Victory says:
“A luxurious, warming barleywine rich with aromatic hops and dark, candied fruit character that hides its epic strength masterfully.”
Victory Old Horizontal
American Barleywine, 11% ABV
Sayeth the Guys
Ryan: Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a schooner at Paddy Long’s in Chicago, Old Horizontal appears reddish-brown in color with a gorgeous, fluffy tan head that clings to everything it touches. In fact, you can see the remnants clinging to the bottle in the above picture.
The nose of this beer is sweet and boozy. The taste…is very similar to the smell; cherries, caramel and booze. There are some floral hops in the finish but not as much as I would expect from an American barleywine. The booze is very present in this beer. It doesn’t make it undrinkable but it does make it nearly impossible to drink more than one. Just ask Andrew.
As far as American barlewine’s are concerned, I was a little disappointed in this. I like ’em overly hoppy. That being said, I actually prefer English barleywine’s. So, while I didn’t like it as an American barleywine, I did like it because it was more like an English barleywine. Or I could just say F’it because, regardless of the style of beer, it’s good.