Victory Yakima Twilight
Let’s start this one off with the most obvious statement I can make about Victory’s Yakima Twilight. The beer contained within this very unassuming six pack is dark like a strong ale, has a roasted porter-like nose and is hoppy as all get out. Those characteristics combined make for an intriguing and complex beer to get through.
Honestly, it took me a couple of bottles to fully appreciate and even enjoy this brew. I guess going into it, I was expecting something completely different, so my first impressions were drowned out by healthy doses of shock and awe. I eventually warmed up to the beers complexity — my wife, not so much.
Appearance
As stated, this beer pours a dark amber with a tan head. It’s much darker than a majority of the fresh hop products I’ve had from other breweries.
Aroma
Hoppy, malty and roasted, the nose on this beer is quite complex. There’s a great deal going on in there that you don’t really get it all until the beer starts to warm a bit in the glass. The hops are huge with a strong floral and piny presence with citrus notes in the background. The roasted malt is dark and gives off a light caramel, as well.
Taste
For as complex as the nose is, Yakima Twilight’s taste doesn’t quite match the levels in the aroma. It’s still a perplexing brew with big hops and strong malts that don’t compete against one another, but mix well. This medium bodied brew is rich and flavorful with plenty going on from the bitter up-front hops to the lingering biscuity malts in the finish.
Overall
Like I stated in the intro, this one took me a while to warm up to as the 8.9% ABV warmed me up from the inside out. It’s a complex brew that I wasn’t quite prepared for. The punch from the hops and the richness of the dark malt really make for an interesting brew that, once prepared for it, is an enjoyable beer that I hope I can find again soon.
Rating: 3.5/5