Yakima Glory - Victory Brewing Company

unclejazz

New York

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was very happy to be able to sample this before picking up a growler. It is very tasty. For a black ale it is more of a dark brown. It was roast malt noted with some sweet notes of a banana or pineapple. There was also a bit of smoke under the surface of this stuff. Good complexity. The carbonation was a bit low but allow for a cleaner taste and I think it complimented the beer style. I am curious to try this in a bottle to see if I like it better.

Serving type: growler

12-17-2011 07:04:33 | More by unclejazz

hiikeeba

Texas

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours up a crystal clear With a lingering off white head.

Smell: Faint piney hop notes and some malt.

Taste: Starts with a slight malt sweetness, that quickly fades as the piney citrus notes come in, leaving a nice ring of bitterness at the back of the throat.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, which is nice considering the alcohol content.

Overall: Frankly, until last summer, I thought this whole CDA thing was overrated and a pain in the neck. Since I don't live in the Pacific Northwest, I hadn't been exposed to these beers. Now I'm a believer! Great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2011 03:07:18 | More by hiikeeba

jayrieg

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Not really a big fan of the Victory brews but this one is pretty awesome. This being my second time having it, I decided to write my first review, and must say I did enjoy it much more the first time (not to say it's not great). I think I may have poured this one a little more vigorously than last time, from a bottle to tulip glass.

A - Dark stained wood, a shade lighter than a cola. Pours about an inch of head, which leaves a nice sparkling golden-copper glittery lace down the side of glass.

S - Awesome aroma of hops but without being overpowering and too up front. One of it's best traits.

T - This is the part that varied mildy upon second tasting. At first you are hit with an appreciable amount of hops until you are left with a great malty, dark cocoa, taste. Not too overpowering on either aspects.

M - Good carbonation. Not too much, not too little. Nice weight.

O - Great find! And it's seasonal. So if you see it out I definitely recommend giving it a try. It has a fun wacky name too. Also at 8.7 abv it leaves you feeling a little wacky, without that sweet alcohol taste left lingering... which is nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 01:22:48 | More by jayrieg

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark red/burgundy color with a quick dissipating, cream colored head. There are walls of lace. Looks pretty nice but I've seen darker.

The nose is a bit disutbing at first as there is an odd scent going on. Maybe a bit too cold but still... There are some hops matched with some nutty malt.

The taste erases the weird nose and slays it with a nice balance of some bitter, floral hops and nutty, sweet malt. The balance here is quite nice and pretty much makes this brew good.

The mouthfeel is crisp and moderately carbonated, leaving a nice dry feel.

Overall, nice balance and good flavors make this brew pretty damn good.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2011 06:27:05 | More by ChugginOil

aorloski

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a beautiful deep brown, the head is around 2 to three fingers and a deep mocha. poured vigorously into a tulip.

Smell - Chocolate malts, bitter hops.

taste - This is a very interesting beer. Biscuity right up front but rounded out with a very nice hop bite. Victory is known for making hoppy beers (awesome) but this one is beautifully balanced. Some nice chocolate notes on this one to me and the hops are no where close to floral, all pine and bitter but in a good way. It works.

Mouthfeel - Creamy soft and great carbonation

Overall - A year ago this was my favorite beer. I haven't drank it in over a year so i was nervous since i knew my palate has changed a lot. I was underwhelmed honestly, but this one is very nostalgic and still a very good beer. My favorite beer to this date? No. But that is the fun of being a beer advocate, you keep on evolving.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 02:10:33 | More by aorloski

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle with pry off cap poured in a pilsner glass at Bushwakker.

Dark ruby red with a thin beige cap. Minimal carbonation and no lacing.

Big citrus notes in the aroma. Grapefruit with hints of pine and caramel.

Hop bomb! Assault on the taste buds. Hops smashing the palate. A little malt to balance but all hops.

Medium bodied and a little oily. Minimal carbonation.

A true hop head delight. A little hoppy for me, but a good all around brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 01:34:20 | More by Noxious26

Sensaray

Massachusetts

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

Pours a deep brown red with inch tall light tan head.

Big citrus on the nose with caramel and some darker malts. Light note of mint and also chocolate.

Very fruit forward with a bitterness throughout. Citrus and some tropical. The dark malts appear on the back end, with a slight roasty character. Good bitterness mingles with the roasty dark malt.

Mouthfeel is good. Medium body.

Overall pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 00:42:56 | More by Sensaray

braski

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

appearance- dark stained cheery wood with not much of a head or lacing.

smell- sweet roasty malts and citrus hops.

taste- "YUM" lots of things going on in this beer. sweet roasty malts upfront followed by a fair amount of bitterness from citrus hops that ends with chacolate notes and a little alcohal burn.

mouthfeel- medium to full body with little carbonation and a tart bitter end.

overall- a great balanced beer that pushes the boundaries of two styles to create a new one.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 02:19:37 | More by braski

MarcatGSB

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Matt for this Victory brew. Always a treat. Poured out of 12 oz. bottle in DFH Pint. Bottle says drink by December 7, 2011. So here we go.

