Mark it 12, Dude: Victory V-12

This is one of the strongest Belgian-style amber ales I have tasted from an American brewer, with round, heavy fruit flavors backed up by peppery alcohol tones. It immediately made me think of Scaldis, the ultra-high-gravity beer known as Bush in Belgium and for the American market, renamed to sound like a venereal disease.

The tongue crests on a round hill of deep-rooted apricot, then descends into the pepper brought on by its 12 percent alcohol content, which almost certainly rose higher during 18 months of cellaring. V-12 leaves the palette cleanly, depositing some residual heat on the back of the throat. Victory advertises some pear, but I believe it has faded as the apricot sharpened and grew dominant. I detect slivers of other fruit, possibly a little mango, lichee and vague remnants of the aforementioned pear.

As the beer warms in the glass, its peppery tones diffuse and the malts take on a greater role amid the fruit. I'm glad Victory didn't make the mistake of many brewers and throw 12 malts or hops at a beer for the sake of an anniversary. It always turns into a high-alcohol mess. This ale is strong but nuanced, and more drinkable as it warms.