Helios (V Saison) - Victory Brewing Company

DIM

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

edit: I upped my scores because the Brett character that develops is remarkable.

a: This was a bright, clear golden color. It poured with a massive craggy head.

s: Fresh, pungent lemon zest was what I noticed first. I also found some peppery yeast and lightly funky grains.

t: Starts off great with a huge dose of wonderful, fresh lemon and some grains. The finish is a bit too dry. It feels and tastes a bit rough.

m: This manages to be fizzy and creamy at the same time.

d: Very nice saison! A real bargain too, $35 a case!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 11:44:31 | More by DIM

Seanibus

California

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear golden with some suspended material and a big white fluffy head and great streamers of carbonation. The aroma is light and spritzy, with a sharp phenolic edge, lots of fruit, apricot and pear and apple. The flavor is crisp and typically Victory - malty and firm and yet subtle and clean. There is pear and apricot, with clove and allspice and rosemary. Herby hops coat the tongue and give it a powerful but not overwhelming bitterness on the finish. The mouthfeel is slick and clingy.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 03:49:55 | More by Seanibus

cdizinno

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: Poured into a tulip from a growler purchased at Greeen's off Piney Grove in Columbia, SC

A: Clear, golden yellow. Nice white head with minimal lace.

S: Heavy spices. Some lemon and citrus with a mildly sweet malty scent.

T&M: Same taste as the smell. Starts with a zesty citrus and some malty sweetness that fades to a nice, mild hop bitterness. Medium bodied with a smoother mouth feel than the bottle.

Way better than the bottled version. This is much less sour and much more tasty to the style. Very good!

Serving type: growler

09-07-2010 23:29:10 | More by cdizinno

philerman

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Purchased via a growler fill at Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting, PA and poured into a flute glass. Growler had been refrigerated almost a week but no discernible damage.

A: Golden/honey brown with a pleasant amount of bubbling.

S: Flowery overall, but not overpowering. Some citrus notes as well.

T: A little bit bitter, not unpleasantly so though. Stays with you quite a bit over a slow glassful.

Overall impressions: Nice beer for a Saturday night. Not too much of an alcohol burn for something this strong. Probably my second favorite Saison.

Serving type: growler

09-25-2010 21:10:28 | More by philerman

jantonius

California

4.47/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Golden and Clear, a little to clear for a Saison...lots of bubbles

S: Spicy, Bananna Smell with slight notes of citrus

T: Nice Spice and Bananna taste

M: Very Bubbly, similiar to a champagne

D: I love this beer and can enjoy it all day, nice with a schnitzel.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2009 01:36:53 | More by jantonius

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a bottle the other day on the recommendation of Brian, Ryan and Eric. Good call, guys!

Light golden orange, this beer turns a little yeasty on adding the yeast. There's a large white head that recedes slowly to a thin ring. Looks good so far.

The nose is just fantastic. A beautiful saison nose, there's a blend of light lemon and grassy hop character, a touch of Brett-based grassy funk, a moderate spice character with a little coriander and white pepper, some honey and a light bread note. Light floral character as well. Just fantastic. The palate is just as excellent, opening with a big, Brett character, just a fantastic, grass notes, blended very well with a light hop character, mildly German in nature, particularly on the finish. With a blend of honey and spices, this is the epitome of what a saison should be. Light and crisp on the palate, this finishes with a great drying, grassy, light hop character. Fantastic stuff, this is something I'm going to drink a LOT of this summer and after.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 01:30:19 | More by DefenCorps

tlazaroff

Virginia

4.47/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: BIG head on this one, nice and fluffy and pure white. As the head dissipates you can see the generous lacing it leaves behind. The color is about a shade brighter than honey, but it still has the darker center (like honey) when you look at it. I hate to use the word "urine" but it almost looks like it.. a very nice glass of urine that I want to consume.

S: Everything I love about Saison in the nose here. That traditional belgian yeastiness is present, haystack, and this one is even accompanied by a touch of floral and sweet fruit (pear, peach) as well. This smells quite nice.

T: This one is sweeter than I normally like upfront, mid palate bring this burst of fruitiness and funk that lingers well though the finish after the fruitiness dissolves into the funk. You are left with a more yeasty finish with the slightest taste of alcohol.

M: As said it leaves some alcohol burn in the finish, and it is a bit more boozy than the Saisons I am used to drinking. The carbonation is high, and the body is somewhat full - it offers a bit of stickiness on the palate.

