12 oz single from Ale Yeah, Decatur, Atlanta, GA, USA. Relatively new entrant to the Atlanta market. Th e pour gives a clear, copper colored body with a one finger head. Head is unfortunately poorly retained and there is virtually no lace. Color is pretty though. I'm very surprised at the hoppy nature of the nose. It's quite striking under any circumstances, and considering the style that is even more amazing. The tastes also give up some of that hoppy element, but it's not quite as strong as...
Notes on beers brewed by
Victory Brewing Company
Saison Du BUFF
12 oz bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA. $2.99 I *think*. Nice looking pour with a very attractive golden color and plenty of head. Some retention, a little lace. Solid looking. The aroma gives a little white pepper and a few sinus clearing elements, but nothing out of the ordinary for a Saison. HOWEVER, this does not set me up for the taste! The taste is a garlic laden, herbal assault that is difficult to get to grips with. It's abusive up front, but fades a bit as the beer warms....
Baltic Thunder
22 oz bottle that I bought way back when it came to GA for the first time. The bottle has a white, dot-matrixed date that says, Best Before Dec 31 08. Deliberately held on to this for aging purposes. Pour is a classic, dark brown, black, ruby red combo. The head is good to start, but fades badly to leave little retention and no lace. The nose is AMAZING. An extraordinary, beautiful, slightly oxidized Madeira fruit, alcohol and boozy, liquor note. Lots of sherry notes. Taste replicate the...
Yakima Glory
12 oz single from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Heard various descriptions of this, including "Black Pale Ale" (which I cannot abide) so I was interested (and anxious) to see what this looked like before anything else. The beer pours with a deep, granet, reddish hue with great clarity. Nice head and lace considering the ABV, it looks good in the glass. Semi-sweet nose with some sinus clearing, tea-like hops. Tastes are obviously hop-forward and quite dry, but there is a degree of balanced...
Helios (V Saison)
22 oz bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. This the same beer as the now retired V-Saison and is retailing around the Atlanta area for a very reasonable $2.99 in some places. Body is a golden clear one with some nice persistent carbonation. Head is high and huge. Quite a large dose of lemony funk in the nose with a touch of soap too. Tastes are milder than the nose might suggest. Sweeter notes combine with the soapy citrus flavors to even things out a bit. Finish accentuates the soap...
Wild Devil
Original notes 05/20/2019 750 mL bottle, corked & caged from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Had a hell of a job getting the cork out eventually having to opt for a full-on corkscrew. Given that, the pop and gunsmoke that came with it was a touch disappointing. Poured this one into the Southampton Weizen glass (Pictured from Dec 2020). Orange/copper body with a touch of darkness. Nicely formed, simply bubbly head, but it's a little light and produces no lace. Steady carbonation is apparent....
St. Victorious
One of my favorite styles from a solid brewer. Despite Victory having been in GA for sometime now, we've never had any of this. 12 oz bottle as part of my Secret Bunny package, thanks mday. Best Before Dec 2 09 printed on the label. Poured into the DFH palm glass, the tan head is disappointing in terms of retention and lace, but at the same time not that surprising considering the ABV. The carbonation seems especially low on this one. Nice garnet pour with good clarity. Very simple malty notes...
Moonglow Weizenbock
This has been a long time coming for me. Although we've had Victory in GA for quite some time, we still got get many of their seasonals and specials, and Moonglow is one that we continue to miss out on. This came from the Charleston Beer Exchange as a 12oz single - delighted to finally get to try it. One of my favorite styles from a proven brewer, this should be a nice beer. Lovely, slightly clouded amber body with some better than expected carbonation. The head is well formed and leaves some...
Abbey Six
Ran into this one on tap at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. This has been getting some mixed reviews at the pub so I thought I'd better road test it myself to be sure. Orange, hazed body with a moderate head and not a great deal of lace. Looks unspectacular and NOTHING like a "Belgian Dark Ale". I would be looking for a bigger head and some much darker, browns and blacks to get to that particular classic look. This looks more Tripel like. Fruity ester meets the nose and the early palate....
Uncle Teddy’s Bitter
On tap at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Pint poured with a surprising degree of chill haze and a distinct lack of clarity which worried me. The head was not well formed either, and the lace suffered a little - I was also surprised at the temperature - The Brick Store is usually pretty much spot on with temp, but this seemed too cold. Mid-brown body. Not the best beer i have ever seen in the glass. Nice malt based bitter with a simple light hop profile lurking underneath and in the finish....
Donnybrook Stout
From notes, from a draft offering at The Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Here's the deal - by all means make a sessionable, simple, low ABV beer (the lack of these type of beer is what I am pretty much constantly lamenting here in the US), BUT that's not an excuse to brew a beer that is frankly thin and bland and lacking taste. Very poor effort for me all the way around. The mouthfeel is VERY thin, and the taste lacks character - I wasn't expecting much depth, but there was very little taste....
Braumeister Harvest Pils
On tap at the Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA. Served in a Prima Pils glass. Slightly cloudy, yellow body lacking the super-clarity associated with the style. Small head and a disappointing lack of retention and lace. Apperance is not the strength of this brew. Tastes are really quite sweet. A lot of malts sits on top of a mild hop finish. Very easy to drink, I'd have to put this in the "summer quencher" category. As I got down to the bottom of the glass it began to lose some life - a little...
