Victory Helios Ale

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

750 ml bottle from BOTW (Rochester), served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass. SE05/08.

App.: Deep golden with lots of small yeast particles and a loose white froth. Aroma: Bright, green, grassy, slightly funky, apples and other fruits, white grapes, dried apricots, oranges and mandarins, somewhat spicy. Palate: Medium-ish body, moderate effervescence. Flav.: Very fruity and sweet, lacks much of the herbal grassiness; more like a Tripel than a Saison; sweet, basically no bitterness, some alcohol with light fruitiness to finish.

The nose tried, but the flavour missed the mark completely.

very nice brew. had this on tap and it was great. I will look for this again .

’07 bottle. Hazy light gold body topped by a lasting head. Smells of citrus, floral, earthy. Tastes perfumey, floral, peppery. Present but soft bitterness is nearly perfect. Quite a good saison.

Pours lightly hazy orange with a fizzy white head. The aroma has musty nectar fruits, earthy yeast, some bread and light spice. Medium musty body with some roughness and lots of gentle carbonation. The flavor starts like the aroma with some dry earthy hops and Belgium yeast with some basement funk. The finish is very musty and more reminiscent of a biere de garde. This is a respectable Americanized version of the style.

750ml bottle. Pours a translucent gold with a small white head. Not much bubbling action. Nose is strong on orange peel, spice, alcohol and hops. Has a nice fizzy feel on the palate, but is a little thicker than I expected. The citris, spice and alcohol present in the nose is also present on the palate too. This is a good saison, but I have to be honest and say it’s just not up the the gold standard, Saison Dupont. My biggest grip is threefold. The yeasty, bready flavor of a real Belgian Saison is not as pronounced as I think it should be. The alcohol content is too high for a Saison. And it cost 1 dollar more than my beloved Saison Dupont. It may seem I’m being harsh, but I do like this brew. The problem I have with it is that is tastes too much like a Belgain White Ale than a Saison. So unless they lower the price by about 2-3 dollars per bottle, i may not ever buy it again.

0.75l - The meringue like head sits atop a slightly cloudy brass colored beer. The flavor is nice and subtle, so pervasive you don’t even notice it taking over. Has that dusty basement funky I like in the saison. Nice Belgian lace on the glass. Really good.

750ml bottle Bonus from JCB. Shared with my gf Cyn who is always happy to have a PA brew. Pours orange with a bright white thin head. Nose is floral and slightly spiced. Taste is spicy, fruity and floral with a nice complex feel. Also there is a nice prickly feeling in my mouth and my tongue. Nice Saison on my current Saison Kick.

Bomber at Jerry’s. Hazy-orange gold with big, foamy off-white head / Nose of banana, citrus & spice / Medium body, malty, yeasty, with aggressive carbonation, and decent, bitter finish / Flavors of banana, orange, clove, oak, and coriander / Good, solid saison.