Paul’s Brewsletter

By David James

One common demoninator that ties all microbrew and craft beer enthusiasts together is a true, strong desire to finally discover the ultimate “holy grail” of all the currently produced barley and hop libations. I count myself amongst these never resting microbrew aficiandos. Personally, I’ve long been focused
on tracking down the be-all, end-all in russian imperial stouts in particular for a substantial length of time now (years in fact). Finally, maybe, just maybe I’ve finally discovered it, and right in my own Pennsylvania backyard of all places!. The microbrew of mention goes by the name of Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout and “imperial” it certainly is. Here’s a russian imperial stout fit for microbrew kings and queens alike!

Victory Storm King is a superlatively thick, rich and frothy brew that even your grandfather would love (or perhaps even attempted brewing on his own down in his basement back in the days of Prohibition). Proudly produced by the reputive Victory Brewing Company, which is a microbrewery founded in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, I sampled this wondrously crafted creation from a 12 ounce bottle (”enjoy by” date of 1/12/2012) deposited directly into my steadfast Stoudt’s Brewery 16 ounce pint glass, meticulously clean and completely unchilled.

Right from the get-go, the appearance is thick, really darned thick and deep and black as the darkest of dark nights! No transparency to speak of here even when holding my glass directly up to a 100 watt bulb. This is a foamy, syrupy concoction I’m dealing with here. A very nice two-finger mocha/tan head aggressively clawed its way up the side of my slippery glass, reaching all the way to the brim in an only slighty failed jailbreak attempt from this capably containing 16 ounce vessel before finally succumbing to its lone limitation and settling down into a manageable fog of froth glazing lazily
on the surface.

High tones of roasty, toasty malts eminate from the glass as I draw it only inches from my nose. This baby looks gorgeous and almost too good to drink. Almost. But I’m a warrior, and eye candy like this is not going to deter me, no way. The first sip shouts out that familiar thick toasted malts effect. Roasted coffee, a little back hint of licorice and surprisingly not quite as chocolatey as I would have guessed in my uneducated microbrew disposition I suppose. How gullible and jaded am I? Low and behold, right at the end, just right before the first swallow though, I sense it. Yes…hops, in a Russian Imperial Stout nonetheless. What the heck is this? An RIS or an IPA?

This beauty does itself, and the microbrew community, proud with the absolute perfect balance of roasted malts and hops. I didn’t think it could be done, in fact I never even fathomed it. I’ve always loved Russian Imperial Stouts, but I’ve always viewed them in general terms of being thick, rich, chocolately and very sweet. Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout is a whole ‘nother dog in this kennel though. This is nothing like I’ve ever seen or tasted before.

The bold and hoppy bitter bite of the “whole flower” American hops rebelling violently against all of the malty sweetness actually forces me into the opinion that I wouldn’t really argue against popping open several of these imperial temptations as reward after a long day of mowing the lawn and mulching out the wife’s flowerbeds during this coming hot summer season. Sure, it’s an imperial stout. Sure, it’s thick and yes, it is rich but…it’s even quite surprisingly refreshing. It’s almost a meal and a beverage all in one!

I will caution you (and also take heed of my own advice) that the only drawback I can find in this lovely liquid nirvana, is that it’s posted on the bottle label at 9.1% abv which is just a little more than you want to go up against in a microbrew this darn good. It certainly should, conceivably limit anyone’s responsible intake to one or two at a single sitting. I refuse to be held responsible if anyone should fail to yield to Victory Storm King’s power. This is a microbrew king that deserves to be respected and bowed down to.

In summary: Yes, you read it here. Victory Storm King Russian Imperial Stout IS the king of all russian imperial stouts. This is simply the best I’ve tried to date (and will be trying again repeatedly for dates and dates to come!) If you have tried and enjoyed stouts and if you appreciate the Russian Imperial Stouts in particular, Victory Storm King Imperial Stout is a microbrew you should climb mountains for to get it into your fridge for your next sit down with your beer afficianado friends (or just by yourself in the den with a good cigar). Victory Storm King is a category 5 microbrew in my book as of right now. Go out there…and get it, while you can! It’s a 10.00 out of 10.00 on my microbrew rating scale.

About the author
As a huge microbrew enthusiast, my endless quest for the ultimate libation experience has been translated into words and reviews at http://microbrewreview.blogspot.com/ and http://www.squidoo.com/microbrewreview/