Red Thunder - Victory Brewing Company

bonkers

New Jersey

3.89/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a snifter, reddish brown pour, creamy white head. Tannic notes, oak notes, on the nose. The flavors of red wine and oak are overlaid with chocolate malts, slight acidic taste. The beer is creamy, full bodied, no discernable ABV. Decent beer, actually enjoy the base beer more.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 01:17:44 | More by bonkers

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

I'm assuming this is Baltic Thunder aged in wine barrels since you can't find any infomation on the website, which is odd.

Pours a deep auburn brown color with a thin head on top after a vigorious pour. Fades to froth on top.
In the aroma I get a big toasted malt smell followed by oak barrel or church pews. The oak is light and sutle and you need to draw in deeply to smell it.
Taste was really disappointing. Perhaps this is just a malt beverage in wine barrels.
Taste of oak and wine barrels are there but where is the beer. I'm not getting any evidence of a porter style beer.
Mouthfeel is thin and watery with a husky bitter finish.
To me while this beer drinks smooth and easy it lacks in flavor. One can hardly notice any beer at all. I would thick that Baltic porter was aged in wine barrels to give the beer sutle hints of wine and oak perhaps leaning towards a port. Not the case here, and since I can't find any info on the website maybe they know it too.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 13:17:29 | More by micromaniac129

russwbeck

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Black pour with a booming off-white head. The head builds up quickly, sticks around, and sticks to the sides of the glass. 4.5

S: The aroma is not unlike some American Wild Ales I've come across, which I attribute to the white wine barrels. Slightly tart, the aroma is sweet and fruity. I'm not noticing a lot of baltic porter characteristics, however. 3.5

T: The baltic porter is much more noticeable on the taste, but the white wine is still there as well. Not quite as tart, the wine is full of sweet grapes and crisp. The porter is there throughout, with roasted malts as an undertone for the wine, and then at the end the roast comes out in a big way to close the beer out. The taste is great to me, but the wine and the porter don't exactly mix. They more exist together. 4

MF: The body isn't as full as I would have expected, but the carbonation level is right on point. I found the beer to be very drinkable despite the disjointed taste. The finish is clean. 4.5

O: This was a strange beer that I'm still not sure how I feel about. Perhaps with more time this will turn into something great, but for now it was just...interesting. The flavors need to play together better. 4

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 23:02:06 | More by russwbeck

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4.11/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on 2013-02-28 in Columbia, PA

A - Reasonably clear dark brown with a touch of ruby. 1.5 finger head at first fades to a skim coat quickly and leaves nice lacing.

S - Red wine, oak, light vanilla, medium roasted grain. Nice but not overly-complex.

T - Reminds me of a barleywine aged in a red wine barrel. Dark fruit, burgundy, raisins, medium roasted grain, oak, some caramel, vanilla. Finishes spicy with some citrus, sweet-yet-charred-malt, alcohol and decent bitterness.

M - Medium body and carbonation. Thinner than I expected but not watery by any means.

O - I enjoyed this brew but wasn't blown away. Something a bit different for sure, which is always nice. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 22:29:21 | More by Tucquan

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a very dark cherry mahogany color with a one fingered thick head, dies down within minutes to a thin, but thick and creamy lacing ring. Very viscous when the glass is swirled.

S - Oak, warm roasted chocolate/cocoa, cherries, plums, and prunes. Malt forward with chocolate cream filling the nose.

T - Once again, malt forward with very little bittering which comes at the very end in the form of mild bitter chocolate. Tart red wine nips the tongue immediately followed by a noticeable shot of oak tannins. Midway through the wine-like character mellows and morphs into roasted chocolate and very faint coffee beans for a mild finishing bitterness. Light complexity and assertive oak character. Some alcohol warming but overall stays well hidden in the mix.

M - Heavier side of medium body with a bone dry finish, velvet smooth, and slick.

O - It's different but the flavors blend and play well together, 'sort of like having wine and chocolate together. I cellared a second bottle and it will be interesting to see how it evolves and hopefully the oak will diminish some, it's a little too up front right now.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 00:20:23 | More by jzeilinger

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a corked and caged bottle into a pint glass

A- pours a very dark brown, nearly black, with hints of cherry seeping through as well. Looks pretty nice

S- mild char, light vinous character. The scent overall is much more subdued than I expected

T- little bit of char, hints of wine, light tartness. I can definitely tell that this is Baltic Thunder, and I can definitely tell it was thrown in a wine barrel....neither characteristic overwhelms the other

M- huge body, very chalky, lots of depth. Doesn't take anything away from the original Baltic Thunder, adds a lot to it

O- not nearly as wine-heavy as I expected, and the barrel doesn't overshadow the base beer at all like what happens in so many of barrel-aged beers nowadays. Great balance

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 23:27:24 | More by bigfnjoe

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 25.4 oz caged and corked bottle

Appearance - Dark copper tan/brown, red tint, 1/8 inch creamy head and plenty of sticky lacing.

