The label says: "Two of the world’s oldest beverages join forces to conquer your
palate. Victory as Sea embodies the art of masterful brewing by
infusing a velvety Imperial Porter with pure vanilla flavor and
specially selected, band of roasted coffee. The
addition of cold brewed coffee to the beer lends a subtle roasted
flavor to this robust imperial porter, blending perfectly with rich
vanilla and caramel undertones. By uniting two San Diego brewing
traditions, Caffe Calabria freshly brewed coffee and Ballast Point beer,
we have successfully created a artisanal masterpiece. "
Victory at Sea Imperial Porter checks in at 10% ABV. It's released in late November by Ballast Point, and though it sees wide distribution through BP's usual network, it tends to get swept up by the end of the month. For a slight change of pace, I tried the 2011 vintage, and the following night, the 2012 vintage, to see how much this beer changes over a year. Overall, the flavor notes were the same, but the balance, profile, and intensity of those flavors were slightly different.
Appearance: Both vintages are deep brown, almost black, and look opaque in the glass but actually do have a bit of noticeable clarity from some angles. Both pour a mocha-colored head that is about 1 finger in height and recedes to a thin foam layer on top of the beer. Neither exhibited much lacing on the glass.
Smell: Main notes include tempered coffee and vanilla. Roasted character is there, but it's not overwhelming or robust. The vanilla is much more present in the 2012 vintage than in the 2011.
Taste: The coffee and vanilla are both more forward in the taste, and bitter cacao is also present. The vanilla provides a bit of creamy sweetness, but other than that this beer does not come across as very malty. Again, the 2012 vintage is more vanilla-forward than the 2011, which is more mellow overall and has almost a nutty character from the subdued toasted malt.
Mouthfeel: Both vintages have a similar (and probably indistinguishable) mouthfeel: medium bodied, creamy, with light carbonation.
Overall: These are world-class imperial porters. The flavors are distinct and meld well together, but they are not overpowering. Some imperial "porters" are more in the glass of stouts than porters, and they kind of cheat. This beer, I think, stays nicely within the porter category but is exemplary in it. Because of their relatively low cost, I like to grab a few of these so I can have them throughout the year. I was lucky enough to have one left from last year, which was why I was able to do this (sort of) side-by-side! Overall, my assessment is that this beer is neither helped nor hindered by the extra year on it. The same core flavors are there, but they just play a bit differently on the palate. This is definitely an annual release worth seeking out.
4/5
Victory at Sea Imperial Porter checks in at 10% ABV. It's released in late November by Ballast Point, and though it sees wide distribution through BP's usual network, it tends to get swept up by the end of the month. For a slight change of pace, I tried the 2011 vintage, and the following night, the 2012 vintage, to see how much this beer changes over a year. Overall, the flavor notes were the same, but the balance, profile, and intensity of those flavors were slightly different.
Appearance: Both vintages are deep brown, almost black, and look opaque in the glass but actually do have a bit of noticeable clarity from some angles. Both pour a mocha-colored head that is about 1 finger in height and recedes to a thin foam layer on top of the beer. Neither exhibited much lacing on the glass.
Smell: Main notes include tempered coffee and vanilla. Roasted character is there, but it's not overwhelming or robust. The vanilla is much more present in the 2012 vintage than in the 2011.
Taste: The coffee and vanilla are both more forward in the taste, and bitter cacao is also present. The vanilla provides a bit of creamy sweetness, but other than that this beer does not come across as very malty. Again, the 2012 vintage is more vanilla-forward than the 2011, which is more mellow overall and has almost a nutty character from the subdued toasted malt.
Mouthfeel: Both vintages have a similar (and probably indistinguishable) mouthfeel: medium bodied, creamy, with light carbonation.
Overall: These are world-class imperial porters. The flavors are distinct and meld well together, but they are not overpowering. Some imperial "porters" are more in the glass of stouts than porters, and they kind of cheat. This beer, I think, stays nicely within the porter category but is exemplary in it. Because of their relatively low cost, I like to grab a few of these so I can have them throughout the year. I was lucky enough to have one left from last year, which was why I was able to do this (sort of) side-by-side! Overall, my assessment is that this beer is neither helped nor hindered by the extra year on it. The same core flavors are there, but they just play a bit differently on the palate. This is definitely an annual release worth seeking out.
4/5
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