Q: Why would someone with a sub-poverty line income spend almost $12 on a six pack of beer?

A: You haven’t had anything that victory brewing company has made, have you?

The Victory Storm King Imperial Stout pours out dark as way past due for a change motor oil, with a creamy, slightly fizzy head to it the color of very old athletic socks. That being said, it’s actually pretty appealing looking. The aroma almost smells chewy in a way that doesn’t actually smell like cookies but makes me think of them nonetheless. It’s very inviting. This is very pleasantly bitter and solid, and almost a little sweet. That being said, it’s still a little bit smooth, although people more used to dry stouts like Murphys or Beamish or in a worst cause scenario, Guinness, may think it has a little it of a bite to it. That being said, this is on the mellow end of imperial stouts, especially for a beer that’s 9.1% alcohol by volume. The high abv makes the hefty price per twelve pack seem a little less over the top, both in terms of the amount of ingredients you need to toss in to make it that strong, and also in the “Well, I could have gotten two six packs of PBR for this much money, but this is almost as much alcohol”sense. If this wasn’t so damn expensive, I’d drink it all the time, and I’d rank it pretty high on my list of favorite stouts. Actually, I can’t think of an imperial stout that I like more than this off the top of my head.