Victory Brewing Storm King Stout

Beer: Victory Brewing Storm King Stout

Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA

Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Serving Style: Bottle

ABV: 9.1%

I've saved the best for last in my Victory Brewing trade. This beer is quite respected and is one of the top 100 beers on Beer Advocate and on Rate Beer. This is a seasonal offering from Victory and is usually available around the winter time, but according to their website it says available on draft and in bottles year round. My stout kick is starting to fade, but I still like stouts on the occasion anytime of the year.

This beer pours very dark brown, but not quite black, with a finger of creamy tan head that dissipated after a few minutes. It left great lacing for a Russian imperial stout on my pint glass. The aroma on this is a very unique combination of classic stout scents including coffee, espresso, dark fruit, and roasted grain, but also an earthy hoppy citrus scent that actually works itself in very well. The first sip brings on the roasted malt flavor upfront with secondary flavors of espresso and chocolate soaked coffee beans. The citrus hops make their appearance on the finish with just a slight grassy citrus kick at the end. This flavor profile is done very well with as much as is going on with the beer. The mouthfeel is velvety and smooth on the palate that leaves a slightly dry finish. The alcohol is very well hidden and only barely noticeable. The drink ability on this beer is good and I would have more than one of a cold night.

I really enjoyed this beer. I knew this stout used hops in it and I was afraid it was going to be like Black Sun Stout from Three Floyds. The floral aroma was just too strong with the Three Floyds offering, but this is pulled back and subdued and doesn't try to dominate the flavor profile, but only add a little something extra that a normal stout. That makes this an above average Russian imperial stout. If you find yourself down at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati it is certainly worth picking some up.

Cheers!
Matt

YuleSmith

Beer: Alesmith's Yulesmith (Winter)
Brewery Location: San Diego, CA
Beer Style: Imperial Red Ale
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 9.5%


When you are a beer geek and you travel outside of the state you always look for something new and interesting to try. There are certain beers that just are not available here in Indiana. I wish Alesmith was available here in Indiana. I bought this beer down in Cincinnati a while back at Jungle Jims and still have a few left. I don't fully understand distribution laws, but it seems like if a beer travels past Indiana to get to Ohio, there is no reason we shouldn't get this here. When beer geeks find out how delicious this beer is they would be buying it in great quantities. I think I read that Alesmith is also distributed with Stone's beer, so we should hopefully get this beer in Indiana.

Jungle Jim's by the way is a great place to pick up beer as well. Their selection is as good or better than Kahn's and Party Pak, but it is housed in this massive building that has just about any food from any country you've ever imagined. It's well worth the visit if you find yourself down that way. It really is a unique experience.

Alesmith produces this beer twice a year. I am reviewing the winter offering. You can tell from the bottles because the winter bottle is in Christmas colors and the summer bottle in blue. They call the winter offering an Imperial Red Ale, but probably belongs in the strong ale category and is very close to a DIPA.

The beer pours a very deep rustic orange color with three fingers off-white head. The lacing on the beer is one of the best I've seen. Billowy pillows of head leave large creamy rings of lace all the way to the end of the beer. The scent on this beer is a hop lovers dream. You can smell the resinous pine and grapefruit that are very bold and you can easily pick out the sweet caramel scent vying for your attention as well. Truly one of the best noses I've ever smelled on a beer. The taste on this beer is really something special. The first sip grabs your attention with the hops taking center stage. Bold flavors of candied grapefruit, pine, grain, toffee, and caramel come to the palate before the huge malted and bready backbone balance out those flavors. It is so complex, but it is still so very easy to pick out things in the flavor profile. Each sip the creamy mouthfeel brings those flavors in and out and never falter during the entire beer. The mouthfeel is full, bold, sticky, syrupy, and the best of all velvety. This beer is really something special. Such a great winter warmer.

I normally don't really just shower attention on something and try and give a fair review of a beer, but this is truly one of the best beers I've ever had in my life. Everything I look for in a beer Yulesmith beats the expectation on every category. The taste and mouthfeel are the two biggest keys on this beer. If I tried to make beer commercially this would be my benchmark.

If I was going to die tomorrow I would want to drink this tonight. That is how good this beer is. Easily in my top five beers of all time. The bottle states that this is for gift giving during the holiday season. You would be my favorite person on Christmas morning if this was sitting under my tree.

Cheers!
Matt