Victory Red Thunder Review: Beer-rock the Red

Brewery Victory Brewing Company (Downingtown, PA)

Style Baltic Porter aged in red wine barrels

ABV 8.5%

My Review

Just in time for the return of hockey: Beer-rock the Red! (Read the first Beer-rock the Red)

As you regular readers know, when the Baron isn’t scaling the world’s tallest peaks or being the world’s second most popular vigilante, he practices an even more dangerous profession: Washington Capitals fanatic. Recent studies have shown that being a Capitals fan takes an average of 12 years off of average life expectancy in adults, even when accounting for common factors such working for top-secret government contractors or daily 20 mile, 2 hour-long commutes.

While last season ended in bitter disappointment once again, we have a new coach and a few other new faces (“He looks like a rapper”) bringing a renewed sense of optimism before the season kicks off today. Will the Caps win the division this year after a second place finish last season? Possibly. Will Ovechkin return to form in a more offensive system? I hope so. Will Florida go 10-0-38 and somehow win the division again? PROBABLY.

Now, to the actual beer portion of the post.

What’s the difference between a Baltic Porter and a regular Porter? The Baltic variety are invariably bottom-fermented (lagers) while the “normal” versions are top-fermented (ales). Baltic Porters are also usually stronger (8%+ vs ~6%) and sweeter than traditional porters.

Victory has taken their Baltic Thunder and aged it in once-used red wine barrels from Wente Vineyards, creating Red Thunder. The Baron is a sucker for almost any brew aged in barrels (don’t even think about it, Budweiser), and I’m a huge fan of Victory Brewing Co so I had to get my hands on this beer.

• Appearance Red Thunder pours a dark brown with ruby highlights. Its quickly dissipating tan head disappears faster than Alexander Semin in the playoffs. Oh well, not our problem anymore. 8/10
• Aroma Red Thunder has a nice, subtle aroma of roasted malt, raisins, and chocolate. Usually barrel-aged beers have a stronger aroma, which I enjoy, but this is quite pleasant as well. 18/20
• Taste The flavor is enhanced by the barrel aging, with loads of red wine, berries, tannin, joining the expected vanilla, cocoa and roasted malt. Red Thunder has a dry, tart finish. A little more tartness would push it into a Don-Cherry-when-Canada-loses-to-America level sourness. So it’s just right the way it is. It reminded me a bit of Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja, but with an addition of roasted character. Very good. 37/40
• Palate Red Thunder is medium bodied with ample carbonation. Like I mentioned earlier, it is quite tart, so if you’re not into that flavor profile then this brew will not be quite as smooth to you. Don’t worry, I’ll finish the bottle if you don’t like it. 8/10
• Value For the price of $9.99 you can enjoy this unique brew. I honestly expected it to be in the $12-15 range, so this is a pretty good value for the 750 mL bottle. I have seen it sold for closer to $8 in other areas, stupid cost of living near D.C. 18/20
• Overall 89/100

My Recommendation

If you’re a beer nerd, and you can find Red Thunder, it’s definitely worth checking out. The red wine characteristics bring an interesting flavor profile to the brew, but it will taste funky if you’re only used to IPAs, stouts, etc. The tartness will also be off-putting to those who prefer more traditional beers.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed Red Thunder. It reminded me of a chocolate and red wine pairing, only not as snobby and without judgmental servers (“Sir, you aren’t supposed to swallow.” “… That’s what she said.”). If you enjoy barrel-aged brews, or any experimental beers for that matter, I recommend you give Victory’s Red Thunder a look.

Salud and go Caps!