Ranch S IPA - Victory Brewing Company

schnell

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Stopped at Victory last weekend and they had Ranch S on tap. My brother goes there often and hadn't seen it on the menu before. I had a draught and liked it enough to pick up a Growler to takeback home to OH. It was not as bitey as I would expect from a double IPA, but that only made it more dangerous at 9 ABV

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 02:51:34 | More by schnell

Gavage

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: dark orange in color with a 2" head. Nice lace develops during the session.

Smell: floral hops, grapefruit, orange, and some caramel is very pleasant on the nose.

Taste: caramel, grass, some biscuit, loads of grapefruit, and a hearty bitterness is wrapped in a soft alcohol tone.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Lightly crisp throughout with a long dry finish. Aftertaste last a while on the tongue.

Overall: this was a surprise seeing this on tap, and it did not disappoint. Great flavor and aroma, it really hits the spot.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2012 12:39:45 | More by Gavage

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Craft Ale House in Limmerick, PA. 10oz

Ranch S IPA looks nice in the glass. Im digging the great retention on a inch of off white tinted foam that leaves minor sticks on the glass. The color is a light amber mixed in with pumpkin orange. Bubbles rising.

Smell is fairly earthy with alot of biscuit/breadiness in the nose and an assertive hop addition with that comes off herbal with a small amount of citrus rind. Crystal malt plays off of a slight whiff of alcohol with warming.

Taste is assertive with crystal malt up front mixed in with resinous hops giving off herbal like taste. Don't get any grassy effects which is great. Small amounts of citrus come up in spirts. Alcohol with warming. Easy enough to drink, and balanced, yet not my particular hop profile.

Feel is bold with a nice medium feel. Comes off a tad syrupy but I am just nitpicking. Aftertaste sticks around for a bit with just a slight bit of heat. Carb is spot on for this one, not overly bitey.

Not sure if Victory is tooling around and looking to put another DIPA in their lineup. Personally Hop Wallop is where it's at. But if they need another one, it should not be Ranch S DIPA

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2012 15:39:35 | More by onix1agr

sholland119

Pennsylvania

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

A-Pours a crystal clear orange amber with a huge foamy white head and great lacing.

S-Lots of sweet malt with good citrus and grapefruit rind.

T-Rather boozy, to be expected perhaps given ABV, with good grapefruit and grapefruit rind hoppiness, nice sweet malt behind.

M-Medium bodied, a bit oily.

O-Dangerously drinkable, despite the slightly high boozy heat. Quite enjoyable.

HV

Serving type: growler

01-02-2012 01:00:28 | More by sholland119

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Victory. Pours a dark copper with a small white head. Sweet, sticky caramel malt, bright hops especially on the finish, near candy-like at times, hot with a prevailing alcohol burn on the finish. Thick and oily, over the top next to the typically graceful Victory fare. Will appeal to some, but this lacks balance and grace and sampled beside Hop Devil and Hop Wallop this falls way short.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2011 02:10:21 | More by JAXSON

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Pinocchio's

A: Medium amber body. Nice clarity with a mid-sized off-white head. Spotty lacing as the head receded.

S: The 100% cascade recipe that is also dry-hopped with cascade is readily apparent from the bright citric-floral nose. Oranges, grapefruit, fresh cut flowers, and the slightest bit of grass.

T: Like the nose, citrus notes and floral notes predominate. Grapefruit tends to take over here. Soft biscuity malt-backbone shines through.

M: Medium-full bodied. I tend to find Victory's IPAs/dIPAs to be a tad heavier than they need to be... the Ranch S was no exception.

O: A welcome release from Victory. I look forward to trying again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2011 03:26:45 | More by callmemickey

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this one initially last night on tap at Victory but am doing this revue from the growler I brought home.

A - Pours a nice copper color with moderate carbonation and a thick, half inch creamy head. Carbonation coming from the growler isn't as vibrant as it was on tap last night but that's O.K.

S - Aroma is citrus, spice, and floral notes mixed in with a light biscuity malt. There's also a very subtle earthiness to this beer as well which I didn't notice last night coming from the tap but more so today being poured from the growler.

T - Citrus hops come through in the form of oranges and some grapefruit, flowery, and spicy character; the malt stays subdued and let's the hops define this beer. This is a respectable alcohol level and there is some effervescence and warming on the way down.

M - Heavy medium to full body, somewhat thick for a big IPA (which I really like), slight prickles on the tongue with smooth carbonation.

O - Ranch S has the looks and color of Hop Devil with some bittering character of Hop Wallop while retaining it's own personality. It was a tough decision to make, "Do I go for the Hop Wallop or the Ranch S? Our waiter laughed and said, "That is the exact same question several people have been asking!". The verdict, this beer incorporates a few bits and pieces from other beers Victory currently offers, but in a unique way. Three of us at the table ordered a pint of the Ranch S and the reaction was unanimous...Victory needs to include this in the regular rotation as it is a very good D-IPA that strikes a nice blend of East and West Coast personality. Thumbs up on this one.

Serving type: growler

12-27-2011 23:35:29 | More by jzeilinger

MusicaleMike

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a growler to a pint.
Newest Double IPA from Victory Brewing Co.
Heard that this is the first installment of the "Ranch" series.

Towering head of cream colored foam that settles into a soft bed and leaves nice ringlets of lacing down the glass. Absolute beautiful clarity, nicely showing off the very attractive golden amber hue. Sorry, but it doesn't get any better than this...

Bringing the glass nearer, I can already smell the floral and citrus hop aromas. The aroma has notes of lemon pith, rose hip, and a sweetness that is similar to tropical fruits, most likely derived from the alcohol. The aroma is reminiscent of Saison Du Buff.

Up front, at first sip, there is a very light bitterness, quickly followed by a mid palate maltiness that comes off as biscuity, and seems to only be there to keep the bitterness in check. Hops are definitely in charge here and the lingering aftertaste has many of those herbal hop qualities.

The mouthfeel is of course on the softer side because of the growler, where a lot of the carbonation came out in the initial pour. However, Ranch S has the right body, and I think the softer carbonation really helps with hoppy beer styles like this double IPA.

I quite like this beer. I'm wary of the typical DIPAs because I know that people are getting wrapped up in the citrus, tropical fruit IPAs and there is a forgiveness with those styles in particular. How do you judge something that seems to be as easy as "add more hops?". Well, I think Victory has created something that is very attractive and somewhat different than what all the beer geeks are clamoring for. It's got that herbal hop quality that seems pretty unique if you ask me. I like this beer and i hope to get another growler when I finish this one.

Serving type: growler

12-26-2011 21:18:57 | More by MusicaleMike

mfunk9786

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Was surprised to see a new IPA on the draft board at Victory, had to take a growler home. Stated that it was 9% ABV - and they already had a tap handle designed for it, featuring one big hop colored in various shades of green.

Ranch S IPA (woof, what an awful name) pours a nicely filtered orange with one of those high ABV heads that struggles to hang on at the start, but retains some presence throughout the time it takes to drink a glass. Has a very Hop Devil-ish smell - spicy hops with a bit of orange peel. Taste is very bitter, but with the tropical fruit and grapefruit character of Victory's Hop Wallop replaced with more of an orange and faint mint hop profile. Definitely quite tasty, the east coast answer to the west coast IPA - enough of a malt backbone and a murkier hop profile to assert the mid-Atlantic winter into a well-filtered DIPA without veering into that whole heavy malt and tea-like old fashioned DIPA situation. Definitely worth checking out, but don't expect Pliny.

Serving type: growler

12-16-2011 04:05:43 | More by mfunk9786