Oak Horizontal - Victory Brewing Company

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Candy brown-red. Soapy ring formed and stuck around. Looks decent.

Marshmallow, bourbon, raisin, caramel, herbal hoppiness, and a hint of cola. Not as fruity as I might have expected, but there are notes of other dark fruits and very light cherry.

Big bourbon notes with rich malty caramel, booze, raisin, honey, earthy/herbal hops, and some marshmallow. Tasty as hell for bourbon lovers. Major whiskey notes, and they're impressive. Some latent barley grain notes. Solid bitterness at the middle's end that I respect.

Drinks hot and slick. Dry bitterness combines well on the palate with the sweeter mouthfeel. Wish it could be mellowed out a notch.

Awesome barleywine. A bourbon-forward example with a nice base beer, to boot. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 04:56:50 | More by thecheapies

Casey3236

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

05-16-2013 03:44:05 | More by Casey3236

inkdemention

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -14%

05-16-2013 03:19:46 | More by inkdemention

waddellc2

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-12-2013 23:48:11 | More by waddellc2

whallgren

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

05-12-2013 19:18:12 | More by whallgren

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4.09/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours out a very dark amber/murky brown with a finger of off-white head.

The aroma has huge notes of vanilla, bourbon, toffee and caramel. There is some oak, but it's not dominating. Smells very sweet and slightly boozy.

The taste also has a very heavy vanilla flavor, almost to the point of a coconut type of taste too. A decent amount of bourbon, toffee, caramel and some butterscotch notes too. The wood is definitely more prominent in the taste and especially as it warms. There is a little bit of bitterness on the back, but it's mainly sweeter.

The body is medium and the mouthfeel is slightly creamy. The ABV is not all that hidden here, you can definitely smell, taste and feel it as it goes down. Some time would mellow it out.

A very nice BBA Barleywine, but the heat and the overbearing sweetness at times keeps this from being amazing. Still a good beer and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 14:35:01 | More by JohnnyMc

fdig23

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-09-2013 23:17:40 | More by fdig23

Magery

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-07-2013 19:31:36 | More by Magery

JoshBrews

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

05-07-2013 15:47:45 | More by JoshBrews

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pour is dark ruby red with a right tan head. The nose has a deep malt complexity of rich chocolate and caramel, nice bourbon presence, strong but not overwhelming. Dark fruits behind with a light vanilla wood note. Taste has more bourbon, light vanilla and oak with the chocolate richness coming through. A touch green in back with dark chewy fruits through the Finish and a bit of alcohol around the edges. Body is thick and well carbonated, smooth and creamy and soft on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 13:31:05 | More by cpetrone84

MichPaul

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

05-06-2013 01:26:35 | More by MichPaul

buzzy

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

05-04-2013 15:05:49 | More by buzzy

eawolff99

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-03-2013 03:02:45 | More by eawolff99

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-01-2013 05:10:22 | More by spycow

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

04-28-2013 19:13:02 | More by ThePorterSorter

rab53

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

04-25-2013 02:09:47 | More by rab53

Pahn

New York

3.86/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

750ml bottle into a snifter.

Appearance: Free pour yields a fizzy offwhite head that dissipates immediately. Nice clear ruby/maroon.

Smell: Very fruity. Jolly Rancher. Faint oak, but mostly very sugary malt and interestingly deep grape/berry fruitiness. Almost smells like fruity hops.

Taste: Way more oak and bourbon than your average BA beer. Doesn't taste like high quality bourbon, but the sugary malt keeps it tasty. High hop bitterness. Toasted oak that pushes into over-oaked territory (tasting like fresh cut wood smells with a lot of tannins), but again balanced out by the sugary malt.

This beer works very well. It's very dry, very bitter, and very hot... I think it could have stayed longer in barrels, though who knows since it already tastes a bit overoaked. A lot of what makes the base beer undrinkable fresh has been remedied, and honestly the bitterness and heat has some real charm when combined with the oak and bourbon flavors. Beautiful aftertaste once the bone-dryness resolves. Aftertaste bumps it up to a generous 4.0.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Very bitter and dry--which I love. Moderate carbonation.

Overall: Definitely a flawed beer; the oak is a bit overdone, it's too hot, too bitter, not deep enough (the malt is pronounced and sweet but not very complex)... and yet. The overall taste is good, and I'm going to enjoy this bottle over the next day or two.

Victory doesn't really have their shit together when it comes to barrel aging beer. They seem to over or underdo it. However, the beers aren't horribly expensive, and the finished product tastes good. I'm not really impressed, but I'm not disappointed either.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:37:34 | More by Pahn

brutalist

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

04-19-2013 22:57:23 | More by brutalist

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.7%

04-17-2013 18:08:13 | More by Jason1337

jpatton0127

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

04-16-2013 13:06:45 | More by jpatton0127

tdizzlegrizzle

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

04-16-2013 10:31:55 | More by tdizzlegrizzle

Invictus

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

04-15-2013 22:06:19 | More by Invictus

joeseppy

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pour resembles a cherry cider color with a generous cherry vanilla head.

Not much on smell. Digging in, I pick up on oak and malt sweetness.

Sweet brew with alcohol sensation from the oaky bourbon, could be deeper. Caramel, vanilla and raisin blends.

Coats the mouth well and easy carbonation. Sticky lacing follows throughout.

Maybe too sweet for me but its alright. For the price I would not purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 23:21:43 | More by joeseppy

RuEXP1

Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Pours a murky brown color that seems to have some sediment floating around when it is first poured. Little carbonation and a thin tan head the dissipates quickly. Light lacing with tiny bubbles.

S - Has a strong caramel smell, maybe a little woodsy as well. To me the caramel really dominates the aroma of this beer with some fruit undertones. I love it.

T - This taste is fairly unique. A lot of bourbon barrel beers will have a really strong alcohol front due to the bourbon, but this does not. It comes on sweet with the fore front flavor being caramel again. Some molasses and sugary flavors come through and along with the bourbon. Just because the bourbon isn't slapping you across the face doesn't mean you won't realize this is a bourbon beer.

M - This drink has a thicker consistency. There are a good amount of sugars in here which give it a pleasant mouth feel. Carbonation is pretty mild.

O - I think I am drawn to this beer just because of other experiences with bourbon barrel beers being rather thin and really strong with the alcohol taste. However, the fact that you can really taste sugar and molasses etc... makes it something you don't want to have too much of. Might keep you up instead of put you to sleep. Definitely worth a try if you haven't done so yet!

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:59:11 | More by RuEXP1

auggie

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

04-12-2013 23:10:33 | More by auggie