Victory Yakima Glory Ale

Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, Pa.

$11.99/six-pack at metro beverage stores; also on draft at select beer bars.

Profile: Think of it as the dark side of Hop Wallop. Yakima Glory Ale, Victory’s take on black IPA, the current “it” beer style, was previously known as Yakima Twilight. But by any name, it’s a bold, 8.7 percent alcohol by volume hybrid brew that combines loads of rich roasted malts and bright whole flower Yakima Valley hops.

The result is a dark beer, with a deep, treacle-like malt character and the classic citrus hop aromas and flavors of an American IPA. Whether those elements balance or battle each other is the subject of an ongoing debate about this style.

Check out Victory’s Yakima Glory video intro here:

http://victorybeer.com/beers/yakima-glory/

Pair with: The dark malts and bright hops in Yakima Glory create a diverse assortment of pairing hooks. But the medleys of spices, aromas and flavors found in the likes of gumbo, jambalaya, curry or mole offer plenty of playful possibilities.

Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast: brewingnews.com/southernbrew