Victory at Sea

This was poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a pure black color with a slim concave off white slightly foamy head that dissipated within less than a minute. Slim stringy lacing roams around the glass.
The smell starts off with a rich roasty coffee and vanilla blend. A light cocoa enters in ever so slightly as it warms.
The taste was roasty sweet cocoa and balances a slight bitterness from the coffee. A super smooth vanilla roastiness rolls over the aftertaste and finish.
On the palate, this one sat oh so smooth and roasty coffee and vanilla. It’s a nice balancing act of flavors relinquishing delicacy of harshness but nothing overbearing.
Overall, imperial porter - check. Awesomeness - check! As a night cap - priceless!

Draught at Braukunst Live München 2015.
Black body, with a big, creamy, dark beige to brown head.
Aroma of dry coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa powder.
Taste follows this, with some more hazelnut, subtle dark fruits.
Medium, oily mouthfeel, with a good carbonation.
Finishes roasty, dry, with chococolate, coffee, cocoa.

Wow! Perfect balance, with an amazing roasty-dry, yet smooth profile. Alcohol is also greatly hidden. Easily the best Imperial Porter I’ve had so far!

On tap in tulip glass, showing pitch black with half a finger of dark coffee foam. Foam lasts quite a while. Strong grassy notes with only subtle hints of unroasted coffee bean on the nose. The palate shows a lot of strong milk chocolate on the attack and warms up into a little more coffee flavors. Full bodied, elegant carbonation, dry but the vanilla balances out coffee flavors to almost a very light latte bitterness. Drinks like a stout with the body of a lighter porter.

on tap at Braukunst Live, Munich. black color, coffee colored head, strong & very nice smell of coffee, roasty aroma, light milk, chocolate, cacao. full body, very chocolaty taste, coffee, toffee, medium bubbly, some licorice, nice oily texture. nice chocolate / light coffee finish. wow, great beer.

12oz bottle from Deguchiya. Poured into a stemmed tulip. Opaque iced coffee black color with a huge chocolate colored soapy head. Great lacing throughout. Huge bitter roasted coffee and vanilla aromas present. As it warms up a slight alcohol aroma is noticeable along with a bit of wood. Great vanilla and dark roasted coffee flavours on the palate with a bitter finish. Mouthfeel is like soda. The alcohol becomes more noticeable on the finish and hangs around on the tongue. Lowered my taste rating due to the bitterness and alcohol standing out a little more than I overzealously remembered. Old rating from 2014: (10/4/10/4/19: 4.7) On tap at watering hole in Tokyo. Served in a snifter. Iced coffee back with a gorgeous toasted marshmallow colored head. Huge vanilla and iced coffee with milk aroma. Taste is pure bliss. Mouthfeel is perfect. Vanilla is a little strong, but tastes natural. Balances out really well with the coffee. Also nice chocolate undertones as well. Almost like a creamy cafe mocha. Alcohol is seemingly non-existent if going by drinkability. What an amazing beer. --- Beer merged from original tick of Ballast Point Victory at Sea on 06 Sep 2015 at 20:44 - Score: 9

This is wonderful.

12oz bottle from CBB. It pours into my snifter a viscous inky black with a dense tan head and a powerful nose of roasted coffee beans. Close your eyes and inhale that coffee roasters aroma. Medium bodied with a slick velour mouthfeel. The taste is bitter dark malty coffee, a bit acrid, roasty with some vanilla beans and possibly a touch of cacao. This is a beast of a coffee beer, for those who like it dark grab a bottle and I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

355ml bottle. Black colour with small to average, creamy, fairly lasting and lacing, tan head. Roasty, dark malty aroma, a plethora of coffee notes, cedarwood, Grandpa’s cigar box. Taste delivers identical flavours. Excellent coffee - excellent beer. I don’t find (and don’t miss) the vanilla.

Bottle, thanks Eddan. Black with a nice tan head. On the sweet side with coffee, "milk", chocolate and vanilla. Smooth and with a full body. The finish was long. A tasty one.