Victory - Storm King Stout

Tonights post is a little late, I must admit.  I am off my normal schedule and haven't had time to prepare any reviews in advance.  My partner in beer reviewing crime has fled the country to the warm sandy beaches of the Bahama's.  And who can blame him?  Its friggen -11 degrees outside without the damn wind blowing.  Seriously, anything above 32 degrees at this point feels like a humid summer day.  I cant wait until the three feet of snow next to my driveway melts in August...

I decided at the end of the work day today that I was going to enjoy myself a thick, creamy dark stout this evening.  I had a few in mind but most were bombers that I was aging.  Victory's Storm King, however, was staring my directly in the face when I opened my fridge door.  If you don't believe me just look at the label, it has beady owl eyes!  The beer store boasted this brews 100 rating on Ratebeer so naturally I was interested.  A six pack of this will run you somewhere around $14 so I opted to only buy a single bottle in case I disagreed with Ratebeer.

Pouring thick and black this thing consumes any light that tries to beam through it.  A veritable black hole of beer.  A solid tan head forms and quickly recedes leaving a small slug of foam floating around my glass.  Still cool from the fridge I am able to discern dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate tones in the aroma.  A waft of alcohol sneaks in behind a roasty aroma on my second smell.  The flavor is full of roasted grains, bitter chocolate, coffee and a mild astringency to boot.  Not nearly as thick as I had anticipated.  The carbonation cuts through the body and lightens the overall mouthfeel.  The finish has a warming alcohol presence while allowing the bold roast characteristics to finish the job.

Overall 4.9/6.0 - For a RIS I think this one falls a bit short of my expectations.  Old Rasputin by North Coast knocks the RIS style out of the park by my standards.  I think Victory could lower the carbonation to allow for a smoother drinking experience.  Towards the end of each sip a harshness comes through that I find unpleasant and uncharacteristic of the style.  As a standalone stout I think this is great.  But to characterize it as a Russian Imperial Stout would be doing other, better brews in the category a disservice.  Im happy with my single bottle purchase.