A: Pours a hazelnut/brown mixture with some nice red hues around the edge of the glass. Minimal head is formed after a vigorous pour. Kind of a light brown, cream color. Lacing is apparent, good signs.

N: Big caramel, dried fruit, vanilla, molasses. Grassy hop character come through, slightly piney. I think the hops have faded quite a bit.

T: Good amount of bitterness to offset some residual sticky sweetness and some nice pine character. More caramel, raisons, prunes. Borderline burnt malt flavor.

M: Prickly carbonation support this sticky brew. Leaves some burnt/piney character after taste on my tongue.

D and O: I dont know how to feel about this beer. I was within the "best by date", but I also feel like the hops had faded quite a bit, and I didn't really feel like it was an American Black Ale, so rating to style is hard. It reminds me of an American Barleywine...It's drinkable, tasty. Just confusing. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 21:08:01 | More by MarcatGSB

KAP1356

Pennsylvania

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

Reviewed from notes. Bottle labeled Yakima Twilight; I guess before there was a name change. Poured into a Weyerbacher tulip...

A - Pours a dark mahogany color with ruby red highlights and hues. A bubbly eggshell white head forms about 1 finger thick and retains nicely. Lacing is light.

S - The aroma is a nice earthy hop aroma with some bright pine notea as well. Floral and almost herb like. Some light roasted malt aromas break through the hops at times.

T - Flavors of earthy hops and some slight citrus. Theres some roasted malts and some peppery spice to it as well. Slight caramel at times. The hops give a nice floral component to an otherwise very earthy flavor.

M - Medium bodied beer and quite carbonated; not overly so, but just more than I expected.

O - Not too bad. Still not sure how I feel about American Black Ale's, but this seems like a nice go to.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 20:55:42 | More by KAP1356

JRed

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours bubbly amber-brown with foamy khaki head. Aroma of slight cinnamon, cola, grass, evergreen. Big and tasty: cinnamon, cola, and then hop presence soaks thru, evergreen, mint, mild lemon, grassy but without the hop bite. Booze is detected toward the finish but in no way a nuisance. Medium bodied with light carbonation. A very drinkable boozy delight.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 04:45:36 | More by JRed

Dubber55

New York

3.58/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Best by: Nov. 8 2012

Pours a clear dark amber with 1/4 finger of head

The smell is mainly piney, earthy hops with some booze with a slight whiff of roasted malt.

Taste is the same as the smell- bitter, earthy piney hops, some grass and booze. There is a slight taste of roasted malts and coffee as the beer warms up. The finish is dry and bitter

Mouthfeel is medium with some low carbonation. Leaves a little cottonmouth feeling from the all the bitterness of the hops.

I'm assuming this beer is really fresh which is why I am tasting all hops and very little in the way of roasted malts. Tastes more like a regular IPA right now. Does a good job of hiding the alcohol though. Solid brew but not really my style so I don't know if I would drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 06:09:15 | More by Dubber55

SkipWeathers

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Saw this as a single on the shelf and remembered how much I liked it last year. Very hoppy, but nice dark color. Bitter and sweet but not syrupy. Velvet texture on palate. Slight sourness. Not much head, good alcohol percentage though. Reminds me a bit of DFH Indian Brown, just a bit more hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 01:04:37 | More by SkipWeathers

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a clear black color ale with a average size foamy head with good carbonation and light lacing. Aroma of dry roasted malt with light resin and piney notes is satisfying. Taste is more focused on dry roasted malt then hops though some resin and piney notes still comes trough. Body is light with good carbonation. Not sure if I had an old bottle or what but this is below the standard of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 17:50:39 | More by Phyl21ca

DavidST

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter, best by Nov 2012. This pours dark brown almost black color with a small tan head which quickly dissipates and leaves a lacing. The smells are of pine hops, coffee, molasses and caramel. The feel is medium. The taste is pretty great, lots of spicy black pepper, some dark malts, a little more spice and it finishes with some hop bitterness and a little alcohol burn, dang good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 03:43:26 | More by DavidST

azdback

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my custom etched "dead man's hand" pint glass. Dark, dark brown color. Almost black but not quite. Highlights are lighter brown and the head is a creamy one finger and light brown or khaki in color. Lace looks kind of sticky for now.

Smell is of dark roasted malts. Light coffee and some vanilla. A bit of brown sugar or light molasses. Just a hint of alcohol. Quite nice.

Taste is much like the smell. Light roasted coffee. Some vanilla and sweet brown sugar. There is some hop bitterness and the alcohol leaves the throat a bit warm.

Mouth is crisp, but smooth. Carbonation is on the creamy side. Body is full and the finish is average and sways towards wet.

Overall I was very surprised by this one. I am on a "Black Ale/IPA" quest right now and believe that Stone 15th Anniversary is the pinnacle of the category. This one is much lighter but still dark roasted and a great example of the style. If you are into this style you must try this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 02:50:53 | More by azdback

jmarklan

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a Victory pint glass.

Very dark mahogany brown with a nice tan head. Good retention.

Lots of hops in the aroma. A hint of roasted malt in the back.

Hops dominate the flavor, pine and grapefruit on a very lean base of roasty, caramely malts. The high level of alcohol is virtually unnoticeable.

