Victory Beer Blog

Life in a growing American brewery

New Details Added: Dark Intrigue Release Nov. 23

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 12:27pm

It’s time.

Our Storm King Stout spent the summer in bourbon barrels from Jim Beam and Heaven Hill Distilleries, and has finally emerged as Dark Intrigue. (It’s like Clark Kent going into a phone booth and coming out as Superman, only more delicious and less crime-fighty.)

Dark Intrigue will be released here at the Downingtown retail location on Nov. 23, a day we are calling Dark Wednesday. Not only will you be able to purchase the dark and intriguing boozy beverage, but you’ll be part of Victory history. While this is our second release of Dark Intrigue we are also planning it to be our last. Get it now before it goes away forever.

Here’s what you need to know about Dark Wednesday:

• Dark Intrigue will be available by the bottle and by the case from the retail shop at our Downingtown brewery and brewpub.
• It will go on sale when our retail shop opens at 11:30 a.m. You are welcome to begin lining up earlier than that, and we anticipate that Dark Intrigue fans will start arriving around 9 a.m.
• Each person will be limited to one case of Dark Intrigue, no exceptions.
• The cost will be $15 per bottle, $180 per case. (There are 12 bottles per case.)
• We know you’re excited to drink your newly purchased Dark Intrigue, and we’re excited to have you try it, but under no circumstances can you open a bottle of Dark Intrigue in the parking lot. Pennsylvania has very strict open container laws, and drinking beer in our parking lot is illegal. If you open it in the parking lot, it will be confiscated. We don’t want to do that, but we have to follow the law of the land. So please, wait until you get home to open it so we can all avoid any issues.
• Like all beer purchased at our retail shop, it is not permitted to be opened in the restaurant. We welcome and encourage you to stay for lunch after you purchase your Dark Intrigue, but you will not be able to drink the Dark Intrigue that you bought in retail with your lunch. We will have limited quantities of Dark Intrigue available on draft for you to enjoy with your meal. (Dark Intrigue is not available for growler fills.)
• Update: All barrels have been reserved. To get on the waiting list for barrels left unclaimed, email barrel@victorybeer.com. In addition to the beer, you will also be able to buy the bourbon barrels where Dark Intrigue was aged. The barrels will cost $40 each, cash only, and you can buy as many barrels as you can fit in your vehicle. You cannot pay for the barrels at the same time you pay for your Dark Intrigue. We will have a separate station for barrel purchases set up outside. If you want to purchase a barrel on Dark Wednesday, please e-mail barrel@victorybeer.com to reserve yours. You will have to pay and pick up the barrel on Dark Wednesday prior to 3:00 p.m. Any reserved barrels left unclaimed after that time will be sold at a later date.

*BONUS* You may win some fun Victory swag while attending the Dark Wednesday release. We will be drawing numbers every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to the enthusiasts in line. If your number is called, you’ll be going home with extra Victory goodies!

What’s so special about Dark Intrigue? Brewer Jordan Sunseri tells you:

A little more about the project…

- K.H.

Locally Brewed, Locally Loved

Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 10:12am

Last week, the Philadelphia Inquirer published a story about Budweiser’s new “215” beer. Bill was interviewed for the article, and it really got us thinking about what local means to beer drinkers and to Victory Brewing Company.

If you haven’t read the article yet, the basics are simple:  Anheuser-Busch InBev recently trademarked the name “215” (as well as a slew of other area codes). It appears that Budweiser will be brewing a bunch of of area code-named beers in the coming months. The locally focused names are likely an attempt for the big guys to tap into craft beer enthusiasts and supporters of local products.

Personally, we are confident that residents of Chester County, Pa. and the surrounding areas won’t be fooled. Being locally focused is more than just a name or a location. It is about action. Lucky for us, we have nothing to prove. As many of our t-shirts and branded items say, Victory is “Locally Brewed, Locally Loved.” The reason for the local love? We give love to get love.

If you head over to Philly.com to read the article, you’ll see dozens of great comments. One comment from AreaMan summed it up well: “I’ll gladly pay for a local beer that will reinvest that money back into the local economy and community. Think of all the tax money generated when you buy local- the tax you pay on the beer, the tax the brewers pay on the beer, the taxes the brewery employees pay and so on. It just makes sense to buy local.”

