Beer Me! — Victory Brewing — Downingtown, Pennsylvania, United States

The "Brewery Update" form was broken for a while, but it's fixed now, so send me those updates!

This is not the official web site of

Victory Brewing

(Artisanal Brewing Ventures)

420 Acorn Lane
Downingtown PA 19335
Telephone: +1 610-873-0881
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:30am-midnight, Sunday 11:30am-10:00pm.
Brewer: Ron Barchet, Bill Covaleski
[Contact] [Update]

Notes

Visited: April 12, 2005

Opened: 1996

Annual Production: 100,000 bbl

Contributors: Mario Kornmesser, Del, Ralph Wells

Forget about finding this place…it's in a maze of twisty passages, all alike. It's an ex-Hickory Farms warehouse in a business park in a residential area. But if you're Adventurous, it's well worth the effort. Barchet and Covaleski have combined for eleven Hall of Fame beers: two from Baltimore Brewing, one from Old Dominion Brewing, and now eight from Victory. And the food is outstanding; try the Garlic Tortellini Sauté!

My wife Paris Cunningham visited Victory in March 1996; here's what she had to say:

The place is big; it is a converted warehouse. The bar is a light wood as are the bar stools and all tables and chairs. There is no rail on the bar! The stools were hard for me to sit in, not made for women. They use only whole hop flowers. Hops from America, Germany, and Czech Republic. Beer is only sold in 12 oz. ($2.50) and 22 oz. ($3.25) glasses. Sample set was $5.00. Samples were big, ~3-4 oz. T-shirts were $8.00, $11.00, and $20.00. Got some beer mats, very few around the bar. No logo on their glasses. I had a 12 oz of the IPA, and one of the Dopplebock.

Alert Pubcrawler Lew Bryson sends this November 1996 update:

Just wanted to let you know that Victory has added a foot-rail to their bar (!), the Fest has been made maltier and more authentic in style, they've added Sunrise Weiss (a hefe), Moonglow Weizenbock, an as-yet-unnamed Russian Imperial, and have their winter beer in the tanks, a 10%-ish barleywine called Old Horizontal.

Updated: June 19, 2019

News

2016-01-16: Victory & Southern Tier Announce Merger (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
2015-05-21: Victory Brewing brings its first can to market (Craft Brewing Business)
2014-06-27: Victory Brewing Co. unleashes new sour-style fermented WildDevil IPA, talks brewing details (Craft Brewing Business)
2013-09-23: How Elementary School Friends Turned A Microbrewery Into A Major Brand (Business Insider)
2011-10-31: Green power at Victory (Examiner.com)

Beer List

Baltic Thunder

Baltic-Style Porter

8.50% abv.
- Date: July 29, 2012 (#8891)
  
  Package: bottled
  
  Place: Ridgeview Liquor, Ashwaubenon WI
  
  Score: 20 points
  
  Appearance (3)
  Black-brown. Dense head.
  
  Aroma (4)
  Licorice, sweet and black. Toffee.
  
  Mouthfeel (10)
  Medium-big body, low carbonation. Rich malt flavor, lots of dark toffee. Medium bitterness in the finish.
  
  Overall Impression (3)
  Real tasty, real smooth.

Bavarian Pale Ale

Experimental Beer

7.20% abv.

Belgian Style Pale Ale Hallertau Mittelfrüh

Belgian-Style Pale Ale

6.00% abv.

Belgian Style Pale Ale Hersbrucker

Belgian-Style Pale Ale

6.00% abv.

Belgian Style Pale Ale Smaragd

Belgian-Style Pale Ale

6.00% abv.

Brandywine Valley Lager

Dortmunder/European-Style Export

Date: April 2, 1998 (#2618)

Package: bottled

Place: Chicago Beer Society, La Grange Park IL

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Golden-amber, nice head. Definitely got that Export nose...sulfury. Sweet and malty, big hop flavor all the way through.
Date: January 9, 1997 (#1920)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden-amber, slight haze, not much head. Sweet aroma, spicy, a little bready. High carbonation, big body and bitterness. Pretty well-balanced, lots of hop flavor, long bitter finish. Thanks to Jim Busch for sending this bottle!

Dark Intrigue

Wood- and Barrel-aged Dark Beer

Dark Lager

European-Style Dark/Münchner Dunkel

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4626)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Bright brown tinged with red, very low head. Very mild dark Munich malt aroma. Medium-light body. Rich raisiny toasty Munich malt flavor, fairly but not overly sweet. Drying sweetish finish.

