Victory Brewing Co. To Release Wine-Barrel-Aged Red Thunder

Five years after it was first introduced, Victory Brewing Co.'s near-perfect Baltic Thunder is getting an update. This fall, on what may be the biggest drinking night of the year (that would be Thanksgiving Eve), Victory will release Red Thunder, created by aging the porter in red-wine barrels. When the limited run of 125 bbls. is packaged into 1,800 cases, Red Thunder will have been aging for approximately three months.

The casks hail from Wente Vineyards, a California company that is (according to its website) the country's oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. Used once to make wine, the barrels carry a tannic flavor in their wood, which complements the chocolately creaminess of Victory's Baltic-style dark ale. Like the original Baltic Thunder, Red Thunder packs a punch at 8.5 percent ABV.

Red Thunder will be sold in 750-milliliter bottles, first available on Nov. 21 in the retail store at Victory's Downingtown, Pa., brewing facility and shortly thereafter throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Ohio. We know what we'll be bringing to this year's holiday family gathering.

— Danya Henninger, The Drink Nation

More From The Drink Nation: 

Beer Review: Lost Abbey/New Belgium Mo' Betta Bretta
Craft Vodka Showdown: Taste Testing Five East Coast Vodkas
Apocalypse Watch: The U.S. Tested Effects of Atomic Bombs on Beer