Yakima Glory - Victory Brewing Company

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on cask @ O'Reilly's Tap room served in a shaker pint.

The beer arrives with a dark bronze appearance and crimson highlighted with light tan cap that settles to thin crust, The bead is fine and lace sticks in a sheet. The smell is good
but the cask accentuates the malt with a slight cocoa and toast aroma with some floral and citrus from the hops with hint of brown sugar and alcohol. The feel is decent with som strong roast and moderate bitterness with subtle hop acidity and mild carbonation giving the feel a smoother oily finish with a sharp bite.

The taste is slightly roasted malt with piney hop backing in the swallow, there is a slight citrus edge, not quite what I would call grapefruit in the middle with the resinous element bringing out more spice with slight sweet nutty tinge from the malt with subtle dark toast and mild alcohol in the taste. There is more heat in the finish with sharpness from the hops lingering. Overall I feel this is good, but it straddles the fence between a hoppy Imperial brown and the black IPA which doesn't fit to me. There is a lot of roasted character which seems to cover some of the hops, but overall a nice American strong ale.

Serving type: cask

09-29-2011 13:45:37 | More by Slatetank

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a standard pint glass. A glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As served the beer is dark rich reddish brown color. The 1/4” thick creamy, long-lasting, light tan head leaves layer of foam on the surface. Sipping leaves some nice foamy lacing.

Smell: The aroma seems much the same as when I had this on tap. It is complex and balanced with rich roasted malts and lots of spicy/citric hops. There are hints of grapefruit rind, some spiciness and pine, all mixed in with some dark bread, dark chocolate and traces of dark caramel

Taste: As the nose predicts there is the rich sweet dark chocolate and caramel along with a rich dark bread flavor. From the hops there’s citrus and spice with bits of pine and pepper. But overall it seems to be the hops taking the lead.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is definitely medium bodied and smooth and creamy from the finely bubbled moderate carbonation. The finish moderately long and generally begins while the hops are dominant and then just tapers off into dry hop bitterness.

Drinkability: At this ABV Yakima Glory a one a night beer for me , but it’s a nicely complex beer that I’ve enjoyed sipping. I won’t hesitate to treat myself to this one again. My over all impression is that this is a well made beer that works quite well as a cask offering. For me much of the difference between this one on cask and the bottled or tap versions lies basically in the mouth feel of the beer. Even though I thought the tap version to be smooth and creamy, this one tops it for creamy smoothness.

Serving type: cask

05-28-2011 18:16:00 | More by drtth

glid02

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cask at Deckard's American Tavern in Atlanta.

Pours a slightly hazy brownish-copper color with a one-finger tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of deep caramel malts with hints of toastiness and bread. Also present are large amounts of pine and citrus hops.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Dark caramel malt flavors kick things off and are joined almost immediately by large amounts of citrus hops. The flavor profile dries out midway through the sip as moderate amounts of toasted malts come into play as do pine hops. The toasted malts hold strong through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with soft and grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I still am a very big fan of this beer but I don't believe the cask conditioning did it any favors. Worth a shot however you can get it but it's better on-tap or from a bottle with full carbonation.

Serving type: cask

01-23-2011 21:44:05 | More by glid02

atsprings

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at Flying Saucer served in a standard pint glass a deep brown almost black with a thin diminishing head. Aroma is toasted dark malts and mild pine hops. The taste is an interesting blend of toasted caramel malts and sharp pine hops. The beer is on the heavy side of medium with smooth subtle carbonation. I must say, I like this one more this time than either of the other two times I've had it.

Serving type: cask

11-04-2010 23:14:02 | More by atsprings

Emarble17

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I first had this on cask at Victory at the end of November. Bought a case upon arriving home for Winter break between semesters, and poured a beer for my dad and me. Color is a dark ruby red when held up to a light source. The head bubbly and forms quickly into a rather robust topping. Smell is of fresh, clean cascade hops with a subtle hint of malt -- I suppose this is to be expected. Very drinkable if you like IPA's.

Serving type: cask

12-26-2009 20:39:41 | More by Emarble17

adamette

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Live review. On tap at Beer Engine in Lakewood. Poured into clean, clear snifter, the only way that you can purchase it here for $4.50.

