Helios (V Saison) - Victory Brewing Company

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared with @tobeerornottobe and @LaitueGonflable.

Pours a clear, bright, spring-like golden colour, with a fine, frothy and pretty persistent head of pure white. Where the head doesn't persist as head proper, it persists as lace, forming solid, chunky sheets down the inside of the glass. Carbonation is high, and it streams through the relatively light body very quickly. Looks fresh and good.

Nose is clean and bright, but with a fresh funk to it, giving a little bit of fuggy sweetness, and a light vegetative character. It also has a touch of acidity to it, but this is tightly coupled with the sweetness, giving it the suggestion of sour lollies. Not bad.

Taste is brusquer, peppery, sharper and with a vegetative bitterness. And to be honest, it works well. The sweetness is still noticeable, but it is drawn back and balanced by the biting rawness of the bitterness and the earthy funk. Little true acidity here, but the rustic, primal nature of the other characters work well. And despite these flavours, it ends up being surprisingly crisp, and easy to drink. Lovely stuff.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It has some lovely rustic, earthy and dependable flavours to it, but manages to amalgamate them all into a clean, very drinkable beer. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 02:01:11 | More by lacqueredmouse

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got a bomber of this bottle as part of a special sale at my local liquor store for $2.50. 7.50ABV, I'm sure you cant beat that for the price. Its aged almost a year as it is dated Dec/2011.

A: This beer pours a light straw color with a little golden tint at the bottom of the glass. Has a 2 inch soapy, bright-white head that sticks around.

S: Aroma consists of earthy, grassy notes with more of a pear smell than a banana, which is consistent with most Saisons. Has a hint of black pepper and honey on the back end of the smell.

T: The head has a little lemon to it, as I had to bite it to get to the body. Peppery spice leads the flavor which is followed by pear/more banana than the smell indicated. Earthy notes and honey compliment the finish very well.

M: Sweet and earthy with a yeast type character, complimented with a peppery spice. Very drinkable as the alcohol is not noticeable at all.

O: Very good for a Saison, actually I have never had a bad Saison. All the characteristics of the beer are consistent with what this type of beer is suppose to be. Its hard to overlook this beer considering the price at most packies.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 04:39:43 | More by SouljaSaia17

Beaver13

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle. Pours clear straw gold with a medium meringue white head that retains well and laces the glass some.

The aroma is sweet bretty malts and musty yeast with a little fruit.

The flavor is wheaty malts and light fruit with some brett and some dry mustiness in the finish. The mouthfeel is kind of light bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, not sure if this is made with brett (no mention), but I get some nice brett notes out of it. Nice Belgian and a great bargain at $5 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 05:56:10 | More by Beaver13

fields336

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoy by 9/24/12
A: crisp looking straw colored beer with 2-3 fingers white fluffy head. Slightly hazy. The head recedes to leave a slight lace ring around the edge of the glass.

S: sweet, Brett, citrus, tart, earthy,slight funk, pepper, spicy

T: huge Brett notes, funk,earthy, musty, lemon citrus,spicy,grassy/flowery/herbal, bitter bretty finish.

M: extremely light bodied and dry finish, excellent representation of a saison

O: awesome beer, only 2.99 for the 22 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 03:24:16 | More by fields336

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a clear golden/straw yellow pour with 2 fingers of fluffy white head and nice amounts of lacing. smells very fruity (banana, strawberry), smells a bit like a cider (strange yeast smell), flower petals.
that flower petal flavor is really up front, and personally a bit off putting. tart, citrus fruit flavors with a zesty pepper finish.champagne-like carbonation, medium body, and very creamy on the lips. a bit of burn on the throat going down.

the very floral scent really worked for this one.... up until i tasted it, and it tasted like i was eating a bouquet. i'm sure there's people out there that will like it, i do not. still a pretty refreshing ale nonetheless, and a very unique saison.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:47:41 | More by facundoCNB

jeffjeff1

California

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I picked this up a while ago at Bevmo.

Appearance- yellow color, thick foamy head, leaves a nice lacing

Smell- citrus, spice, yeast

Taste- lemon zest, spice, very nice

Mouthfeel- medium bodied, smooth

Drinkability- very nice, better than I thought it would be

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 20:13:26 | More by jeffjeff1

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter, this ale pours brilliantly clear straw color with a medium bright white head that quickly diminished. The aroma is moderately peppery, slightly spicy and citrusy, and some earthiness (almost cilantro-like). The flavor is rather peppery and spicy up front with a dry, wine-like finish with a medium-low hop bitterness. Simple, yet complex and interesting if that makes any sense. The carbonation is medium-high and body moderate. Overall a well made, tasty brew, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 01:16:55 | More by uwmgdman

