Victory is one of the local landmark breweries in the Philadelphia area. When I think local, I think of the Victory Brewing Company based in Dowingtown, PA. I had the privilege of enjoying a dinner that was accented by a wide selection of Victory beers. If you are interested in some of the other brews, you should check out our reviews of the Golden Monkey, Hop Devil, Old Horizontal and the V-12 video review in Arlington, VA.

The pour on this displayed a nice jet black color in body with a thick caramel colored head, about two fingers in height. The Storm King leaves a nice solid lacing on the glass and exemplifies the dark and rich coloring one would expect with an Imperial Stout.

Doing this review with a buddy of mine, he was very descriptive describing the smell as “beer”, while my opinion was slightly different with caramel malt flavoring. The malt had a nice toasted accent and the dominant aromas of roasted coffee shine through. There is a slight twinge of alcohol which intertwines with smoked oak wood. It is what I think of for the perfect aroma of an Imperial Stout.

After one sip, it’s evident the body is full with a rich caramel backing, though not as full-bodied as you may expect with a Stout. Complimenting the malts, there are nice notes of piney hops that underline the rich, dark roasted malts. I ended up indulging on this brew with a chocolate cake smothered with even more chocolate icing. The pairing was incredible and brought out of dark flavor profile of the Storm King well. This is excellent to pair with desserts especially with nice dark chocolate or fresh fruit such as strawberries.

Enjoying this brew with a friend that does not particularly care for Stouts like me, we were able to come to a general consensus that the beer was very well balanced, tasteful and enjoyable. My buddy gave the beer an 8.5/10, even though Stouts aren’t his first choice. I have to say, after tasting the Storm King, this is probably one of my favorites, especially in the Stout-style. I really enjoyed Storm King and will always be in my mind a fine example of the Imperial Stout.

Overall: 9/10