ESB

English-Style (Extra Special) Strong Bitter

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4629)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Bright red-brown, thick head. Big toasty malt aroma with big fruity hops. Medium smooth body, moderate carbonation. Huge toasty malt flavor with big fruity English hops. Mild bitterness. Very nice smooth tasty beer.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4627)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Golden-amber, moderate head. Mildly toasty aroma. Medium-light body. Malty, caramelly, and sweet. Good, but ordinary.

Date: April 2, 1998 (#2619)

Package: bottled

Place: Chicago Beer Society, La Grange Park IL

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber-brown, great head. Some caramel aroma. Medium body, lots of brown malt, fairly sweet.

Date: January 10, 1997 (#1924)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber, pretty clear, moderate carbonation, OK head. Spicy alcoholic aroma. Reasonably big beer, dark, rich, and bitter. Hint of black malt in finish. Thanks to Jim Busch for sending this bottle. Jim also points out "no black malt in the Festbier but its double decocted with Vienna malt".

Date: October 28, 2008 (#7512)

Package: bottled

Place: Place unknown

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow. Hazy. Moderate head.

Aroma (3)
Yeasty. Mildly lemony. Hint of malt.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium body, really fizzy. Sweetly malty. Really fruity, citrusy. Yeasty sulfur character.

Overall Impression (2)
A lot like Allagash Tripel Ale, but drier. Thanks to Tom Cannon for the bottle!

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4631)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Deep golden, good head. Lots of malt aroma, lots of fruit…almost like blueberry jam. Medium-big creamy body. Lots of maltiness, mildly fruity, and not at all warming! A dangerously subtle and tasty beer. Not spicy like some authentic Belgian examples, but damn tasty.

Date: March 1, 2002 (#4267)

Package: bottled

Place: Real Ale Festival, Chicago IL

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Yellow, some haze, thick head. Spicy estery aroma. Medium body, malty sweet and fizzy with lots of banana esters. Some Brettanomyces character.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4624)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Deep golden, low head. Mild fresh malt aroma. Medium-light body. Lots of sweet maltiness with just a touch of fruity hop character.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4632)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Bright amber-brown, moderate head. HUGE spicy hop aroma. Medium body. INTENSELY spicy Centennial hop flavor. Big bitterness, but not as big as the flavor. Hints of citrus and caramel round out this outstanding beer. "Champion Beer of America" at the 25th Great British Beer Festival.

Date: April 2, 1998 (#2620)

Package: bottled

Place: Chicago Beer Society, La Grange Park IL

Score: 17½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Brown amber, moderate head. Big citrus aroma, but not as big as dry hopping would lead you to expect. Big body, big bitter blast.

Date: January 10, 1997 (#1925)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber-red, moderate carbonation, big head. Spicy grassy hop aroma. Big spicy bitter beer. Very tasty. Long spicy finish. Nothing wrong with this beer! Thanks to Jim Busch for sending this bottle.

Date: February 27, 2005 (#5576)

Package: bottled

Place: William's Pub & Peanut Bar, Minneapolis MN

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden. Huge head.

Aroma (4)
Intensely spicy, smoky.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big creamy body. Phenomenally spicy and really bitter. Excellent balance, despite being absurdly hoppy.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4628)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden, opaque, thick head. Remarkably clean aroma. Medium-light body. Fizzy. Lots of wheat malt flavor carries a subtle banana/clove combination with just a hint of smoke.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4633)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Red-brown opaque, moderate head. Hugely citrusy aroma…orange juice. Big body. INTENSE citrus flavor, like a big alcoholic glass of malty orange juice. Malt flavors pick up toward the end, just as the blast of warming alcohol hits. Maybe it's just too young.

Date: January 9, 1998 (#2384)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
It's been one year since I stored this bottle away! Bright amber, clear, fairly high carbonation, fairly low head. Very fruity aroma, alcohol, sweet, and maybe just a little oxidized...just a little. Big body, some carbonation bite. Very caramelly, fairly bitter (especially late) but not the Wall of Hops I remember from a year ago. It's blended very nicely...and we still have one stashed for next year!

Date: January 9, 1997 (#1921)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Amber, clear, fairly high carbonation, nice head. Candy-sweet, citrusy aroma...like those gummy orange-slice candies. Real complex beer. Fine sweetness, caramel candy flavor, nice hop flavor and bitterness. A little warming and a little smoky in the finish. Alcohol dries the tongue, then numbs it. I'd like to taste this next to a Bigfoot! Thanks to Jim Busch for sending this bottle.

