I have yet to sample a Victory product that is anything less than superb. And Victory’s Yakima Glory certainly continues that trend. However, unlike the other Victory products I’ve sampled in the past, I knew nothing about this particular specimen other than the obvious reference to Yakima Valley, America’s most prominent hop production region, and the orange- and yellow-colored hops featured on the beer’s label. So, I my expectation of Yakima Glory was something along the lines of a punchy pale ale or perhaps an IPA.
The first surprise came as I poured it into a glass: It was far darker than I anticipated, but the aroma spoke the language of an IPA, just as I thought it would. Indeed, the body is of a dark amber color, culminating in a foamy and well-retained beige head. The lacing is dense and sticky – respectable if not awesome. The aroma is as if someone dumped me off is the middle of a field in Yakima Valley: Strong citrus aromas are tied together with references to pine, flowers, and tobacco. Perhaps the only downside in the aroma was the very weak references to malt (which I expected from such a dark ale), making it slightly unbalanced, but nose candy nonetheless.
The mouth feel and taste(s) are just as wonderful as the aroma and appearance. The body is medium to full with a medium level of carbonation. Taking a generous mouthful reveals a wonderful array of flavors. With strong hints of tropical fruits, pine, and flowers paired with a punchy bitter finish, Yakima Glory is definitely hop forward. However, a wealth of malt flavors certainly comes through in the taste, including chocolate, caramel, and some roasted notes.
It only took a few sips to classify this as a black IPA, which is a sort of strange classification when considering the fact that the “pale” in IPA is a reference to a color that is nearly the antithesis of black, at least in the beer world. Perhaps “IBA” would be a more befitting classification for Victory’s Yakima Glory. Whatever the case, I highly recommend this to anyone that loves hybrid IPAs.
Links
Ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/victory-yakima-twilight/95757/
Image credits
Mission Latin Bar and Restaurant: http://www.missionbar.com
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