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep yellow with a hint of amber and near perfect clarity. Poured with a big frosty white foam that slowly reduced to a wispy cap. Lemon and orange zest aromas, funky,earthy yeasty aroma with a hint of spice and hints of biscuity malt. Medium bodied with smooth but aggressive carbonation. Funky yeast flavor from the start with a hint of spice into the middle. Lemon and orange flavors from the middle transition to biscuit malt and once again the funky yeast at the end. Finshes with a lingering yeasty funt aftertaste. This is a fairly subdued saison, but very enjoyable and easy to drink. Personally I enjoy saisons, but find drinking several to be difficult. The funkiness tends to wear down my tastebuds. But the Yards saison was very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 00:37:07 | More by IronLover

billab914

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into my Ithaca glass. Golden yellow in color with an active white head rising half an inch above the top of the beer. Pretty good retention and lacing.

The aroma shows a moderate amount of earthy, slightly funky Brett to it. I was a little surprised as I had no idea there was Brett in this beer, but I'm quite happy at how well it works for it. Some bright lemon zest and pale malts are there as well, but the Brett is what keeps drawing my attention.

The taste shows a little more of a crisp, pale fruit component , but the zesty citrus rind still plays a pretty big role. The earthy, slightly funky Brett adds some great depth and complexity to it.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side with carbonation being above average. Overall I was really impressed with this beer and can't believe it's taken me this long to try it. The Brett was light and not dominating, but really made the beer for me with it's complex flavors. At $3.99 a bomber I thought this was a great value as well. One of the best light and easy drinking beers I've had all summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 23:19:20 | More by billab914

larryi86

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- A clear golden color with a two finger white head.

S- Light fruits, pears, earthy spices, black pepper.

T- Follows the nose. Light fruits, pears, yeast, black pepper, earthy spices, nice light malt backbone, very bright flavors.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A very nice and tasty Saison. Victroy makes a great Saison at a great price, definitely will be picking this up again. Very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 03:14:54 | More by larryi86

julian89

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass.

Appearance: Translucent pale yellow with a decent sized white foam head and fair retention.

Smell: An earthy fruity saison. The herb smell is not a pronounced as in other saisons. The spice and citrus is just as strong though.

Taste: Flowery, citrusy, and bready. A typical saison, but fairly light considering the 7.5%.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied and carbonated.

Drinkability: Pretty pleasant saison.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 15:19:40 | More by julian89

afksports

New York

3.18/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours clear straw, looks pasteurized from the bomber bottle. Decent head, but no lace. Smells of Belgian yeast, water, and a tinge of grassy hops. The malts really aren't that present, but they're almost like a pilsener. In saisons you really want the yeast and spice to carry the beer, but the yeast here is just weak, and the spices are boring.

Victory Helios would be a better drinking beer if it were lower alcohol, so you could ignore the taste. But at 7.5% you want something more than a little spritz of citrus, some water, and grassy hops with sugar-sweet orange that's not even balanced by an interesting set of spices. I can't even think to compare this to Fantome. They just aren't even in the same league.

That said, it does a decent enough job to pair with a spicy meal, and that's all I need it to. I'd give it average marks overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 00:52:51 | More by afksports

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Didn't this beer used to explode? Such a good price for a bomber so I am finally getting around to reviewing it.

A- Clear golden yellow body with a tall, creamy white head. Head retention is good. Nice loops of thick lace after each sip from a creamy ring.

S- Strong farmhouse yeast with a bit of a barnyard feel to it. Spicy, big black peppercorn, lemon zest, floral and straw notes.

T- Not quite as balanced or smooth as the nose. Lemon fruit and zest notes take over and the alcohol is definitely noticed. Black pepper, herbal, floral, coriander and general yeast spice takes a bit of a back seat.

MF- Silky and somewhat creamy light body with moderate-high cabronation slightly stinging the palate. Finishes a bit tart and bitter.

Not a bad saison, the nose was quite nice but the flavor loses a bit of balance.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 02:20:06 | More by cbutova

cvm4

Mississippi

3.53/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a pale orange in color, somewhat hazy. Billowing 2 finger head with great lacing.

S - Grassy, floral, lemon notes.

T - Lemon flavors, slightly sweet, some funk and ends with a fading bitter note.

M - High carbonation, light body.

O - Very drinkable, but somewhat dull and not sharp on flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 23:12:18 | More by cvm4

Offa

California

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright, clear gold with huge off-white head steadily shrinking to thin foamy top.

Aroma is light, bright clove, pear, grain.

Taste is nice, juicy lemon-herb-clove, with light fruity raisiny-pear sweetness and lemony-herb-peppery bitterness and a hint of pine resin. It has a nice, well-rounded character and feel.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 05:12:18 | More by Offa

NODAK

Tennessee

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Quite a sweet aroma here....very tripel-esque....has a nice fruity sweetness, banana and clove presence on it. Just a hint of tartness. Good stuff.