Smell - Roasted malts, molassess, brown sugars, wine, chocolate, cocoa, fig and rasin. Smells like dessert in a bottle.

Taste - Classic roasted chocolate porter flavor, with a backbone of sweet red wine. The chocoalte, cocoa and dark fruits hit you first, then the wine comes in. Works well to balance out the sugars and alcohol. Sweet cherries, orange and grapes really stand out. The finish has some cocoa and roasted malts.

Mouthfeel - Tounge gets lots of malts and chocolate at first, then sweet bold red wine coats it. Palate gets alot of fruits, some sugars and malts. The aftertaste is red wine, cocoa, chocolate and a little dry.

Overall - Hey this turned out good, kinda like a beer version of chocovine chocolate wine, but not as strong and wine forward. Its balanced rather well, easy to drink, and quite different then about any other beer you can have. I still enjoy baltic thunder but like this unique offering alot. Id for sure give this a shot if you enjoy red wine, baltic thunder or chocovine wine.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 04:36:24 | More by wvsabbath

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.39/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: deep dark copper/dark brown color, very nice thick rocky head, tan head
S: mild to medium nose, malt with some tannins noticeable from wine, almost like a Baltic Porter with some lambic undertones
T: nicely done, deep roasted chocolate malt, underlying tannins from wine
M: creamy and highly drinkable for ABV

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 14:13:54 | More by wisrarebeer

lovindahops

New York

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Giving red thunder a try

A- dark and opaque with a foamy head that subsides. Some good lacing on the edges

S- dark fruit, candied sugar, black coffee, cocoa, and strawberry scent. The wine and oak emerge as well.

T- It's definitely different. The porter flavor us basked in a sweet wine flavor the leads way to the cocoa flavors. The red wine swings in for the finish. Very different With the oak flavors chiming in

M- smooth but lingering red wine flavor

O- not for everyone, but red thunder is unique with the combinations. Might change a little more over time

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 01:02:06 | More by lovindahops

Morey

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Reddish-Brown in the glass (perhaps a bit thin for the style).

Aroma: Big dry red wine notes, subtle roasted char, dry.

Taste: Huge notes of dry red wine. Subtle roasty flavors underneath.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low to moderate carbonation.

Morey's Bottom Line: This is an Amazing beer IMO. I feel that it's underrated in a big way.

Full Review here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfsXFnzKTto

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 23:37:17 | More by Morey

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer poured a deep clear red brown and produced a tan creamy head, about two fingers high. It dissipated, leaving nice lacing.
It smells of roasted malt, dark chocolate and red wine oak barrels.
The taste is of roasted malts and earthy oak barrel tastes builds the front. The red wine character stays throughout the middle, mixed in with more bitter earthy hops.
The finish is a mild red wine infused, earthy oak barrel feel.
A medium bodied, interesting brew, which deserves respect for the idea! Great job!!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 04:37:59 | More by Hopfenpeter

confer

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Just happened to be in Wegmans on the day after release.
It come sin a 750 ml bottle. Pours brown with deep red hint when held to the light. Tan head fades quickly. The smell is mild coffee and chocolate.
The taste begins with the porter flavors, Mostly mildly bitter coffee and is followed by the red wine flavor. The wine taste fades quickly and the bitterness returns.
Very low carbonation and a creamy feel round off this beer. Overall an interesting tasty drink that hides the abv very well.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 00:15:40 | More by confer

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A- Pours a brown color with a red hue. Settles into the glass as a cola color with a thin beige head. The head fades quickly and leaves a ring of carbonation bubbles around the edges of the glass.

S- Tons of aromas with the red wine and roasted malt coming through the most. There is also a strong oaky aroma as well as chocolate. A hint of sour funk is noticeable too.

T- The taste showcases the Baltic porter more than the red wine barrels. Big roasts and chocolatey flavors up front with the red wine flavors hitting in the middle and the finish. Nice funky red wine finish with a hint of sour and oak .