V-Saison
A hazy, honey colored pour from the 750 mL corked & caged bottle that came from Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. $7.99. Head is perfectly formed. Small but dense, not much lace. Light sweetness in the nose. Mild spice, a little clove and all spice but it is muted. Quite sweet, a touch of citrus. This beers beauty is all in the finish. This is where the acidity and funk settle on the tongue and palate. This part of the beer reminds you that it really IS a Saison. Light and easy drinking,...
Festbier
12oz single, Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA. Excellent copper color and (for me the most important in this style) great clarity. Clear as a bell. Small, creamy, short-lived head with not much lace. retention poor. Big and malty up front and quickly followed by some organic tasting hops. Some grassy notes. Well balanced. Very typical for the style, a nice example.
Sunrise Weiss
12 oz bottle as part of a sixer, Hilton Head, SC, USA. At the time this had not made it to GA. Pour is OK, but lacks the wheat haze appearance that I would normally expect. Some carbonation, but a disappointing lack of head, lace and retention. Decent sweet, bubble-gum, banana aroma but lacks a bit in the taste. A bit lightweight all around. A little acidic in the finish. Not the best Hefe, nor is it Victory's best beer. A little disappointed.
Whirlwind Witbier
Purchased as a sixer in Hilton Head, SC, USA just a few days or weeks before this made it to Atlanta. Victory had already made it here but Whirlwind was NOT in the initial wave of Victory products, but now (mid-July 2007, it's here). 12 oz bottle. Pour is disappointingly flat - lack of head and lace (which to me is a real problem for a Wit) is alarming, and carbonation is light, but at the same time over FIZZY - a very odd combo. Nose has the yeast and spice, but also an odd mixture of sweet,...
Victory Lager
Purchased as a sixer of 12 oz bottles in Hilton Head, SC, USA. Although Victory has recently made it to GA, this beer is not one of those that is coming our way just yet. Definitely a macro like appearance. Low carbonation, perfect clarity but a head that is gone within one minute and no lace. Nose is very unimpressive - frankly it's also VERY macro-like. Lots of grassy, corny, adjunct-like smells with plenty of boiled vegetables! Taste is much better than the aroma would suggest. Simple,...
V-Twelve
Thanks to ArrogantB for the trade before this got to GA. 750 mL corked & aged bottle, dated, bottled on (something - illegible) 10 06. Orange, chill-hazed pour with a nice high head with a little lacing in the Duvel chalice. Alcohol is quite prominent in the nose, but to be honest, whilst it IS fairly astringent it is also not overpowering. Obviously very sweet, but I get a LOT of tangerines and other mild orange tastes. A tiny bit of pepper too. Drinks below the ABV and can be enjoyed quicker...
Prima Pils
On-tap, Sansom Oyster House, Philadelphia. Absolutely crystal clear appearance, to the point of being clinical, golden, pale yellow color, small tight head with a minimal amount of lacing. Hops dominate the smell, and I certainly agree that there is a pepper/spice/herbal note to them. Some creaminess in the mouthfeel. It drinks exactly as you would expect. Clean, bitter, hoppy and peppered. Some Saaz like bitterness in the finish and aftertaste too. Good thirst quenching characteristics, but...
Old Horizontal
Updated Review 12/07 === 2007 bottling - fresh sample. Much hoppier and less enjoyable to me. Liked the 3 year old bottle, better. Original Review 10/05 === 12/04/02 Bottling. Thick and noisy, bright copper colored pour with a good head that dies quickly due to the 11% ABV. The lacing is obviously minimal. Very sweet malts in the nose and not much else, except sugar coated sugar! There are some very big hops in the finish but they are not remotely bitter. They simply serve to even out a beer...
HopDevil Ale
Typical of a good quality American hop heavy IPA. Excellent clarity in the appearance, looks really good, with a dark orange amber tinge, nice head and a little lacing. Nose is typical with citrus grapefruit notes. Taste is dry hops, but they don't overtake the beer. A good malt backbone backs up the hops, and although I wouldn't really describe the beer as balanced, the hops are well supported to make it a nice combination. Mouthfeel has the twang that you would expect. Drinkability is high...
Golden Monkey
Notes: 02/20/22 12 oz can (pictured). The alcohol is less apparent than it once was for me. Spice notes still present. I like this beer, and getting toward twenty years of drinking it proves that. Additional notes: 12/16/06 This is a bottle that is at least 18 months old - bottle says drink before Feb 07 2009, so plenty of time left. I like the way this has mellowed out over time. Seems more in line with a typical Tripel with the sweetness straightened out to reveal more alcohol. It's aging...
Storm King Stout
Jet black (some very small ruby red highlights) with very little head at all. A little lacing, this is a bit short on looks apart from the deeply opaque body. Slight smokiness, with alcohol and small chocolate overtones make up the nose. Mouthfeel is good, as expected for a high alcohol stout. Tastes are espresso based with alcoholic warmth and some smoke to the fore. Some sweetness, but its not cloying or sickly like some beers of the style with high ABV. More bitter hops in the finish than...
Hop Wallop
This is certainly a popular brew amongst BA's, but if you're not a huge hop-head (as I'm not) this is obviously not going to be your cup of tea. Having said that I am glad that I tried it (thanks meathookjones) and I am trying to review based upon the style not my own tastes. A very attractive pour with an orange, crystal clear body and a decent head. The aroma is all bitter citrus grapefruit and this is replicated in the taste. Unfortunately, the hops with the relatively high ABV is all I...