349. Victory Yakima Twilight

This makes lucky number six from Victory, including Saison du Buff, the collabo with Stone and Dogfish Head, plus Prima Pils, Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil. We found this down at Jungle Jim’s—if you haven’t been, well then, my friend, you ain’t livin’.

Yakima Twilight emerges from the bottle a hazy burnt sienna—it is a nice mix of brown, red, and orange, and there are red highlights that end up on the table when the light hits it right. The head is tan and creamy, although after a couple of minutes it is reduced to a ring around the edge of the glass. With a creamy aroma couple with caramel, brown malt, hints of chocolate and lightly roasted tangs, Yakima Twilight utilizes darker malts to build the nose. Flavors begin sweet and fruity before moving into a rich darker biscuit malt flavor mixed with chocolate, malt roastiness, and darker fruits in the middle; the finish is characterized by a combined lingering bitterness and toffee flavor. Yakima Twilight has a medium to heavy body with a chewy, rich mouthfeel; the carbonation is medium and rather creamy, helping to build the chewy mouthfeel. This is an interesting beer, but we’re not quite sure what to make of the relationship between the name and the beer—it is good, but the Yakima hoppiness is lost is the big malt backbone of the beer. We’ve got two bottles of this left, so we’re going to sock them away in the basement and see what a bit of aging will do to them. The label, however, has an excellent design; we’re making Yakima Twilight a Top 10 Best Label contender.

From the bottle: “The Yakima Valley of Washington is the heartland of American hops, having contributed uniquely flavorful varieties that have helped to redefine American brewing. Late summer harvest yields the bounty that builds this exciting ale. Vibrant and aromatic, this is their moment of glory as the vines have withered by the time you sip this. Dark malts warm the hops’ bright edge bringing harmony to the finish. Rest well hop roots! Spring will come and we’ll be thirsty again!”

Check out those red highlights!

From the Victory website: “The tenacious grip of big, juicy hop aroma and character slides smoothly into rich, dark malts. This heavyweight battle between fresh, Yakima Valley hops and dark, roasted malts is resolved harmoniously as the flavors merge to deliver complex satisfaction with a warming edge. Enjoy the twilight­ for the bright and brassy hops!”

ABV: 8.7%

(6/14/10)