V-Ten - Victory Brewing Company

blgianbeer

New York

4.45/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Opened a bottle of 2002 that has been in my cellar for about a year. At first taste last year, this seemed like a typical strong brown ale, malty and alcoholic, with some sour and oak notes in the aftertaste. Good, but not remarkable for the price.
Since being in my cellar, this beer has aged extremely well. The sour and oak flavors have begun to take over the beer, reminding me more and more of my dear departed Rodenbach Grand Cru.
I am very pleased that I get to try one of these every year until 2012!!!
If you can't get a well kept 2002, pick up the newest batch and age it...your patiance will be rewarded.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2004 19:24:39 | More by blgianbeer

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev 0%

03-06-2013 01:48:16 | More by t0rin0

smithj4

New York

3.75/5  rDev 0%

08-04-2012 18:53:37 | More by smithj4

gloveman

3/5  rDev -20%

03-02-2012 21:08:31 | More by gloveman

jfcaa193

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

01-30-2012 02:45:23 | More by jfcaa193

jophish17

Georgia

2.5/5  rDev -33.3%

12-24-2011 00:33:16 | More by jophish17

rab53

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +6.7%

12-10-2011 03:24:50 | More by rab53

djrn2

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +6.7%

11-26-2011 19:04:03 | More by djrn2

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +6.7%

11-18-2011 18:08:03 | More by HopStoopid120

weeare138

Pennsylvania

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

bottle from September 12, 2002...
Appears a dark amber with a small off white head. Scattered bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of cork, oxidation, caramel, prunes, raisins, black cherries, and tart lychee nuts.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a wine like flavor similar to a 10 year old Zinfandel.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, light tart, sweet, zingy.
Probably won't get any better at this point. It's peaked but it's pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 01:47:17 | More by weeare138

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Strong Belgium ale.

A: Poured a rusty copper-orange with a slight tand head. Visible carbonation was moderate.

S: The nose was rich with ripe fruit (raisins) along with a sweet malt and alcohol aroma.

T: sweet malt and ripe fruit (raisins, cherries) which soon yielded to a yeasty and fruity spiciness (apricots, pears) with some candi sugar notes. There was some light sour orange hints as well citrus experienced in the finish.

M: creamy and fizzy from the active carbonation with a nice spiciness on the tongue.

D: An easy and spicy drink despite the high abv% which was fruity and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 13:54:31 | More by beerthulhu

RBorsato

Virginia

2.4/5  rDev -36%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Clear ruby red color with almost no head but decent carbonation up the middle. Strong sweet candy-like malt aroma and flavor; lacking dark fruit character normally present in the style. Some Belgian yeastiness and alcohol shine thru but not nearly enough. Light-medium bodied, flat, and sickly sweet finish. A bit tart, a bit sour, a bit nasty...

Drank within 5 years as noted on label but can't imagine it any better in prior years. Drink it now or dump it !

Per Label" "Enjoy within 5 years of Bottle Date"

Per Cork: 2002 Vintage

Bottled: 09/12/02
Tasted: 06/13/07

($7.99 / 25.4 oz / 750 ml tall straight brown wine-like bottle, corked, and caged)

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2008 20:13:53 | More by RBorsato

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.65/5  rDev +24%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was extremely fortunate to find several bottles of this recently...the store where I bought it doesn't see a lot of turnover. When I saw this retired ale there, I went for it. This is the 2002 edition, bottled Sept. of that year, so it's well over 3 and a half years old...and I was left extremely impressed.

This is a gorgeous looking beer: Ruby bottom that melts into a dark brown/burgundy near the head. Creamy mocha-tan head that retains well. The head is fed by slow-marching bubbles, with geysers of fizz swirling randomly in the middle. Thick catacombs of lace covered the glass.

Smell is rich malts, raisin/grape, floral, clove and cherry.

Absolutely delicious: cherry-flavored milkshake, with the pungency of overripe dark fruits, a wheaty heft, and a pleasant fruit sourness that wasn't overly tart at all. All this points to a quality yeast strain that had to have been in use. It's totally unique, a big-character beer.

Very creamy mouthfeel with just enough fizz to excite the tongue.