D: At 7.5% ABV where you can actually feel the alcohol burn, this unfortunately isn't that drinkable due to that. However, the beer is defiantly above average, I really enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 17:15:37 | More by tlazaroff

GatheringBrews

Vermont

4.45/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Helios pours a gorgeous golden color. Since it's bottle conditioned, that means there's yeast in the bottle still, and you can either leave that in the bottle or pour it right in. Since it's comes in a 22-ounce bottle, you can get the best of both worlds by having the first pour into a glass nice and clear and the second half a nice, hazy pour that adds some body and a bit more of the yeast characteristic.

You get a puffy, foamy, pure white head with broad bubbles, good retention and strong carbonation. It's a gorgeous beer to pour out.

The aroma is of lemon peel and black pepper, with a hint of clove as it warms.

As for taste, it's not overwhelming at all and very drinkable, with notes of citrus and tartness. Very mild hops with little bitterness, citrusy/lemony bite, and light, refreshing mouthfeel.

All in all, this is an outstanding beer and a great introduction to anyone who's never had a Belgian style ale, especially a farmhouse ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 01:50:09 | More by GatheringBrews

ski271

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Medium-light gold with a medium-large, white, pillowy, slowly-diminishing head. The smell is wonderfully funky from the wild Belgian yeast. It's dusty with sweet malts and pungent dusty fruit aromas. Peach and lemon among others. The taste follows but with more of that barnyard funk that is an aquired taste. I've acuired it and think it's wonderful! It has a light, lingering medicinal band-aid-like funk mixed with a touch of bubblegum. Odd, yes. But it keeps me coming back for more. It has a medium-light body, soft texture and moderate-lively carbonation. This was a great find, and with its reasonable cost, this is one I definitely recommend trying.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2009 01:28:47 | More by ski271

emmasdad

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

For some reason Victory bombers are not available in the Denver area (to my knowledge at least), even though the 750s and 6 packs are. Knowing this, I grabbed a bomber of this one in San Diego, but waited until we had left town to drink it. Huge mistake, as I loved it, and cannot get anymore.

Poured a nice golden color witha hugh fluffy white head. Great funky aromas, brett, barnyard, rose petal and hibiscus. Light to medium bodied, dangerously drinkable, tart and funky with a nice bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 03:21:13 | More by emmasdad

smakawhat

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Enjoy by August 5 2012, so off we go!

A nice off white and foamy head, lots of large bubbles in this, kind of styrofoam looking, sits on a nice golden dark lemon body. Slightly opaque, easy to see rising carbonation. Nice looking beer here, as you drink and the head clumps all around.

Great nose on this. Slight salt, wild yeast sense and floral. Hints of mushy sour peaches, slight funk, very creamy, banana mush. Real unique nose.

Taste brings a nice saison palate. Yeasty bread, following a sharp spice of clove. Nice malt body on this, a little hint of tight fizz but not much which I like, not very gassy. Finish is even sweet fruits of apricot, orange, mixing in with a good funkyness.

This is a great enjoyable saison. Mix of interesting characters of density, brightness, fruit, funk, hint of sweet, just great.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 23:44:09 | More by smakawhat

leantom

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked this one up from Total Wine a couple of days ago. I had heard good things about it, so I decided to give it a try.

A: Clear and yellow. This is kind of unique for saisons, as the bready character usually makes beers of this style hard to see through. I assume that they put an ample amount of yeast in it, though, since Belgian saisons are know to have high yeast contents. It produced a nice head when I poured it into a glass, though a little smaller than most other saisons I've had.

S: Very nice. It smells very citrusy and grassy. I also detect some hop bitterness.

T: Excellent. Lemon, grass, white pepper, clove, hops and yeast dominate the flavor. I've tried the beer both cold and warm and, unlike most other saisons, I prefer this one cold. It's quite refreshing, though it is more bitter than traditional saisons.

M: It goes down well. There isn't much carbonation relative to other saisons (see Ommegang's Hennepin), so it feels very smooth.

O: This is a good beer. While it differs with regards to other saisons, it's still nice. I would put this in the BPA category.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 06:48:50 | More by leantom

Gavage

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear gold color with a 2" head that lasts a while. Nice lacing paints the glass through the session.

Smell: earthy and spice tones rise easily from the glass and are very pleasant.

