Victory Beer Blog

Life in a growing American brewery

Dark Wednesday Recap

Monday, November 28, 2011 at 4:21pm

We’d like to thank everyone who came out to Victory to celebrate Dark Wednesday with us. The line of Dark Intrigue enthusiasts started to form at 6:30 a.m. One of our earliest liner-uppers left Richmond, Virginia at 3:00 a.m. to secure his place. One beer-loving duo stayed up all night, drove from near New York City and arrived in Downingtown at 4:30 a.m. They slept in their car until another early-riser woke them up at 6:30 a.m. and ended up second and third in line. Still others traveled from North Carolina, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Photo Credit: @JeffTincher

We had a great time talking with all of our beer-loving travelers and with the more than 400 avid beer fans who celebrated the release of Dark Intrigue with us. Despite a few scattered showers, hundreds of people joined in the Dark Wednesday festivities. Thanks to our friends at One Village, we were able to keep them warm with free coffee. And our own Victory Brewpub provided some tasty treats to enjoy as we all waited for sales to begin. The doors opened promptly at 11:30 a.m., and by 2:30 p.m. all the cases of Dark Intrigue were all gone.


Photo Credit: Downingtown Dish

If you weren’t able to make it here to get your Dark Intrigue and partake in the fun of Dark Wednesday, check out what Downingtown Dish and IDrinkGoodBeer.com had to say about the event.

The brewery allotment of Dark Intrigue sold out in just three hours, but more cases are leaving the brewery on trucks today, headed to 18 states across the country. If you’re looking to give the bourbon barrel-aged Storm King Stout a taste, contact your local wholesaler or use our beerfinder. DISCLAIMER: Beerfinder only reports on where the beer has been delivered in the past 60 days. If you see Dark Intrigue listed at your local retailer, call them to ensure they haven’t sold out yet.

And to those of you who came out and waited for Dark Intrigue, thank you again for helping us to make such a successful, fun event. Cheers!

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.

You Ask, We Answer (Part 2)

Monday, July 25, 2011 at 5:06pm

After last month’s question and answer blog post, you all seemed inspired to send in more questions than ever. It was great to hear from so many Victory beer drinkers and brewpub visitors. We did our best to compile and answer as many of your questions as possible. Keep reading to see if your inquiring mind can be put to rest.

Keep those questions coming! Send them to brewmaster@victorybeer.com and we will address them in an upcoming blog. If we missed your question this time around, feel free to submit it again. We will do our best to address every query.

Q: Will Dark Intrigue be coming back this year?

A: Yes! In fact, Storm King Stout has already been poured into the bourbon barrels and begun the barrel-aging process. We were thrilled by the popularity of this brew last year, so this year we’re more than doubling our batch. You can get yours at in the retail store at the brewpub on “Dark Wednesday,” the day before Thanksgiving. Fun fact: Last year, we sold 80 cases in just 43 minutes!

Q: Does it truly matter what glass I use (assuming I’m not talking about a coffee mug or sippy cup)? How do I know which kind of glass to use for different styles of beer?

A: We firmly believe that the glassware you use when enjoying beer does make a difference. The experience can be entirely different based on the shape and size of your glass. The shape of the glass directly impacts the amount of aroma you can capture, the color you see and the size of the gulp you can take. Using the coordinating glassware for a specific beer style will allow you to enjoy the full experience as the brewmaster intended. For a good reference to match your beer style and glass, check out this guide from Beeradvocate.

Q: Have you considered canning your flagships?

A: Per CEO and Brewmaster, Ron Barchet: “We already package in cans: 5.16 and 15.5 gallon returnables.” Joking aside, it is something we have considered and it is a possibility down the road. However, at this time, we do not have the space in our tight facility to add another packaging line.

Q: I love all your brews! The 1st one that I tried was V-12. Will this ever be available in 6 Packs?

A: We are glad to hear you enjoyed it! V-12 is a special beer that deserves the regal, 750 ml corked package in which it currently lives. We bottle condition V-12 within the large bottle, which adds to its complexity over the long term. It is also important to note V-12 has a pricey production cost, which makes it hard to price competitively for a 6-pack market.

Q: I was wondering if you could give a status update on WildDevil?  It is hands-down my favorite beer.  Is there any chance of seeing it again?

While we can’t give you exact release dates for the next batch of WildDevil, we can tell you that it will make an appearance again some day. We consider WildDevil to be so wild that we never know when it’s going to be peeking its head back out. There is no specific date for release, but Bill and Ron have heard your request (and the request of others) for the return of WildDevil and it will likely be brewed again sooner than later. Rest assured; WildDevil will live again.

Q: I was wondering, what are Bill and Ron’s favorite mash-ups of their own beers?

Ron occasionally likes to combine Victory Lager with Bockbier, or he enjoys Festbier with a splash of Prima on top. For some of Bill’s favorites, check out this video.

Q: Would you consider doing a year-round Dunkel similar to say a hofbrau or ayinger? You seem to tackle the German style well and there are so few good American dunkels.

Thank you for the compliment. We enjoy our Dunkles here in the winter, when we do a single, draft-only batch. Sadly, our love of the style hasn’t translated to the masses. We bottled it for several years in the late nineties and early 2000s, but the sales couldn’t sustain the brand. With the ever-evolving tastes of craft beer consumers, we are hopeful that the demand and appreciation of the style will grow and someday allow for us to package it again. For now, look for it in our brewpub every winter.

- K.N.