Solid mouthfeel with moderate carbonation, just right.

If you're into very hoppy brews this is one for you. Personally i'd like something with a touch more malt balance but it's still damn good.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 02:08:58 | More by jmarklan

curasowa

New York

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

Appearance: Mahogany color with two fingers of tan head that fade slowly with chunky lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel malt, molasses and faint earthy hops

Taste: Sweet, creamy malt initially before becoming pretty nutty in the middle, then some bitterness starts to show up towards the end that really cuts the sweetness. The hops are a bit piney, but mostly pretty earthy. Finish is slightly lingering and nutty with some residual bitterness.

The Rest: Another winner from victory. Great malt flavor and no hint of almost 9% alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 02:25:34 | More by curasowa

ehammond1

California

3.7/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2011)

Port Bottle Shop
Carlsbad, CA

This beer pours a dark mahogany, ruby, near brown color with a thick, big-bubbled light brown/khaki colored head that leaves lots of thick, chunky stick to the glass.

A somewhat spicy and earthy aroma with a bright floral and pine quality--probably the best part of this beer.

The flavor follows the aroma--black peppers, earthy and caramelly malts, toasted malts, and some pine hops along with a bit of an alcohol presence.

Medium to full bodied with ample carbonation.

A decent, piney, earthy black? ale, even though this isn't anywhere close to black in color.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 23:20:50 | More by ehammond1

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: handsome garnet. Tannish medium full head on the pour that recedes quickly.
Smell: piney hops up front. Some floral and grapefruit.
Taste: Hoppy on the start, followed by a some sweetness, then after a quite long finish a slight bitterness. Impressive.
Mouthfeel: Unexpectedly creamy and full.
Overall: not black, certainly not pale, but sure is good.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 22:39:14 | More by cindyjeffsmith

Haufniensis

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

11.23.2011. First beer review ever. Yakima Glory Ale – Victory Brewing. ABV: 8.7

I acquired this beer as part of a variety pack. The variety pack had a much sought after Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and a Chub Scotch Ale in it along with some others I’ve wanted to try but never had. Never heard of this one. Don’t know Victory Brewing. Who knows what I am getting into here with a “dark IPA”…

Appearance: Reddish-brown color. Half inch head dissipates quickly, but not completely. Leaves a little lacing. Color looks unlike any other IPA I have ever had. I’ve had pale, black, reddish… nothing like this. But it’s a good different. Nice color. Grade: 4.5

Smell: Malty, almost stout like. Red wine. Nuts. Very pleasant. But again, not very IPA-like. Grade: 4.5
Taste: Not as hoppy as I was expecting from the IPA label. Probably best not to call this an IPA. Taste is consistent with appearance and nose. Tastes like a strong red lager more than a standard IPA. A little citrus. Sweet candy. Some coffee. No alcohol burn, but something in there bites the tongue a little. Guess that’s the well-hidden hops. Grade: 3.5

Mouth: Medium body. Sticky. A little too much carbonation. Grade: 3.5

Overall: I could drink this again. Not excellent, but something a little different. A solid B overall.

Served: 12-Bottle poured into a hurricane glass (Relatively new to the craft world. I’ve requested proper beerware for Xmas. For now, my very old free-with-the-purchase-of-a-long-island-iced-tea glass does the job)

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 20:25:17 | More by Haufniensis

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-dark amber color with a light tan thick head and good lacing

S-richroasted malt with citrus and yeast notes and nice bitter hop aroma

T-citrus an malt flavor with a serong hop finish which lasts

F-medium body with moderate carbonation

O-a delicious ale with a bold hop flavor

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 17:48:10 | More by MDDMD

gtermi

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Beer pours a nice dark brown with a thin white head.

S: The smell blows me away. It's like sniffing a cup full of wet hops. It also has some fruit scents, but mostly hops.

T: The taste is a lot more settle than I expected. It sort of taste like pineapple, some pine and a bit of malt.

M: The beer is super smooth and has hardly any crispness. For sure one of the better feeling beers.

O: This is a great beer. I enjoy the Arrogant Bastard style scent, but how it suprises you with a very easy and settle taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 04:37:01 | More by gtermi

coldriver

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into Sam Adams glass. Pours deep amber with adequate head and lacing. Citrusy hop aroma. Taste is a little light for the American Black Ale style but a very nice citrus hop blend and slightly dark malt. This is a very nice beer, not true to the style but as a crossover between straight IPA and Black ale I'm digging it.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 03:37:41 | More by coldriver

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

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

Poured into a tulip small glass, color is brown with amber hues, not quite a black ale, head is light tan with great lacing.

Smell is hop forward with piney hops, hints of citrus quickly followed by soild mix of caramel malt and roasted malt.

Taste is great, so hard to believe this comes in at close to 9% abv, caramel malt and light roasted malt mix well with some resiny hop flavors, most pine, but very well done.

Mouthfeel is a touch on the strong on the tongue, but expected for this type of ale, good mix of hop bitterness and caramel malt.

Overall, great beer, one of the few seasonals i pick up a full case of, great balance and mix of hops and malt.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 01:49:05 | More by mvanaskie13