He’s absolutely right. Victory Brewing Company has always believed in reinvesting and give backing. Please allow us to toot our own horn for a moment…

Back in May, we launched our Headwaters Grant program. A portion of every bottle of Headwaters Pale Ale sold is collected and distributed to environmental advocacy groups through the Headwaters Grant. Our first recipient is The Guardians of the Brandywine who protect the creek that directly impacts our beer and our community.

Victory Brewing Company also works to sustain local agriculture and promote animal welfare. We sponsor a number of events that benefit local farms and growers. We bring our beer to, and share our proceeds with, events like like Bike Fresh, Bike Local and Maysie’s Farm Fest. Similarly, we participate in numerous events to support the Chester County SPCA like our BrewBQ and Forget Me Not Gala.

Another fun fact: both the spent grain from our brewing process and the unused non-consumer food from our restaurant (for example: prepped potato chips that are never served) are donated to local farms to feed the cows and pigs. Later, we buy those same cows and pigs back to serve some great, locally raised dishes.

As you can see, Victory really does support the “215” (and 610 and 484 for that matter). If you are looking for support for your community outreach effort, complete a Community Stewardship Form to let us know how we can help. We want to be involved where we can and consider each and every request we receive.

- K.N.

Being Here

Friday, January 28, 2011 at 4:01pm

 

The heartfelt feeling of an empty Victory case out for recycling.If you weren’t one of the lucky 32 who witnessed the first broadcast of our 2011 State Of The Brewery address, well, click here to view it, but treat yourself to this ‘inside info’ before you do so.

We wrapped our question and answer session of the State Of The Brewery address with questions posed by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Greg Koch of Stone Brewery. Greg asked, “How does it feel going from scrappy microbrewers cum biscuit factory rehabbers to relative pillars of your community and, arguably by some, respectable members of society? All at the hand of tasty beer and a company with one foot in the old world, and the other foot on the cutting edge?”

Not an easy one to answer but as much of life goes, fate primed and prepared me for the question, just days before. As it was, I arrived to work last week to witness this just outside our brewery office doors. Now, nothing warms my heart more than to see an emptied case of Victory beer waiting to be recycled. I love the fact that the glass will become glass again, the paper will become paper again, AND the fact that someone was compelled by their great taste to buy our great beer.

This moment was especially heartwarming as over the 15 years here, Ron and I have suffered the grave injustices of walking past empty cases of Honey Brown, Miller Light, Harp Lager (more expensive and more travelled than Victory Lager, for God’s sake!!) and other weak facsimiles of beer strewn along Acorn Lane as we walk into work. But now we routinely see empty Prima Pils and HopDevil Ale cases who have lived the full life. But this, V Twelve, the most luxurious and commanding of our brews, was a beam of golden light from heaven, here on earth. It spoke ‘they get it’, in comforting and familiar tones to me.

I remember when they didn’t get it. When a host of future neighbors filled the municipal hall of Downingtown to protest our proposed zoning variance to build a restaurant within our brewery. It was April of 1995 and as we cheaped out on a real attorney for the proceedings, I had to put a suit on and pay an wholly unprepared stooge to frame our side in simpleton terms. And then get attacked. The minutes of that hearing show that I faced fire and fears of drunks antagonizing local children, speeding as they launch beer bottles all over neighbors’ lawns. Understandably, what is unknown is often feared. What Ron and I knew was that brewpubs could be great magnets for community culture and family entertainment and mirth. We just hoped to prove that our brewpub could be these things.

Oddly, neither ‘side’ of that April debate had malice in their hearts. It was more like we simply didn’t get introduced in the best of conditions. So I tried my best to persuade with reason, and not compromise, and we were awarded the variance to establish our brewpub.

Flashing forward those 16 intervening years, Ron and I and the Victory crew now find ourselves respected within this community. It’s not the cheap, fleeting admiration bestowed upon an American Idol contestant, but a far more worthy connection to our community based on the reality that we strive, day in and day out, to produce things our community has come to value. Things like a warmingly rich, Belgian ale or an addictively stimulating plate of hot wings. These are things of value that make for enduring relationships and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide them.

Greg, these ‘pillars’ are made of chicken wings and beer, oddly enough.

Cheers, – Bill

 

Older Bud No Weiser – A 1996 Craft Brewer’s Reunion

Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 12:45am

1996 was a seminal year in craft brewing. It nailed the high water mark for craft brewery openings and that class of 1996 included such luminaries as DogFish Head Craft Brewery, Stone Brewing and Victory Brewing. Locally, you can add Flying Fish Brewing, Yards Brewing, and brewpub powerhouse Iron Hill Brewery to that class of ’96. And if you put all six of these breweries and their founders in a room, what do you get?