10%? I wouldn't have known it. This well-aged bottle mellowed any alcohol bite it may have held in 2002. Glad this is bomber-size, but still, I didn't want it to end. Superb.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2006 22:32:15 | More by Metalmonk

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

bottled 3/12/04, cork says 2003 vintage. who knows.

glorious ruby with slight haze in the glass.. lively with bubble traffic and covered by a thick, glistening collection of tiny soap bubbles. lacing moves fast but covers uniformly. looks tasty and crisp. great belgian smell.. dark fruits, sweet raisin paste and brown sugar delights waft gently into my nostrils. tastes very sweet.. VERY sweet.. fruit is there, but it's overripe and accented by a slightly metallic disintegrated hop character. finishes somewhat moldy although partly masked by the sugary nature. the body is very bubbly and with the weird flavors here, that works. sweetness+bubbly=asti spumante, and that's kind of what this reminds me of. despite its flaws, this has a true belgian flavor and is rather drinkable for 10%. wish it was alot neater.

i think age turned an average beer into a slightly above average beer with a laundry list of problems.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2006 02:27:32 | More by goodbyeohio

fdrich29

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled March 15, 2004. Cork states "Vintage 2003"

Had to fight like hell to get the cork off this bad boy and suffice to say I will be cleaning up beer off my computer and it's surrounding area for weeks to come.

So much foam poured out of the bottle and glass I thought I may need to seek shelter in the Superdome. When the head settled all that was left was a big clump of foam floating in the middle, I swear it looked just like Hurricane Katrina.

Smells like plums and figs, both of which I happen to enjoy. Tastes spicy with rich malts, figs and plums.

A great big flavor beer. Be careful of the 10% abv if you're driving or operating heavy equipment.

7/16/2008-Dusted off my last bottle of V10 today. Bottled on 3/12/2004. The explosion was legendary, but this time I opened the bottle over the sink, still a lot of cleaning up afterwards. Very smooth, aged wonderfully.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2005 02:34:12 | More by fdrich29

HogHill

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bought as a single 750 for $7 bucks, this one was bottled in March '04. It was surprising to me to see such ugly packaging from Victory on this offering (purple, orange, violet and yellow ?).

Poured this one into a large chalice, deep brown body with some lighter brown highlights. A one inch head is light and slowly retreats to the walls of the glass.

The smell is very sweet, like dark candi sugar combined with a rich fruitiness.

Taste follows the aroma: sweet malts blend into some bittnerness followed by a warm alcholol finish. I'd like this better if it was V-8 instead of V-10, a little too high in ABV, or I wish it was hidden better. A medium bodied brew with an average carbonation level. One of these is enough for me, maybe I'll give it a chance down the line, as it was interesting reading the reviews on this brew from year to year.

Overall, it was okay, but not one of Victory's better offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2005 01:42:36 | More by HogHill

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The beer poured into the glass crystal clear brilliant amber with a light and small off white head which coated the glass.

The aroma was fruity and malty with a strong Belgian character, some higher alcohol spices and phenols and a complex maltiness. The fruity aroma contain caramel and a vinous character that was very well executed.

The flavor was extreme with an Oud Bruin flavor of slight sourness that was both wonderful and complex. The sour and oaky flavors dominated and yet at the same time were subdued in complexity. The fruity esters in the aroma translated into fruity complex sherry flavors that added complexity to the flavor and interest to the beer.

The finish was dry with slight sourness lasting pleasantly long into the aftertaste. The body was medium at best, but perfectly executed. The alcohol presence was hidden throughout the aroma and the flavor except for perhaps some of the phenolic spiciness of the aroma, but was slightly evident in the post consumption warming in the beer.

Big Belgian 750 ml bottle with bottled on Sept 12 2002 on the label. I might mention that the bottle was a PITA to open. It took quite the GI Joe with a Kung-Fu grip to get the cork out of the bottle. I rated this brew as an Oud Bruin, it was great! Unsure if the sourness was planned, it was so well executed that the gentlement at Victory need kudos for making a beer this good and complex!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2005 23:40:36 | More by GCBrewingCo

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

1.78/5  rDev -52.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Famous November 2003 750mL: Nice orange-brown color. Thin off-white head. Off balsamic sour nose, slightly woody, not quite Flemish sour like since you can really feel that this sour yeast punch is off and that’s the annoying thing here, you can smell the acidity comes from the yeast. Straightforwardly sour, dry, vinegary and yeast infection flavours. Rather thick, moderate carbonation (you can feel this must have been pretty good). I heard they won’t brew this again? Too bad really.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2004 01:37:00 | More by Rastacouere

xgrigorix

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brown 750 ml bottle, corked & caged. Date of bottling printed on label (12 March '04).

Deep burgandy hue. Big pillowy beige coloured head. Head retains well & leaves loads of spotty lace behind.

Fruity & spicy with aromas of pepper & anise fill the the nose.