A Looks incredible with a huge, 3 inch light brown head and a dark brown body that glows a dark mahogany. Very good look, I think much of that is thanks to the cask presentation here at the Engine. Lacing left by this soft, creamy head is excellent as well.

S Malty sweetness with a spike of hops bitterness as well. There is an amber like barely smell too. I smell alcohol which is not a surprise at 8.9%. The smell is nothing if not interesting and makes the observer seek more information (taste it!). 4.0

T Well the bigness of the smell carries right over into the taste. This is a big malt and hops bomb with an amber like medium roast quality to it. Really a unique beer. 4.0

M This is a big beer with big ABV, bit malt, big hops and that amber like medium roast malt woodsy quality to the taste. This particular beer had a nice smoothness that I attribute at least in part to the cask presentation. Nice feel to match the bigness of the beer. 4.0

D Fair as this is such a big beer. This is certainly one and done in my opinion. 3.0

Notes: I am beginning to think that cask is simply the only true way to experience a beer. I never had the regular tap version but I don't think that it would carry the same look, feel as this one.

Serving type: cask

11-17-2009 23:52:47 | More by adamette

taigor

New York

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From cask into 14oz glass.

A - Dark brown, almost black with little head and no lacing.

S - Hops, pine and some fruits.

T - Chocolate with roasted malts and a hint of pine.

M - Medium bodied that goes down smoothly.

D - Very drinkable but not in big quantities.

Serving type: cask

11-11-2009 17:46:34 | More by taigor

thain709

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - This is definitely a dark IPA...deep cooper brown body with a tan head that stands about one finger...the head is pretty creamy which leads to some nice lacing

S - A very balanced nose...lots of roasted characteristics coming at you but then there is a nice crisp hop presence that seems to be a bit floral and earthy

T - The taste shows a lot of balance where neither the hops nor the malts shine...the ending of this beer is all reserved for the hops which I'll get to later...the roasted characteristics really stand out up front...it never becomes to roasted or sweet...some chocolate and caramel notes are present...the middle and ending are where the hops come out...they sneak up on you and smack you in the face with a big bitterness...but once again it never becomes too much...the hops are pretty piney and earthy which provides a nice pairing with the roasted malts

M - Medium bodied...very creamy from the cask...a great lasting bitterness

D - If it weren't for the higher ABV this would be a little higher...but the combination of the taste (roasted malts and earthy hops) and the creamy mouthfeel make this beer stand out

Serving type: cask

10-30-2009 21:08:22 | More by thain709

pd360

Maine

4.28/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A delicious dark IPA. Deep brown in color, small head. Not especially hoppy, as the chocolate and malt flavors are very strong. I enjoyed this beer and could have had a few if not for the incredible selection that made my try others. Enjoyed at Novare Res in Portland Maine.

Serving type: cask

07-05-2009 22:04:22 | More by pd360

ChowHound

New York

4.43/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I tried this new beer on cask at David Copperfield's.

Deep dark brown like a hazelnut. The aroma is redolent of sweet, roasted malt.

This is an easy drinking brown beer. Although a double IPA, it is neither pale nor are the hops jumping out at me. I'd call it a hoppy brown ale.

This beer is comfortable on the palate. Creamy, smooth and as it is cask-conditioned, well balanced. There is a touch of alcohol on the palate and it warms you further as it travels your pipes toward the belly.

Very nice.

Serving type: cask

01-03-2009 19:56:20 | More by ChowHound

maddogruss

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got a pint of this from the Victory Brewpub.

A: Pours a dark brown body with a thick, frothy, off-white head with pretty nice retention and lacing until the finish of the beer.

S: A bitter, roasted malt smell that was not too significant.

T: A strong, bitter taste with an equally, strong bitter aftertaste. The taste was not the typical earthy, bitter IPA taste, but a smoother bitter taste, like an ESB.

M: A smooth and silky mouthfeel that was fairly thick, but not too much.

D: An ok combination of mouthfeel and taste that yielded a pretty easy drinking beer. The thickness of the beer got to be later and helped fill me up pretty good. Overall, a nice drinking beer and a pretty good Real ale.