M- Medium bodied, medium carbonation, smooth and roasty with a somewhat dry and tart finish.

O- Interesting combination of flavors that work to a certain extent. I would like a little more from the barrel, but with a big roasty porter, it can be difficult. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 01:30:14 | More by stephenjmoore

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Split a 750 ml poured into a duvel glass.

A: pours a clean dark brown with deep redish ruby hues, not much head, and a little bit of am spotty lacing.

S: chocolate and roast and oak with a faint touch of red wine. Red wine is more subtle then I expected, in a good way.

T: much like on the nose I feel like the red wine barrels add a bit of very nice toasty oak an just a touch of red wine to the base beer, complimenting it very nicley.

M:medium body with lower carbonation, a bitte on the finish with an aftertaste of toasted oak.

O: this is a pretty tasty brew where some careful barrel aging was used to really compliment an already excellent base beer. Deffiantly worth trying especially if your already a fan of Baltic thunder.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:33:23 | More by PeterIngemi

ksimons

New York

4.18/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-dark chestnut with ruby highlights and a fingers worth of light tan head

S-rich malt, chocolate, and red wine

T-taste starts with roasted malt, chocolate, and light coffee, and finishes with a bit of oakiness, and dry tart red wine flavor. Alcohol is well hidden.

M-medium body, light to medium carbonation, and a dry roasted feeling in the mouth

Overall I am glad I finally found this beer. I really like the combination of the porter and red wine, I think it really brings out some interesting flavors in the beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 00:00:55 | More by ksimons

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.01/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a reddish brown color with a creamy, tan head with maybe a reddish tint. Am I imagining the red coloration in this because of the name and barrel type in the beer? I don't think so. Looks very unusual and very cool.

Smell is dominated by red wine. Some sweet and very lightly roasty malt character, but barrel first and foremost and not a great deal of complexity, smells really good though.

Taste is similar but more fully realized. Loads of wine barrel character, held up by fairly sweet chocolaty malt character. Some light acidity/bitterness from the barrels but this isn't really a sour. Very good.

Mouthfeel is wonderful, incredibly creamy, thickness is just right, they really nailed the feel on this.

Overall a great beer, might be barrel dominated but it works well anyway and I greatly enjoyed this.

8.1/10

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 04:50:06 | More by AlexFields

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: On the lighter side for a porter, but still a deep brown with a hint of amber. Off colored head is ample at pour but retains well for a strong beer. Solid lacing.

S: Malt and wine grape smell. Nice twist.

T: Dark, sweet malt and wine barrel presence definitely. Nice mix of quality porter in the red wine barrell.

M: Relatively medium bodied for a barrel aged brew.

O: Really enjoyable and wish I had bought more.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 22:20:39 | More by Oakenator

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into an Allagash goblet.

A - Pours a very dark walnut color with about a finger of cappuccino head. When held up to the light it shows vibrant ruby highlights. Some, but not much lacing.

S - Very roasty with a noticeable nut presence. Oak tannins and cherry add an interesting dimension. Sweet cocoa rounds it out. Impressive.

T - The porter characters are prominent in the beginning. Roasted malts coupled with rich, chocolatey notes. The barrel has done a number on this beer and that becomes apparent on the back end. Pronounced dry grape and dark fruit flavor, bordering on tart. I think the fruit notes bring out the underlying chocolate in this beer a bit. The malts never quit and the finish is quite sweet. Tastes exactly like I would expect a baltic porter aged in red wine barrels to taste with obvious contributions form both sides.

M - I found Baltic Thunder to be a bit too thin, but this one works nicely. Carbonation is appropriately light and the body matches up with the flavors.

O - This was a release I was excited for since I first heard about it. Victory is one of my favorite brewers and, come on, a porter aged in wine barrel? This beer is a whole dfferent beast than Baltic Thunder. It has adopted many flavors of the barrel, adding fruit and oak to the already roasty porter. I don't know that I will be rushing to the store to stockpile this stuff, but it is interesting and certainly worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:18:02 | More by NoLeafClover44

weonfire

Illinois

3.64/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark mahogany, light head, opaque, tiny amount of lacing.