Big & robust. Sweet malt flavours crash into well rounded fruit notes. This is followed by anise & pepper. Moderate bitterness brings it back together for a warming finish. Medium bodied, with big bubbles of robust carbonation. Quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2004 18:23:40 | More by xgrigorix

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark amber color with an offwhite head that fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has an intense malt scent. It boasts of pale and crystal malts along with a fruity Belgian yeast finish. The taste is good as well. It has a nice malty flavor that seems to be composed of Belgian pale and crystal malts. There is a bit of spice to it as well as a fruity yeast aftertaste. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium/full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a damn fine Belgian brew. I've had it a few times before, but I never reviewed it. This time I had a glass at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. This is a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2004 23:48:48 | More by WesWes

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled 7th November 2003, Sampled September 2004.
As I pour this into my glass I get thick, jam-like aromatic notes of plums, fig and alcohol. The beer sits in my glass a reasonably clear pretty ruby-amber color. It is topped by a light brown head that is driven by an ample carbonation. The aroma is sweet and fruity with notes of cherries as well, there is a rich undercurrent of complex maltiness here as well. The malt notes have a toastiness and a rich caramel malt note to it that I associate with a Bock.

Interesting, the taste of this beer has a definite sourness to it up front, which, in combination with the fruitiness, again reminds me of cherries. I was not expecting something sour from Victory, and I wonder if it is here on purpose. Whatever the case, I like the tart contribution here, it has a rich tamarind character to it. The beer is quite dry, yet still remains fruity because of the sourness. With the rich malts used here this is quite reminiscent of a Flemish Sour ale, though it is a bit stronger than your typical one. The balance of this beer is dominated by the sourness, but the sourness is not over the top (say like a Lambic), it instead adds a richness and complexity to this beer that otherwise seems to be lacking. This beer, despite being all-malt and 10%, is quite light on the palate. The acid bacteria really helped to lighten this beer up, which I was expecting to be much heavier and richer. I am really not too sure why some American brewers are afraid to use some sugars or adjuncts to lighten up their stronger interpretations of Belgian ales, it is definitely the way to go and produces a much more drinkable beer.

To sum up, this beer is perhaps a bit one-dimensional in its sourness, but I do get notes of tamarind, sweet cherries, toasted malt, and a hint of grainy astringency in the finish. This beer is quite nice, it really reminds me of a Flemish Sour ale, even if this is a mistake on the part of the brewers.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2004 16:43:27 | More by Gueuzedude

PSUDREW

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

It pours a nice deep ruby-amber color. Some head, little retention
Smells sweet and nutty at the same time. I really can't describe this in words the way I describe it in my head. The maltty sweetness in over-run by the candi-sugar sweetness (see what I mean now?). I like it, but I really can't recomend this on a daily basis. It is nice, but I could use more balance. I do recomend this, but not on a regular basis. Good try by victory, but not a home run

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2004 17:18:58 | More by PSUDREW

nomad

Kansas

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Whoa there... you gotta hear the story behind this beer. The bottled editions of a little while back didn't turn out well - the inside word is that the candi sugar used reacted badly once it got into warm and varying temperatures. Since Victory learned their unfortunate lesson, Ron and Bill say they'll never bottle this beer ever again. Thus, welcome to the new 2004 world of draught-only V-10, and its a great beer.

Smell and flavor appear as mirrors of each other: both show a strongly nutty flavor ans scent that is smooth and sweet like hazelnut cream. Maybe this flavor is what creates, or merely reminds me of, a very milky sense of flavor and a fragrant tick of roasted nuts. But its not roasty, instead heavy laden with toffee on the nose and tongue. The toffee is tasty, thick, and leading to a solemn malty core with bare amounts of fruity esters. Hops are fifth-fiddle to the yeast and malt party.

Sweet yet not sugary, solidly tasty and Belgian, but not heartbreaking in flavor. Of course, in true Victory fashion, the malt is large, clear, round, and succulent. That 10% abv is a bad idea, though the small serving glass is a good one.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2004 02:47:25 | More by nomad

goindownsouth

South Carolina

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

Without question one of the styles that I venture into least often, but nevertheless, Victory has changed my views on that once again. An amazingly rich and sturdy-looking brew, this strong ale packs a whallop in the nose, with some earthy barley and malt and some rich sweetness, of which I can not specifically place. The mouthfeel is smooth, and slightly stringent, cleansing the palate for the next sip, or the next bite of grub. A stellar brew, to be sure.

Prosit!

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2004 11:31:18 | More by goindownsouth

cbl2

New York

1.3/5  rDev -65.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Appearance:

Opaque brown with a hint of orange; 1" head that is an off white which laces the glass nicely.

Smell:

Rotten fruit comes to mind.

Taste/Mouthfeel:

Funky. I had heard that the Sept 2002 bunch of 10 was messed up, and they weren't kidding. Flavors of an off fruit that is mouth puckeringly bitter. This is undrinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2004 19:02:20 | More by cbl2