Earth & Flame is Victory’s bourbon barrel aged smoked scotch-style ale. It poured nicely from this 1 pint plus 9.4 oz corked bottle and emitted big notes of barrel aging mimicking BCBS. Not too many scents of scotch ale, earth, or flame, and that follows through with the taste. This beer tastes like barrel aging that has been done right. Its a little tart, a lot boozy, and even though its a little thin for what I’d expect out of a barrel, the frothy head maintained its luster for the duration. I wonder what happens to other kinds of beers that are barrel aged? Because while drinking this I thought, “Is this a barreled scotch ale? Sure. A barrel aged lager? Maybe. A barrel aged pilsner? idunno.” My take away is that the barrel did such a number on this beer, that it’s hard to pick out much of anything else. Lucky for Victory that the final result is good. Final overall number of smokestacks awarded: a generous 5.5 out of 7.
| Brewer | Victory Brewing |
| Beer Name | Earth & Flame |
| Brewer’s Description | Earth & Flame was forged from the friendship of Victory Brewing and Earth-Bread+Brewery. With our shared passion for dark flavorful ales, we saw a great opportunity to collaborate on a scotch-style ale. Savor the rich flavors that emerge from the dark depths of this limited edition brew. With hints of sweet winter desserts and dark fruits, peat smoked malts, and fine bourbon barrel aging smooth the intensity of this complex ale. |
| Food Pairings | Hamburgers |
| Brewery Location | Downingtown, PA |
| Alcohol content by volume | 11.7% |
| IBU (International Bitterness Units) | maybe 20 |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 4.8 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 2 |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | 1.5 |
| Beer thickness 1-7 (water – used motor oil) | 5 |
| Barrel Power 1-7 (in name only – burns nose) | 7 |
| Overall Happiness: 1 – 7 (sad – happy) | 5.5 |
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