S - Red sour grape, cherry, carmel

T - Dry red wine, chocolate, carmel, cherry, oak

M - carbonation is good, low/med body, grape tastes lingers for a bit

O - This was a bit strange and also a bit of a let down. Initially it smells and tastes likes a sour - or heading that direction. But in an instant I felt fooled. What you may think is about to be sour cherry is actually dry red wine which turns to mild sweetness as the chocolate and carmel flavors come through. Mouth is avg at best being too watery but the 8.5 ABV is hidden quite well and is very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2013 00:33:01 | More by weonfire

Jonada

New Jersey

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

Presentation: 750ml corked and caged bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown with hints of ruby red. Nice carbonation streaming through the glass. There was about 1 finger of a light tan head that dissipated to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Red wine, chocolate, tart cherries, oak, booze, red berries. This smells surprisingly tart, but that's not a bad thing.

Taste: Porter characteristics are more apparent in the taste. Chocolate, roasted malt, slight coffee. More oaky and vinous notes as well. Finishes dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation. Very drinkable.

Overall: Interesting stuff. The red wine characteristics were much more prominent than I was expecting and added some additional complexity. I really would liked to have seen more of the base beer shine through, but this was still a solid brew. Glad I picked this one up, and I wouldn't be opposed to revisiting it in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 05:49:46 | More by Jonada

fdig23

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL Bottle

Appearance: Nice dark mahogany body with a perfect coffee colored head

Nose: Coffee forward with dark fruits lingering in the background. A malty chocolately-ness is present as well.

Taste: Somewhere between chocolate covered coffee beans and raisinettes. The coffee and chocolate flavors from Baltic Thunder really complement the plum and raisin flavors from the Cabernet Sauvignon barrels, but everything feels kind of subdued.

Mouthfeel: Feels sweet, not as heavy bodied as it should be.

Overall: Different and definitely enjoyable. The fruity red wine and dark chocolate flavors are a perfect pairing. The flavors do feel kinda muted, especially compared to the original Baltic Thunder.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 16:34:31 | More by fdig23

jhartley

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cork and caged 750ml. bottle poured into a poco grande flute glass.

A-Poured a ruby red to brown color with a tan 1 finger head which had real nice tight bubbles but it dissipated quickly.

S-Cherries, booze, coffee, really picking up on the red wine and something like leather.

T-Decent porter and wine flavors from the barrel. Real light sweet and tart cherry flavors. Smells boozy but I don't really pick up on as much as the smell implies. Really starts to come into its own as it warms.

M-Nice and dry finish with a lingering red wine flavor. Sweet, but not cloying

O- I really like this beer. I wasn't able to get any of the Dark Intrigue release last year and was happy to hear that Victory and produced a lot more of this so it would be out in a larger distribution for a longer period of time. I really like the red wine flavors matched with the porter, it's awesome to see Victory trying more with barrel aging.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 20:41:14 | More by jhartley

da_beers

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this in a trade (again, traded Heady Topper, living in VT has its definite Craft Beer related advantages) in a 750 ml Bomber. Best by 11/8/2015.

A - Pours a dark brown, thin tan head. When held up to light, can see the red from the oak red wine barrels used to age it. Decent lacing.

S - Chocalatey and nutty notes. Some spice notes in there that reminded me of the Holidays. Huge on the nose, get slight dryness of red wine in smell.

T - So interesting - starts as somewhat traditional Baltic Porter, but rapidly evolves into something quite unique. Finishes quite dry, like a Merlot.

M - Smooth and warming. Leaves dryness at end.

O - Overall good beer. Couldn't have multiples, not that drinkable. Leaves me very intrigued and wanting to try more beer/wine collabs.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 00:04:46 | More by da_beers

jjchristiano

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Always love all Victory products.
Christmas Eve dinner with family and my brother-in-law pulls this out of the fridge.
Supposedly the story is that this is Baltik Thunder that is aged in wine barrels.

Definitely can pick up on some tannins at first sip but then the malt sweetness takes over.
High alcohol content subdued in flavor. Nice Porter flavors develope with further sips.
Great beer to start the night with and with my Christmas Eve appetizers

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 14:00:45 | More by jjchristiano

CurtFromHershey

Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a deep brown with Ruby red hues where the light hits it. Minimal head, but strong retention. Looks thin.

Smell is more wine than beer, and it's not close. Someone poured a dash of beer into a cheap pinot.

Taste is a huge improvement over the smell. Rich chocolate, seductive tannins, and a slight hint of coffee. Really nice.

Body is pretty thick although on the thin side for a big porter. A little slick booziness.

Overall a tasty beverage, although honestly think the wine qualities are a bit overpowering here.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 00:08:50 | More by CurtFromHershey