Beer Review: Storm King by Victory Brewing Co.

Brand: Victory Storm King
Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA
Price Per Case: $34.99
Alcohol By Volume: 9.1%
Type: Stout
Availability: Seasonal – Fall / Winter
Company Website: Victory Brewing Co.

Story:
As usual on a Friday, I headed out of work early and made my way to my local cigar shop. As I neared the store, I saw a couple of extra cars in the parking lot, one of which looked a little familiar. As I got closer I recognized a former co-worker, Mick, sitting in the drivers seat.

Its been a while since I talked to Mick last and it was about time we caught up a bit. As we walked into the cigar shop we wound up talking about beer. As the cooler months draw near I like to switch up to a heavier beer. I asked Mick what he would recommend for someone such as myself and he was happy to oblige.

After enjoying a cigar and some good conversation we decided to hit up the local beer distributor and each pick up a case. The distributor we went to is called Beer Mart and is located in Berks County, PA. They have an incredible selection of imports, microbrews, and macro brews. Mick and I walked around the store for about a half hour talking about the different beers we have had in the past and our impressions of them.

I wound up settling for a case of Storm King Stout by Victory Brewing Company. Mick went with a Philadelphia Row House Red, something that we both have never tried. My selection came from a recommendation by Mick on something that would be heavy enough for the cooler nights in PA while being decent in price. I took my case to the register and headed home shortly after.

Brand:
The Victory Brewing Company was established in 1996 by Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski. The brewery is located in Downingtown, PA. Unlike many beer pubs, which brew five or six varieties of beer, Victory crafts an astounding twenty-plus beers.

During a renovation in the Spring of 2008, the Victory Restaurant received a unique growler filler which ports more than twenty varieties of beer to a counter pressure filler. This system allows for a much longer shelf life than traditional spigot fill systems.

Some of the Victory favorites (as per company website) include:

• Hop Devil
• Prima Pils
• Golden Monkey
• Victory Lager

Seasonal – Spring / Summer:

• St. Boisterous
• Sunrise Weissbier
• Throwback Lager
• Whirlwind Wit

Seasonal – Fall / Winter:

• Festbier
• Hop Wallop
• Moonglow Weizenbock
• Old Horizontal
• St. Victorious
• Storm King
• V-Twelve
• V-Saison

Quoted from Victory Brewing Website:

“Having trained in Germany, we appreciate the artistic freedom we have here in the US. Here creativity is embraced by a fervent core of consumers and we are happy to serve that audience with our experience in traditional methods, selection of choice, often imported ingredients, and the best processing that technology can offer us. We relish the opportunity to please both ourselves and our audience with our flavorful creations. We’ve invested more than our lives in this. Take a look.”

Bill Covaleski
Brewmaster & President

Opinion:
After opening up my very first bottle of Storm King Stout, I poured a small amount into a tall glass and allowed it to breathe for a minute or so. I picked up the glass and began taking in the aroma of the beer. My first impression was that it had a sweet aroma paired up with some bitterness.

Swirling the glass a little gave way to a caramel colored head that had a fantastic appearance. As I slowly turned the glass, I watched the head stick, then very slowly fall back down into the beer below. At first glance, this beer could easily be mistaken for a glass of Coca-Cola due to its very dark appearance.

The flavor of the beer is very pleasant. Being an Imperial Stout, I expected it to be heavy and full flavored, which it very much is. The most dominant flavor, to me, are the hops. Second to the hops is a nice sort of caramel sweet flavor.

While it isn’t quite cold enough for me to drink this on a semi-regular basis, I will most definitely be picking up more in the future. The price isn’t too out of my league at $34.99, but just as is with cigars, you wind up paying for quality and this one didn’t let me down in the slightest.