Date: August 26, 2009 (#7892)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs IA

Score: 17½ points

Appearance (3)
Yellow, with some haze. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity hops. Yeasty.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light-medium body, fizzy. Big fruity, grassy hop flavor. Fairly bitter, on top of a mildly grainy maltiness. Yeasty, fairly sulfury, cleanly bitter finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Good beer. While drinking beer with Herr Georg Bentele in June 2009, he seemed justifiably proud of the fact that he had grown the hops that were used in this beer.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4622)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 17½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Pale golden, moderate head. Very clean aroma. Medium-light body. Big noble hop flavor and bitterness that lingers way past the finish. Just enough fresh maltiness to keep it in balance. Kind of sulfury at the very very end.

Date: October 28, 2008 (#7513)

Package: bottled

Place: Place unknown

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Moderate dense head.

Aroma (4)
Herbal. Grassy. Alcoholic. Chocolatey.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big and smooth and chocolatey. Mild bitterness and nicely malty.

Overall Impression (3)
Real good beer. "Bottled Dec 13 05". Thanks to Tom Cannon for the bottle!

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4634)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Black, dense brown head. Mildly raisiny, fruity aroma. Big body. Intense chocolate, hoppy, alcoholic character start to finish. There's a very nice fresh maltiness underlying it all that brings balance to the beer. And ten seconds after you taste it, your gums go numb.

Date: April 9, 2014 (#9359)

Package: draught

Place: Falling Rock Tap House, Denver CO

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow, hazy. Massive head.

Aroma (3½)
Very lemony. Earthy.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light and fizzy. Big lemony flavor, but not tart nor sour. Clean malt. Fruity hop flavor, low bitterness. Clean finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Good refreshing beer.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4625)

Package: real ale

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Light hazy amber, thick foamy head. Very mild grapefruit aroma from the Styrian hops. Light yet very smooth body. Nice toasty malt character with some herbal hop flavor from the Kent Goldings. Just mildly bitter. Nice balance…just a little yeasty.

Date: May 7, 2005 (#5704)

Package: bottled

Place: Sutler's Wines & Spirits, Stillwater MN

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Rich amber-copper color. Nice thick head.

Aroma (4)
Malty, bananas, caramel. Hint of milk chocolate. Very spicy.

Mouthfeel (10)
Huge creamy body. Fizzy. Intensely malty and very warming. Intensely spicy and very fruity. Intensely complex and very tasty.

Overall Impression (3)
Bottled August 27, 2004; the label says it "should be enjoyed within five years". I'm going to buy some more for my cellar.

Date: August 25, 2012 (#8921)

Package: bottled

Place: Great Nebraska Beer Festival, Papillion NE

Score: 10 points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden-amber. Moderate head.

Aroma (1)
Catty. Spicy, floral hops.

Mouthfeel (5)
Medium-light body, fizzy. Fruity, floral hops, medium bitterness. Catty flavor returns in the finish.

Overall Impression (1)
Disappointing.

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4623)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Deep golden, moderate head. Very clean aroma. Medium-light body with lots of fresh sweet malt flavor. Fairly high carbonation. Not a lot of hop character. Good clean beer in the Dortmunder style.

Date: December 25, 2015 (#9554)

Package: bottled

Place: Place unknown

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Amber, hazy, with a massive rocky head.

Aroma (4)
Fruity, spicy, earthy, and a little tart.

Mouthfeel (10)
Medium body, smooth. Malt base behind a mild tart note. Fruity hops, medium bitterness. Earthy, spicy yeast character. Grainy, spicy finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Bottle-conditioned. Thanks to KJ Harnack for the bottle!

Date: January 21, 2003 (#4630)

Package: draught

Place: at the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Deep red, thick head. Toasty, fruity, very raisiny aroma. Medium body, very smooth. Lots of toast and dark fruit flavors. Very mild hints of chocolate. Finishes clean and fairly sweet.

Date: March 1, 2002 (#4254)

Package: real ale

Place: Real Ale Festival, Chicago IL

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Dark red, low head. Mild roast malt aroma. Very light body, fairly roasty and drying.

Date: June 17, 2012 (#8838)

Package: bottled

Place: Ridgeview Liquor, Ashwaubenon WI

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Bright deep red. Massive creamy head.

Aroma (3)
Sweet, toffee and caramel. Big floral hops.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big and malty, with a big floral-grassy hop flavor and bitterness.

Overall Impression (3)
Think Bigfoot, only smoother. Real good beer!