         Don’t miss thie historic get together. Buy tickets today!

Expect side splitting stories of perseverance and perversion as Sam Calagione (DogFish Head), Bill Covaleski (Victory), Gene Muller (Flying Fish), Tom Kehoe (Yards) are ‘moderated’ by Greg Koch (Stone) while they sit down, sip, and tell tales as part of “Older Bud No Weiser” on June 10, 2010. Hosted by World Café Live for 200 lucky guests, this two hour trip down brewery lane will feature a d.i.y. video that the lads put together featuring themselves as failed brewers, washed up in 2010… Of course their failure never happened and the great beer continues to flow because you, the thirsty craft beer fan, supported their foamy efforts. Thank you. Thank yourself! If you are not up for dropping another well-spent $25 bucks to get with these guys and five of their beers, you can glimpse the video trailer above.

Older, Bud No Weiser, indeed.

Finally Revealed! The All New Philadelphia Summer Love Ale.

Friday, May 28, 2010 at 1:48pm

We’re very excited and extremely proud to announce the launch of Summer Love Ale, a new craft beer from Victory Brewing Company and With Love, Philadelphia XOXO.

The golden brew will debut in Philadelphia on June 4th, 2010 just in time for Philly Beer Week before rolling out to bars and restaurants across the country later this summer.

Brewed locally at the Victory Brewery in Chester County, the Summer Love Ale is a golden ale made with pale malts, German hops and Brandywine River water. This specific style of beer was chosen because it has a broad appeal and will be accessible for casual beer drinkers, but will still retain exciting hop notes.

The brew has a vibrant and refreshing pale color derived from its lean and refreshing malt body. And the initially floral aroma of hops segues into a well integrated, refreshing hop dryness of European heritage.

- UwishUnu.com post

We’re already starting to see some great buzz about this beer:

If you’re a General Manager, Owner or Bar Manager who doesn’t want to miss out on serving our limited edition Philadelphia Summer Love Ale please fill out this form (here). Very limited amount that’s already going fast.

Victory founders named ‘The Founding Fathers of Philly Beer’

Monday, May 10, 2010 at 6:51pm

Photograph by Ryan Donnell

Before there was Victory, there was an education. In 1987, Ron and Bill traveled to Germany and Belgium. “The trip opened our eyes,” explains Bill. “It wasn’t just the flavor of the beer, but the culture. It was a time in America when Nancy Reagan was telling everyone to ‘Just Say No.’ We saw how quality beer was supporting towns and neighborhoods in Europe. We saw that as a model we wanted to be a part of.”- Philly Magazine

The last couple weeks have been noteworthy in Philadelphia’s journalistic history. First, the daily Philadelphia Inquirer and it’s sister publication, the Daily News, were sold at auction. Yes, I said auction, as in massive debt, doubt and distress. The bidders found value in the paper during the auction, which is an encouraging sign for its future.

But let’s get on to the good stuff. Philadelphia Magazine wrote an insightful 6 page article on Philly’s beer seen peppered with such Philly-sense bravado as “Coors Light… never have to drink that swill again.” Now, I have, in my moments, remarked that, since I’m not a 60 yr. old. divorcee from Marlton, NJ, what has Philly Mag. got for me? Well, Philly Mag. has really been evolving and this sincere embrace of Philly’s craft beer culture signals its relevance to so many of US, whoever we are. The content they are creating has real value. So I would strongly recommend that you plunk down the $4.99 and buy this May issue of the magazine so you can connect such pearls of wisdom as “I love this. Who else gets Victory and a cheese plate at meetings” with which Philly beer luminary spoke such wisdom. Your investment will not only keep their independent voice independent of vulture auction scavengers, but will also provide you with a great read that will give you ammunition when your doctor tells you to cut back on the beer. “But, Doc, we live in the nation’s BEST beer town!”

Bottom’s up,

Bill Covaleski

Co-Founder and Brewer

Victory Brewing Co.

What does it take to be a part of Victory?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 1:49pm

Our latest hire, who will be serving as our Mid Atlantic region Area Sales Manager, is a great example of what it takes. Quite simply, it takes passion for great beer.

