Ballast Point Victory At Sea Review

Name: Ballast Point Victory At Sea
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 10%
IBUs: 60

Now here's a brewery I haven't had for a while, Ballast Point Brewing! Today I have their Victory at Sea Imperial Porter, which is brewed with coffee beans and vanilla. Now before I start this review, I'm going to make a little observation. Take a look at the label above....


Now when you consider the name of the beer itself, the label artwork could best be described as ironic. When you're a skeleton at the helm of ship under the sea, it doesn't mean that you've won, it means that you were on the losing end of naval warfare.

Appearance - Pitch Black with some light carbonation on the sides of the glass. The head takes on a khaki-colored appearance with some pretty good lacing.

Aroma - Very roasted barley & coffee ground forward. Some rich vanilla sweetness in here too along with some caramel sweetness that has an almost syrup-like quality to it

Taste - Fairly similar to the aroma. You've got some strong coffee & roasted barley notes upfront, followed by some mild vanilla sweetness. Encompassing the entire flavor is some chocolate maltiness. The aftertaste is mainly roasted barley and bitter hoppiness.

Victory at Sea is a solid Imperial Porter, though I would've liked the vanilla flavor to be a little more pronounced. As it is, it's a decently priced beer that is worth the price of admission and it is great way to introduce someone to the Imperial Porter style.

Ballast Point Victory at Sea - 8.5/10