Taste: mildly grainy malt profile with pepper, grass, slightly tart green grapes, lemon zest, and some moderate earthiness. Bitterness is quite noticeable.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Crisp throughout with some light dryness late.

Drinkability: this beer was so flavorful on tap I could have had several glasses in the session. Easy to drink and great saison IMHO.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2009 12:11:26 | More by Gavage

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.39/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a pint glass and a tulip (basically the same in both):

A: somewhat hazy yet clear yellow/golden colored body with a two finger white foamy head that dies immediately, moderate clingy foamy lacing graces the pint glass but slides down in the tulip

S: strong tones of coriander, black pepper, and grass appear are up front and some light maltiness comes in as more warming occurs, super light funk

T: spicy yet somewhat malty and funky at the same time - wow, I like this, light lemon in the aftertaste, dry finish

M: light to medium, sessionable - though I'm sipping, one could really pound this if they wanted to, pretty smooth all around, big wow - never thought a saison could be this smooth, carbonation seems spot for me but perhaps a bit under-carbonated for the style

O: well, apparently I think I'm starting to get into saisons, not gonna go out on that limb just yet, but this one drinks very well for me, with the price once again - $3.50 for a bomber, this is a saison at least for me to come back to. Next time I have this, I hope to have it next to Hennepin just to compare.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 15:13:06 | More by kangarooAdam59

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge, nearly pure white head. Goes down slowly leaves little lace. Straw color liquid; nearly clear.

Lots of golden malt aroma; slightly citrusy but not from the hop which is quite mild. Some spruce smell also.

If I were blindfolded, I would expect a darker looking beer. This looks like a macro (albeit with a huge head), but tastes like a over-hopped APA. Grapefruit and pine bitter flavors from the hop. Solid malt delivery. Long, tongue-cleansing aftertaste. Only the body comes across as typical to me.

I notice when I'm inspired to write a lot, it's always a good beer. This is better than most and may be my new favorite Saison.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 22:47:40 | More by smcolw

Mavajo

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a golden yellow with a huge fluffy white head and decent lacing. Aroma and taste carry light fruits and mild citrus - mainly banana and lemon, with some zesty spices and yeast. Clean taste with minimal aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with generous carbonation - very bubbly mouthfeel. All in all, a very crisp, dry and refreshing beer. Alcohol isn't noticeable. Very drinkable.

Now I'm a huge novice so maybe my palate is just feeble and untrained, but I actually had this pegged as a pilsener - I was surprised to come here and see it was a saison. If you like pils, I think you'd enjoy this as well. Oh, and at $2.99 for a bomber...you can't beat the price.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 14:57:12 | More by Mavajo

bsp77

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Chalice.

Appearance: Barely hazy golden straw color with billowing white head that only leaves slight lacing behind.

Smell: Banana, peach, clove, pepper and a strong horse blanket mustiness.

Taste: Strong sweet malt backbone of fleshy fruit and lemony citrus, with a drying counterbalance of clove and black pepper. There is also an underlying mustiness that carries throughout, and becomes more apparent as it warms.

Feel: High carbonation, medium body, very dry finish.

Drinkability: Seems to be some Brett in this Saison. Whether that is true or not, it certainly adds some Orval-like complexity and makes the beer exceedingly refreshing.

Also, while I do not allow price to impact my reviews, the $3.99 a bomber price tag on this makes it a steal.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2010 13:32:06 | More by bsp77

UCLABrewN84

California

4.38/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Sunset Beer Company in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy off-white head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Thin rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, yeast, spices, and Brett. Taste is much the same with a crisp Brett flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and dry mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with great aromas and flavors that make it super easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2013 23:49:14 | More by UCLABrewN84

gfreed

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

An unusual saison from the start. The beer is cloudy in the glass and a good deal more orange than any other I've tried. It was easy to generate a puffy head, and the aroma that wafted out was filled with fruit-- oranges, lemons, grapefruit, apples and loads of pears. Missing was the bready, yeasty smell of other saisons. I missed it, too. Marvelous taste, as the aroma predicted. Again, loads of fruit with a heavy tip towards pears and apples. Quite a hit of pepper and grapefruit from the hops, but not sour at all. In fact, it was refreshing on a humid summer night. My wife and I could easily have split another bomber.

