Victory Swing

Tonight's beer: Victory Swing

Victory Swing

Starts off pretty bitter: grassy and floral, yes, but substantial bright spice and citrus woven in. Pale bread, with flickers of toast and caramel and crackers in the background and structure. Never particularly sweet, transitions smoothly and rapidly from bitter to dry.

Very light-bodied, and highly-carbonated. Almost blisteringly drying; cleansing and massively refreshing. Slightly abrasive through the middle.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this beer. There's lots of intense and complex flavor, here, especially given the beer's 4.5% ABV, and it's nicely integrated and balanced. I'm not sure this is a beer I could spend a night with, which I'd expect to be able to do with a session beer; since Victory are marking this as a session beer, I'd have to call this at least a minor fail. I could definitely see it with food, though, and it's not so strong as to be punitive in a restaurant.