Victory Helios Ale

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

POurs a clear rich yellow with a giant white head. Nose is heavy yeast, lemon, orange, pepper. Flavor is a crisp, tart sweet malt, sour lemon peel, unripe oranges, mild brett? I get a little funk in there.

Bottle 75cl. [ As Victory V Saison ].
Clear light to medium yellow orange color with a large, frothy - fizzy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, fruity - mango, light to moderate hoppy, moderate yeasty, barnyard, leather, alcohol, light strawberry notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet, light light acidic and moderate to heavy bitter with a average to long duration, a light peppery finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090802]

bottle thanks to zath! Pours, pale yellow with a tall frothy white head. Aroma is sweet citrus fruit with some peppery hops. Flavor is nice with pale malt and hay, some sweet candy sugar and a spicy lightly hopped finish. Enjoyable saison, only slightly sour or funky.

Sampler at the brew pub. Citrus fruits and spices dominated the flavor and aroma. Nice amber body with medium off-white head. Not as close to a Belgian ale as Golden Monkey, but still an enjoyable drink.

Enjoyed from a 22oz bottle in an elongated tulip glass. The beer pours a yellowish-orange color with a rocky white head. Despite an effort at decanting, a noticeable amount of suspended yeast made its way into the glass. The aroma shows notes of citrus/lemon, as well as a marked spicy/earthy hop note. The palate is powerfully spritzy, forcing the drinker to carefully attempt to note the melange of flavors that greet the tongue with each sip. Pilsner malt sweetness up front, with perhaps the slightest touch of a Munich or CaraMunich. This flows into a lemony and slightly soapy yeast ester character, before slinking into a nicely dry finish that supports the spicy note of the hops used. Saison is a notoriously difficult style to nail, and I think this is a nice interpretation.

Tap at Barcade: Slightly hazy light golden with a wispy white head. Nice dry fruity aroma- some dusty phenols, cherry pit brett notes, earthy leather hints- nice and rustic. Has a fluffy body with a dry flavor. Earthy and rustic character with some peppery notes that mesh with a very mild bubblegum note (though not at all sweet). There’s an herbal hop bitterness accompanied by residual bretty mild funk. It’s rare that a U.S. interpretation of this style is nice and dry. I like the brett character in this one. Well done!

On tap at Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY. This beer almost leans more German than Belgian but stull a convincing saison. Floral scent with sugar and peach. Faily full bodied with some sourness that becomes tart encompassing the mild hop character. Lucious and refreshing overall but somewhat under carbonated.