Glory - Victory Brewing Company

beagle75

Iowa

2.55/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Clear, dark brown color with one finger of diminishing cinnamon-tinted foam head.

S: Husky but also vinous fermented grain shares the smell with dark earthy hops and fruit. Fusile alcohols and carbon dioxide are also detected, suggesting an uncomfortable drinking experience to come.

T: Begins sweet, awash with acidity that seems to mask and muddle other flavors early. There is certainly malt in there, tasting of toffee, fruitcake, and candy sugar, but the hop flavors tend to get lost in amongst the acidity. Flavors dry out considerably toward the middle, where a whiff of bitter grapefruit peel emerges, passing by the waning acidity. The finish is dry, roasty, herbaceous, and definitely bitter with the grapefruit peel quality lingering. A fair amount of booziness is detectable throughout.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, slightly sticky but very harsh--burning the palate from the tip of the tongue to the back of the throat--with prickly carbonation.

D: This beer is massively flawed, not really requiring further dissection in that regard. What is interesting is the stylistic place from where this beer takes its inspiration. Whereas most black IPAs inherit their dark "genes" from a beer of porter or stout parentage, leading to a dominating black roast/coffee malt profile, this beer seems to have decidedly Belgian roots. Stylistically its dark qualities remind of a quad--albeit not a very refined one. With hop flavors that are mostly dark as well--nuanced, perhaps--there just isn't the expected clash that somehow ends up working in the best examples of this style. As a strong sipper this beer is not an unqualified mess, but Yakima Glory lags behind many other, worthier, examples of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 03:52:45 | More by beagle75

jpmclaug

South Carolina

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

Poured from a bottle into my SA Perfect Pint glass

A - Ruby-brown with a big foamy tan head resting on top.

S - Citrusy hops with a mix of dark malts including hints of vanilla and caramel. Even lighter hint of booze lies in the background.

T - Citrus hops at first followed by a roasty malt aftertaste. This beer finishes kind of bitter like a burnt pot of coffee. Not a pleasant aftertaste. All the flavor seems to stick around on the top of my tongue. This beer seems like it could be tweaked and made into something that tastes great but right now I don't taste much complexity and the aftertaste is not great.

M - medium body with a bit too much carbonation.

D - Not all that great of a beer. The aftertaste is really off putting. It seems like this beer could be tweaked a bit and would come out great but as of now I am not a fan and will not seek this out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2010 22:54:19 | More by jpmclaug

tapman

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A conservative pour yields a substantial light brown head. Very thick, the head was not quick to dissipate , but after several minutes a nice, rocky, dense head formed a tight lacing. Ruby-amber in color, this beer looks like a dark belgium strong, but with a darker tinted foam.

I get some dry hopping up front, which could be what some other people on the site are referring to as soapy. I recently brewed an all centennial pale with 1oz. of centennial for the dry hop for a week and I would bet that this sucker is dry hopped with that hop. A generous amount of melanoidins balance the grassy hop aroma. while I perceive a suggestion of burnt, buttered toast, and dark caramel, I could use a little more balance and a little less hop per the aroma of the grist contents.

Too bitter. I wanted to defend this brew, but the bitterness is not at an optimal balance for me. Too biting, the finish comes almost immediately leaving me no time to sense any kind of hop/malt union. (I will taste again in 8 minutes after some warming). *After 8 mins. The grassy hops are more apparent, but the soapiness grows also. All that is left from the malt is scorched carbon.

Good mouthfeel up front, but the hop resins in the too quick finish abruptly interrupt any dextrinous texture by drying out the palate absolutely.

I like Victory brewing. Prima Pils, Storm King, Whirlwind... they're all great, however I am disappointed in this brew. I taste a giant load of Centennial with too much 300+ Lovibond malt. (I want to say roasted barley, but Chocolate surprises me sometimes at the roastiness, parhaps sopme black patent. Anyways, a miss for my palate, but others seem to like it and I would say that a little less roasty, more toasty, with a better hop bill would make this beer an "A" for me. I love the concept, not crazy about the product.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 05:39:20 | More by tapman

tone77

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark amber color with a 1 inch head. Smell is of hops. Taste is very hoppy, some pine, definatly way to bitter for my liking. Feels bitter in the mouth and 1 of these was enough for me. Overall if you are into hop bombs, this may be for you, otherwise avoid it.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 15:01:26 | More by tone77

hardy008

Minnesota

2.33/5  rDev -41.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Copper color with orange highlights. Has a thin tan head with little lacing. The aroma is grapefruit peeling, orange peeling, and toasted bread. I hope it tastes better than it smells.

Sadly, it tastes just like it smells. The grapefruit and orange peeling with toasted bread malt do not go together well, and I find this to be rather disappointing.

Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finishes bitter and dry. This is not a beer I would recommend or try again.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 01:04:15 | More by hardy008

jlipski

New York

2.3/5  rDev -42.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Dark copper in color with proper head and carbonation. Darker than expected because of dark malts I suspect.

S: Very ordinary for a Strong APA

T: Not great, one dimesional and lacks complexity. The style suggest the alcohole and hops are dominant yet that's all you taste.

M: Ordinary and not much to report.

D: drinkability is low except most of this type of beer is.

Overall this is one of my favorite styles of beer except this beer won't be purchased by me again. Others have compared this to Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard IIPA yet, that is an excellent beer and this does not compare...unimpressed yet, many others are.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 03:04:55 | More by jlipski

coopbrewer

New York

2.1/5  rDev -47.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A: Dark reddish brown; minimal head

S: Odd aroma; difficult to characterize; almost like an unpleasant mix of burnt malts and earthy hops

T: Malty up front then harsh hop bite takes over; rather unbalanced in my view

M: Thick and sweet at first with harsh hop bite soon following

Overall: Not a fan of this beer; I have enjoyed other brews of this style much more; Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet comes to mind.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2011 14:53:01 | More by coopbrewer

jtierney89

New Jersey

1.3/5  rDev -67.3%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This beer had parts about it that I loved, and parts I hated.

It is a very nice looking beer with a nice copper color and a super head that retains very well. The smell of the beer is nice, consisting mostly of oily hops. The mouth feel is good being slightly carbonated and medium bodied. The beer starts very malty, but almost instantly these malts vanish and your left with spicy hops that linger for far too long. Bad hops with no midrange flavor profile.

Some things were nice about this beer but some things weren't as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 05:05:19 | More by jtierney89