Last weekend my partner and I finally crossed one of our long-time favorite breweries off out "must visit" list - Victory Brewing Co. in Downington, PA.
Strong, hoppy beer was the first thing that pulled me into a beer lover and I've consumed far more of Victory's Hop Devil than I could really keep track of. Storm King was my gateway into stouts. I'm missing time from several gatherings thanks to one too many delicious Golden Monkeys. While I've worked through just about every beer which they bottle, the only non-bottle brew I've tried is their wonderful Ranch Double IPA.
All that changed as Victory had well over a dozen draft-only selections, including several one-offs for the recent Craft Brewers Conference. Lets jump in...
Round 1
Victory Altbier: North German Ale | 5% ABV
Bright, beautifully refreshing and very German. Bright, metallic, and minerally... a hint of spice, with a lingering roasted bitterness. Great start!
Mad King's Weiss: Hefeweizen | 6.2% ABV
Incredible. Buttery and fruity with a mild tart finish and hints of elderberry blossom. Wow! Glad I took a shot at this one. Perfectly balanced in every way and one of the best Hefeweizens I've had hands down. 10/10
Scarlet Fire: Smoked Märzen/Rauchbier | 5.7% ABV
Mild campfire on the nose... then a big smoky finish. Very nice. Not a subtle beer. Wet up front with a long finish. A pleasant Oktoberfest-esq beer is back there somewhere, but the beechwood killed malts are the star here. Unique. I'd love to put back a pint of this with a plate of Gouda and MEAT. 8.5/10
Braumiester Pils - Tettnanger Hallertau: Keller Pils | 4.7% ABV
Part of their single hop variation on Prima Pils.
A subtle bitterness of hops, wet the whole way through, with a hint of citrus... almost lime. Very drinkable and light, while plenty of Victory hop character resides. Easy but quality. Probably should have had this one before the Scarlet. 7/10
Kennett Ale: Old Ale | 8.6% ABV
Awesome. Boozy, fruity, spicy goodness. Wonderful color and head. A great old ale. Robust, full body with a smooth, creamy finish. Not quite up there with some of the knock-you-on-your-ass old ales, but I will gladly take a pint of this any day (and took a growler home). Final note - the brew gets a bit tart and a bit bitter as it builds...
...updated note - tapped into the growler and it's still as rich and easy as I remember. One of my new favorite anytime old ales. 9/10
Round 2
CBC Mandarina Best Bitter: English Bitter | 4.3% ABV
Aptly Named! A light session ale with a bitter wallop out of the gate, but which mellows as the drink continues. Nice and wet with earthy hop notes throughout. Not as malty as their standard ESB (of which I snagged a tasted from my partner Mel), but a good, hoppy food beer. 6.5/10
Their bottled version is one of my favorite pales of late and I was very excited to hear it was on cask this weekend. Wonderful hop on the nose... warm, smooth floral and citrus hops provide a mild bitterness as it flows on in. Lovely and very enjoyable. A bit reigned in from its bottled brethren and very smooth as I enjoy my cask ales. 7.5/10
Hop Wallop: Imperial IPA | 8.5% ABV
Somehow in my IPA/hop dedication years, I never picked up this one. Smooth grapefruit rivals puckering hops. Fruity and well-balanced for an imperial. Far more craft that face-melting and sweeter than expected. Still for hop-heads only. It's obvious much thought went into this beer. 8/10
Baltic Thunder: Baltic Porter | 8.5% ABV
A deep amber, almost opaque beer stares back at me. Down the hatch... roasted malt beauty right here. Creamy, full body with a roasted bitterness and dark complexity. Long finish and lots of side tongue tingles (you know what I mean... I'm 8 beers in.. tongue tingles!). Big, old way of issuing a robust porter with plenty of dark coffee nodes. 9/10
Note: I was later heartbroken to find that not only were they no longer bottling this in 22oz., but they were out by the time I reached the bar with my growler. Get in touch if you have any of this black magic.
Storm King - Hand Pump/Cask: American Imperial Sout | 9.1% ABV
Amazing. My first stout love reals up again. On cask, it's full malt glory. Big, bitter stout (which is what brought me to the dark side in the first place). Warm cask delivery is the perfect augmentation variation on this hoppy, stout with lots of chocolate and roasted malt. Recommended 10/10
Overall a wonderful experience. Our server was funny and knowledgeable (and glad to be talking to people there for the beer), the meal was delicious and filling (Lamb Curry... mmmmm), and of course all the above beer. Looking forward to our next stop in! We'll hopefully have a bigger crew with us next time too.
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