Victory Brewing, located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania is, in my opinion, one of America’s best brewers. They consistently produce high quality beers in a wide range of styles from straight-ahead Pilsner to super hoppy Double IPA and smooth, flavorful Belgians. They pride themselves on using traditional brewing processes in the production of their beers including the time consuming and resource intensive decoction mashing for their Prima Pils. Storm King is Victory’s version of an Imperial Stout. I often use it for Perfect Pint beer tasting events, but I have never published tasting notes for it. So…here’s my notes.

Storm King
Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Style: Imperial Stout
Serving Style: 12 oz. Bottle

Aroma: Hops dominate with a huge smack of pine and citrus American varieties. Somewhere underneath all those hops lie rich coffee and chocolate roasted malts. Some alcohol is noticable, but not hot or solventy.
Appearance: Enormous, creamy, tan head that sticks around a long time and leaves lace on the glass. Black and clear.
Flavor: Pine resin American hops greet the tongue first. The bitterness level is quite high, but not harsh. Gradually the hops are balanced by esspresso-like roasted malt with just a  touch of chocolate. Roasty, but without the roast malt bitterness that some big stouts exhibit. Some licorice and minty notes. Not overly sweet. Light alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Medium-high body. Medium carbonation. Some alcohol warmth. Too hop bitter to come across as creamy.
Overall Impression: Definitly an American version of the Russian Imperial Stout. The high level of hop bitterness and resinous flavors are barely balanced by the huge roasted malt. Many imperial stouts are too thick and chewy for my palate, I’m done with them after about half a beer. Storm King’s well attenuated lighter body makes it more drinkable than most.