Serving type: cask

12-28-2008 19:51:59 | More by maddogruss

gdfan47

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a light to darkish chocolate color with that lets some light in, Huge froathy off white head (larger than the liquid)
S- Hops, some subtle malt notes, hops again, flowers
T- Earthy, hops, a little sugar, its hard to pick out what hops, but there are few
M- probably the most deceptivly tasting beer I have had, it looks like a stout, but finishes and has very simular characteristics of An IPA/DIPA
D- I dig this alot, but the high abv make it to high for a session beer , but def if you wanna get tipsy.. have a few of these

I hope Victory decides to make it again, it has great marketing value in my opinion

Serving type: cask

12-18-2008 07:39:56 | More by gdfan47

HopDerek

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on cask at Victory Brewing on 12/12/08, a small glass.

Poured a muddy chestnut color with 1 finger of creamy tan/creme colored head. Good retention and nice sticky lacing blotches. Smells of floral hops, pine resin, chocolate, dark fruits, and rye bread. Tastes of pine, chocolate, roasted malt, rye, caramel, raisins, and a combination of citrus, mint, and earthy hops with a nice warmth of alcohol to finish. Medium-fullish in body, though a little watery with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a good hop bite right from the start, but also a nice balance with the rye and roasted malt. Kind of hard to distinguish what style this beer is, definitely middle ground between a double IPA and a barleywine with even some candidacy for Black IPA. A good brew but hard to classify and therefore hard to determine when I would want to drink it.

Serving type: cask

12-18-2008 03:53:01 | More by HopDerek

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at Victory on 12/12/08.

A - Deep chestnut brown body with lighter nut brown and deep reddish hues at the bottom and one-finger creamy beige head that retained quite well.

S - Earthy, woody and herbal notes dominate the aroma, while an underlyng mild rye presence pokes through the hops. Citrus hops also emerge as it warmed up a bit. Malt is crackery/pretzel-ish with a pinch of salt.

T - Dark malt character with a pretty subtle amount of hops for a DIPA. Earthy, herbal and minty hops parade across the taste buds, while some citrus hops emerge in the middle. Malt has a dark roasted character with mild chocolate notes.

M - Smooth and creamy, albeit a tad watery, texture with a soft mouthfeel. Bitterness lingers for a while on the palate. Finish is a bit dry overall.

D - Hard to wrap my head arond this one. There's a lot going on with this one. It's almost more like an American barleywine than a DIPA, but there is also a dark malt aspect with this brew, giving it yet another interesting twist.

Serving type: cask

12-13-2008 22:31:51 | More by ffejherb

wiegs4life

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark mahogany with elegant white head that just sits calmly above the top like ducks on the pond. As Stewart Scott once said it is "Cool as the other side of the pillow.

S - I don't really judge a beer off smell but if i did it would probably lose some points. Smells kind of like a lot of hoppy beers (like shit).

T - This is where the beer gains its points. The beer tastes like a perfert version of a nuru massage (I had to use an Asian reference.

M - Simply splended.

O - Second time having this beer. This isn't much of a summer beer but i remember sipping this during Christmas Eve one year and thats when craft beer became a passion instead of a hobby. Not to sure that this beer tops by 10 but this beer will always be remembers because of how it turned me into craft beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 16:17:55 | More by wiegs4life

JG-90

New Jersey

3.79/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Bottle into glass pours a large foamy head that is tan in color. The beer is a deep mohagony/amber color with hints of red and copper in light. Head settles at a moderate rate to leave heavy lacing. Smells of deeply roasted malts, pumpernickel bread, bitter dark chocolate, and faint hops with a bit of tobacco.

Taste starts with suprising but welcome citric hops (didn't get much smell of these) which are quickly overtaken by roasty malts with bitterness, chocolate, and tobacco, has a bitter, roasty, hoppy finish. Mouthfeel is medium to light with moderate carbonation for a black IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:58:10 | More by JG-90

DerAtomsmasher

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Not exactly as dark as the other ABAs I've had, if I recall - amber.

Smells of roasted malts, shortbread or biscuity with the smallest hint of apple or pear somewhere in the background.

Is a surprising first sip - big hops - not overwhelmingly bitter, or stingingly astringent necessarily - but spicy and fruity. You know it's Victory immediately. Afterward, as it starts to warm up, you get a malty backbone strong enough to hang those juicy hops on; they're almost bitter orange & linger on the exit. It's just the slightest bit toward the heavy side; it's too hefty to be "sessionable," it'd do you well to savor it.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 03:33:15 | More by DerAtomsmasher

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.71/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Brown and mostly clear, almost an auburn color, very nice lasting head and good lace.

