Country of Origin: United States
Availability: Limited edition 2003 vintage.
Price comparison: About $1 more per 12 ounces than the average national domestic.
Alcohol percentage by volume: 9%
Cute bottle/label? 750ml brown glass corked and caged; jewel-toned label including the caption "Sensual Splendor ..." and I couldn't possibly resist that.
Appearance: Dark reddish orange with a fluffy white head and attractive lacing.
Scent: Green apple, citrus, and peach, with a hint of floral hops.
Flavor: Cinnamon and malt with a clean fruitlike sweetness and some breadlike qualities as it warmed, and a nicely dry hoppy finish.
Impressions: I don't know that it's necessarily a "sensual splendor", as such, but still; go Victory. Another successful experiment.
Will I buy this beer again? If it's still available next time I'm shopping, I'll get one to cellar, as it has a decent cache of yeast at the bottom and will probably age pretty well. At just under a year old, this particular bottle is already pretty damned good. Victory is, in my limited experience so far, the best domestic brewery at recreating the Belgian beer emotion in me.
Rating:
4 out of 5 cute beer glasses
Reviewed: February 21, 2004