Relative to Saison Dupont, Hennepin, etc., this doesn't really compare in the same style, I don't think. It's a bit too fruity for that. However, don't let that stop you from stashing a few away before Victory runs out for the season. A good value for the $$, too.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2009 12:35:40 | More by gfreed

morebeergood

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into oversized wine glasses. Beautiful white fizzy head. Golden yellow color. Plenty of carbonation. Great looking presentation. Smell was very ripe and tangy. Taste reminded me very much of a lambic beer. Light and tart on the tip of the tongue. Big dose of Brett fills the mouth. Hoppy and peppery taste. Excellent. Gets even better as it warms up. Not as easy to drink as other saisons due to its high ABV and its Belgian wild ale-like tartness, but I loved it regardless. I have no idea why this is under $4 a bomber. Extremely under priced for a well built beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 04:21:19 | More by morebeergood

Pittsburgh

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice pour, lots of foam, golden yellow color, head filled up more than half the glass on the 1st pour, looked very fresh out of the bottle.

Taste is good, strikes me as a great summer drinking beer, ABV is a little high, but that is ok by me. Tastes more crisp and clean than some of the Belgian Saisons, meaning the yeast is more generic, and it tastes more like an American beer, not the nice funk you get from some of the Belgians, you can tell they are brewed in a more old school/authentic manner, but I don't think that is necessarily bad, just different. Taste is very good, hoppy, mellow, crisp taste, very smooth, has the nice creamy/vanilla taste to is as well, checks all the boxes for the style.

Very drinkable beer.

Overall a good beer and a good Saison, falls short of some of the better ones I have had but still solid, and with the reasonable price, I would go back for more.

Ranks as an A but I think it is more of a B+.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 19:50:30 | More by Pittsburgh

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.35/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I guess this is a re-creation of the V Saison. It's the same beer, just repackaged and cheaper - WAY cheaper. At under $4, this one is a steal!

A: A bit darker than straw color, slight cloudiness, with a mild head, and tons of carbonation. Nice!

S: Lemon and Orange upfront. No alcohol yet, just pure fruitiness.

T: Very strong yeast in the flavor. I would almost describe this as carbonated orange juice, baking soda, with a twist of lemon. I can definitely taste Victory's refreshing hop profile throughout.

M: I love the fluffiness of the bubbles. The yeast hits the mouth hard, but doesn't coat - it merely acts as a buffer to the sweetness.

D: I am able to take pretty substantial size gulps without wincing. Highly drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 02:32:04 | More by Chaney

batty

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Entered from notes taken early September of '09. bought/drank in Cambridge, MA

A: golden, clear, bright white head drops quick to a thin layer. could use longer-lasting head. little lacing

S: a little weak, pale malt, light apple, strong funk

T: touch sweet on tip of tongue, nice crisp aple taste middle, and STRONG 'farmhouse' taste. makes sense in the style and i like it, but quite aggressive. finished earthy hop, w/ just the touch of floral. slight grapefruit peel, citrusy lemon. good.

M: thick. beautiful.

D: a little strong on the 'farmhouse' and less crisp than most, but still great.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2009 22:12:28 | More by batty

PerzentRizen

Mississippi

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer MUST be a Duvel clone. It has the look, aroma, taste, texture, drinkability and alcohol percentage (close anyways) of Duvel.

Poured into a Piraat tulip this beer has a huge head and just doesn't quit. The color is pale golden color and there's plenty of carbonation to spare.

The aroma is of cotton candy, fresh malt, grain, and floral hops. There's also a real earthiness to this beer. BA says saison, Victory says saison, my taste buds and nose both say belgian strong pale ale.

The first sip is deliteful. Fairly attenuated yet full and grainy with plenty of barley, hops, and alcohol to go around. This beer is beautiful. There's a spice in the finish that's hard to place; perhaps it is fennel or clove. This flavor must make it a saison.

Mouthfeel is light on the tongue yet not watery. There's a grainy texture that's really good with this type of beer.

Drinkability is great! I would love sip this all day. I will definately pick up a few of these if I see it out there. Thanks to whoever sent this as an extra in whatever trade we did!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 02:38:41 | More by PerzentRizen

berpwillie

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pours a golden copper color. crazy amount of light fluffy head that receded very quickly. lots and lots of carbonation, but nothing to disticnt as far as the flavor is concerned. very thick lacing covers the glass. overall a very enjoyable beer, especially if like me it was a sunny 70 degree day outside relaxing in my backyard when i first enjoyed this tasty treat. WELL worth the 4 bucks i spent on it.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2010 14:23:55 | More by berpwillie