Valhalla
Elysian Brewing Company

ValhallaValhalla
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From:
Elysian Brewing Company
 
Washington, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 10.7%
Reviews:
40
Ratings:
152
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 21, 2021
Added:
Jan 13, 2010
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  7
From their menu: "It's thirsty work crossing the rainbow bridge! Fill your horn with the hoppy pagan red ale of pale, Special B and just a pinch of roasted barley, bittered with Sorachi Ace and finished with rare Citra hops. Starting gravity 17.1° plato (1.069), alcohol 5.65% by weight, 6.75% by volume."
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.75 by DOCRW from Kentucky

Nov 21, 2021
 
Rated: 3.39 by logicalparadox from New York

Jun 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Boone757 from Virginia

Mar 06, 2015
 
Rated: 4.29 by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

Mar 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by DuffMan23 from New York

Feb 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.42 by sneth019 from Maryland

Jan 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by MikeDAdams from Idaho

Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.12 by LouZ from Washington

Nov 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.9 by GeorgeAKeim from Oregon

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by zestar from California

Oct 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by JoelClark from Idaho

Aug 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by wrightst from Maryland

Jun 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Phi_Psi_OR_Beta from Oregon

Jun 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by leftoverburrito from Oregon

Jun 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Durandal_777 from Pennsylvania

May 28, 2014
Photo of LambicPentameter
Reviewed by LambicPentameter from Nebraska

3.79/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Reviewing from my notes after drinking this one on December 1st, 2013. Enjoyed out of a 22 oz brown bomber with no dating to be found on the bottle to indicate when it was packaged or when it's best enjoyed by. That said, this is a seasonal release that I believe comes around in October-ish, so it's probably 2-3 months old. Poured into a Speigelau IPA glass.

Appearance - Pours a deep tawny amber with rust colored highlights. Given the fact that the hue is rather dark, it's hard to tell, but it looks pretty translucent--no haze or cloudiness to speak of. Atop the body sits an apologetic off-white head with some frothiness, about a finger (or less) thick. Retention is alright, as the foam begins receding immediately, leaving a film across the surface and sparse lacing.

Smell - Heavy caramel smells dominate the nose, with rich burnt caramel and roasted barley leading the way and overpowering the remnants of what might have been a more aggressive presence of fruity hops when this beer was fresher. That said, there are still accents of peach and guava lurking behind the more overt aromas from the grain.

Taste - The grain again is front and center, with classic amber ale flavor profiles--caramel and toasted malt with hints of toffee and some nuttiness along with complementary notes of citrus, stone fruit and guava, as well as some decent herbal hop bitterness, reminiscent of pine.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied and moderate carbonation, with some crispness and a slightly sweet finish.

Overall, a pretty tasty beer that would be an outstanding amber ale, but is just an alright IPA. It's hard to say how much age plays a role, because I can tell it's not terribly old--no overt signs of oxidation or that distinctive overly-malted characteristic that comes from an IPA that tastes old. That said, the hoppy fruit profiles just aren't as bright as I might've expected.
May 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

Apr 19, 2014
Photo of JCarey
Reviewed by JCarey from Delaware

3.86/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Didn't get the chance to see the Elysian booth at AC Beer fest so I picked up a bomber afterwards.

Pours a clean dark amber with minimal head. It does leave a cap and some thin lacing.

Big and sweet on the nose. Bready. Some yeast. And...hops. Not dank or piney.

Taste is sweet. Almost a bit too sweet for me. I feel like the hops take a backseat to the base beer. There is a nice bitterness, but its not too balanced. A lot of citrus.

Mouth feel is quite a but thinner than I expected. Slightly undercarbed.

Overall a decent IPA with a twist. Though with the amount of sweetness they could boost the ABV and hops and make this an IIPA easily, and frankly, I think this would be stellar as a IIPA.
Apr 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gregaroo from Pennsylvania

Apr 15, 2014
Valhalla from Elysian Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 152 ratings