Joe Gold embodies a passion for great beer. Any one who has hoisted a pint of quality beer in the greater Baltimore area within the last 20 years has probably met Joe. No, he’s not just a bar-fly, he’s been a tireless supporter of great beer, and now he has a spot at Victory to hang his hat.
Joe discovered better beer in 1983 on a lacrosse (his first passion!) trip to the UK. He returned from that trip with a job as the organizer for Young’s Army. In this role, Joe mobilized folks with a taste for better beer to discover the flavorful ales of London’s Young’s Brewery.

Joe’s passion for real ale led him to be a founder for the Baltimore-based Society for the Preservation of Beer from Wood. Most recently, Joe founded Baltimore Beer Week which had its debut run this past October.
Surely great beer runs through Joes’s veins but don’t think for a minute that we Victory folk are limited in our focus as Joe maintains his role as father and husband, passing on the finer points of lacrosse to his son.

If you’re a bar, distributor, or retailer interested Victory Beer and you’re located in Maryland, Virginia, DC or North Carolina, make sure you reach out to Joe (JoeG@victorybeer.com) and he’ll be more than happy to talk to you about great beer.

It’s Curtains for Yakima Twilight already?

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 9:29pm

Well, folks, we have reached the twilight hour of our beloved Yakima Twilight for the season and we want to take this moment to thank you for making this brand our most successful seasonal launch to date.

Your thirst caused us to DOUBLE our initial production expectations for Yakima Twilight. We are so pleased that you hung in there for this wild ride of deep, dark roasted malts and bright and brassy hops. We thought that we challenging you with big flavor and you turned tables on us by demanding more than we expected. We make a great team, huh?

Heck, consumer votes even brought Yakima Twilight perilously close to winning the honor of ‘Best Craft Beer of 2009’ at TheFullPint.com, though our second place finish makes us very proud and encouraged to bring more and more unique beers. With the last 30 cases shipped to our wholesaler in Maryland on Monday, what’s left for the season is out there in retail now so don’t delay if you have not scored your Yakima Twilight for this winter. A little groundhog here in PA tells us that it’s not over for winter, yet.

Cheers,

Bill & Ron

Paste Magazing: Victory Top 4 Breweries of The Decade

Monday, November 16, 2009 at 7:02pm

4. Victory Brewing Company
Headquarters: Downington, Pa.
Established: 1996

Our Favorite Beers: Braumeister Pils, Hop Devil

Most craft breweries leave the pilsner style to the big guys who’ve corrupted it. But like U2 stealing “Helter Skelter” back from Charles Manson, Victory has redeemed the old European style for America with their Prima Pils. While Belgian-style beers get all the attention, Victory is making some of the best German-style beer in the country. This is a brewery for the hop-heads, with beers like the HopDevil, Hop Wallop and even the Storm King Stout packed with a an uncharacteristic bite. But they also make a hell of a tripel with their Golden Monkey

Congrats to all the Breweries who have made the top 25. These are exciting times for Craft Brewing and beer in America!

Introducing the all new Yakima Twilight

Monday, October 19, 2009 at 4:23pm

Featuring four hops from America’s heartland of hop-growing, the Yakima Valley of Washington State, our new Yakima Twilight serves as a celebration of American hops. “I thought of hop farmers as I formulated this beer. I wanted to create a malty platform to showcase the intense flavors and aromas that these dedicated hop-farmers have developed in their wonderful hops.” stated Ron Barchet, CEO and co-brewmaster of Victory.

Dark malts are also featured in Yakima Twilight making for a challenging beer to brew as achieving balance between the strong flavors of fresh, whole flower hops and deeply roasted malts is no easy feat. The brewmasters and brewers are confident that they have struck that balance in this unique, strong ale that weighs in at 8.7% a.b.v.

“We strive to keep an exciting array of beers in development for our audience to eventually enjoy. To some extent, our restaurant serves as a great focus group, allowing our customers to tell us which newly developed beers that they really enjoy. It makes obvious sense to us to take their suggestions and continue producing beers that they find appealing.” said Bill Covaleski, president and co-brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company.

Look for Yakima Twilight in 12 oz. bottles and on draft in most territories served by Victory from November 1 through January 2010. And, if you are in the Philadelphia region, you’ll not want to miss the culinary premiere of Yakima Twilight as The Next Iron Chef competitor, Chef Jose Garces, has paired dishes to Victory beers, including Yakima Twilight, for an exciting event at his Chifa restaurant located at 707 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, on November 5, 2009.

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