Smell is subdued but consists mostly of citrus and hops, with a touch of dark malts and chocolate.

Flavor is all hops with accents of other stuff, including dark roasted malts, heavier grades of caramel malts (giving it a slight dark fruitiness), and citrus rinds.

Carbonation is fairly low despite the big creamy head. It's a pretty strong tasting and feeling beer, not something I'd drink quickly, more of a moderate sipper.

Very tasty. A bit unusual for a black ale/black IPA but worth trying for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 04:13:19 | More by AlCaponeJunior

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz Bottle from Total Wine Tampa FL for 3$

Appearance - Dark brown colour with a large size fizzy beige head. I can't make out the amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for 2-3 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, chocolate, grains, hops, grapefruit

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, chocolate, and coffee. There are also some orange/apricots/grapefruit mixed with a bit of a smokiness. It ends with a malty yest fruity bitter hop aftertaste.

Overall - Really good stuff. It's like a flavour explosion when you take your first sip. A nice mix of flavours and a good balance of east and west coast flavours. ABA's are one of my favourite styles, and I'd drink this again any time.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 00:01:37 | More by spinrsx

UCLABrewN84

California

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Best by 10/24/13.

Pours a hazy super dark orange-brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, citrus zest, and some spicy hop aromas. Taste is much the same with a citrus zest flavor that lingers on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 02:35:19 | More by UCLABrewN84

JeffH

Arizona

3.31/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

A- Pours a deep brown with a quickly disappearing white head.
N- Nose is full of brown sugar and malt followed but a big hop wallop.
T- Beginning pallet is very malty sweet with some dark fruits, the hop character takes a while to develop but finishes big and piney.
O- This is a great winter beer. Enough bittering hops to balance out the initial sweetness of the malt. This is a solid east coast dark IPA, not to be confused with a NW CDA

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 09:13:12 | More by JeffH

tjsdomer2

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Ink black with some brown at the edges. Exceptional lacing and foam.

Smell: Coffee and pine. Fairly subtle.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Very Christmasy. Spiked coffee and pine. Definitely some boozy notes to this beer. Fairly creamy, but a bit thinner than I'd like.

Overall Drinkability: I definitely want to try more Victory if I can find it. Not my favorite black IPA, but I have yet to have a bad one.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2013 19:08:24 | More by tjsdomer2

Efay

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A- A dark amber color with a manilla colored head of foam. Great head retention and lots of lacing.

S- Earthy caramel malt with lots of pine. There's also a nice sweet grapefruit aroma that is very pleasant.

T- After a great start with appearance and taste, it goes downhill fast. It tastes of bitter pine, with some bitter malt at the end. Mostly pine though, nothing else. It's like Victory thought they could just put hops in and it would end up good. This taste isn't pleasant.

M- Moderate body with high amounts of carbonation. The bitterness from the taste dries your mouth and makes this hard to go down.

O- I really dislike it when breweries put hops upon hops in their beers. Hops does not make your beer good. There's so much more to a beer and it annoys me when the only attribute I can really describe is the hop, and the hops used in this beer are very simple and have no complexity to them at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 04:38:43 | More by Efay

palma

New York

4.05/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Beautiful dark ruby color. Nice head.

Tobacco, burnt, bitter rye bread notes. Victory american hops big time. Very hoppy profile. Spicy in the finish. Slightly herbal hidden behind the big malt and hop flavors. Big full body. One of the best black ipas in my opinion. Most of them are crap these days.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 18:37:03 | More by palma

ckollias

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed this 12oz bottle out of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours a dark amber hue with an off-white 2-finger head that quickly dissipates down the side of the glass leaving a great trail and ending in a solid persistent lace..

S: Sharp hop aroma with a sweet malty background.

T: Great piney hop and sweet malt mix. There is a nice alcoholic bite and finishes on the bitter side of dry.

M: Medium-heavy body and medium carbonation.

O: Love this beer – super hoppy but balanced well by the malt - and enough alcohol to make it interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 02:26:21 | More by ckollias