Taste has a definite fruity ester note with banana and orange...clove spices are certainly also noted. A small citric note is there. In the finish is a small but noticeable dry bitterness that wraps the beer up, quite typical of a saison.

Pretty tasty beer. Sweet but not overwhelming, and pretty clean. Not much I can say negative about this offering from Victory.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 00:57:12 | More by NODAK

warnerry

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Best by Feb 25, 2012, so just past that

A - Pours a slightly hazy golden brown with two fingers of off-white head. Head has great retention and leaves quite a bit of lacing behind. Nice stream of rising carbonation.

S - Aromas of bubblegum, some lemon and a mild but persistent funk. Quite floral and a bit sweet.

T - A bit of lemon is quickly supplanted by sweet malt, some earthy funk and an herbal, bitter finish. Decent spiciness and white bread presence throughout.

M - Medium mouthfeel that starts out sweet and finishes quite bitter and slightly phenolic.

O - Pretty decent saison, and a great value at $4 a bomber, but too sweet initially and too bitter on the finish to be very good.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 01:29:18 | More by warnerry

GameFreac

Georgia

3.38/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22. oz bomber - Don't remember if there was a bottling/best by date

Appearance: Pours a nice golden color with a huge 4-5 finger head from the bottle conditioning. Looked almost like a sour.

Smell: Smells like a sour, lemon zest and bread. Also smells a little sweet.

Taste - Tastes tart, with lemon, pepper and sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Lots of carbonation and almost champagne like. Refreshing for the style.

Overall: Very enjoyable beer and good for the price ($4.49).

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 03:22:04 | More by GameFreac

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by CE and SE - thanks
Poured into a Unibroue fluted glass

Helios is a fairly standard saison from Victory's profile. The recipe's fairly straightforward lemon citrus and malt components generate a good brew, but not exceptional for me. Would I try it again? Sure, but I don't see myself going out of the way to do so. It's passing, but nothing extraordinary (B-/C+).

Pours a tall (>2cm) head of nearly white bubbles, fairly dense, composed of small and mediums-sized bubbles. Leaves some decent lacing as it descends, and is resuspended with each sip. Body is yellow-golden, relatively transparent, with visible carbonation.

Aroma of lemon zest, yeast, lemongrass, and a bit of what I'd call generic dried herbs.

Taste opens with some malt sweetness, which is buoyed by light lemon and some yeast flavors. Malt sweetness continues through mid-palate, but also incorporates some bread-like malt characters and some bitterness as well. Bitterness persists through the finish, as do malt and citrus components.

Beer is medium-bodied, with a fairly crisp amount of carbonation and overall mouthfeel. Finish is semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 21:49:54 | More by falloutsnow

TenHornsProud

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy light orange with a big, fluffy white head that lingers and laces.

Smells of orange, champagne, herbal, floral noble hops with some malt and slight tart funk coming in. Nice nose.

Taste is up front tart/phenolic citrus that goes into a more orange peel slightly earthy middle before ending on a slightly bitter and phenolic finish. A bit too bitter and phenolic but still enjoyable. Has a slight brett funk that is similar in nature to Reyon Vert.

High carbonation and lighter mouthfeel is right on.

A good, slightly funky brew that is almost BPA. I find this a bit too bitter and phenolic to be great, but it is quite good.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 01:28:06 | More by TenHornsProud

Stunner97

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- golden yellow with thick bellowing head decent carbonation, nice lively appearance

Smell- citrus, lemon, spice yeast, very on spot nose as well

Taste- lost of citrus and lemon notes followed by super firm spicy finish, overall not very complex but very good balance

Mouthfeel- medium to light bodied with decent to somewhat vibrant carbonation

Drinkability/overall- this beer is very well balanced and thirst quenching has plenty citrus and tons spice, its super easy drinking and that helps make for some what average complexity, in terms of value its freaking home run at 3.49 a bomber, at great price certainly worth try for decent though not great beer of style

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 02:03:24 | More by Stunner97

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

650 mL bottle poured into an Allagash chalice. Bottle stamped "Best by 9/29/2012."

Appearance - Golden yellow body. Mostly clear. Nice two to three finger white fluffy head. Great retention. Rings of sticky lace inside the glass. Looks great.

Smell - Light funk with some bready malts. No sourness, despite what I read from other reviews. Metallic undertones throughout the nose, which really detracts. Perhaps it will dissipate as it warms.

Taste - Slight fruit notes at first, but the don't last long against a huge bready malt flavor. Really dominant. Way too much of one type of grain. Light malt overload. The finish is tempered by an earthy hop bitterness that isn't unpleasant. No metallic flavor in the taste.

Mouthfeel - Not light, but certainly not heavy and syrupy. Bitter finish lingers for perhaps too long. I don't know that I'd call it a good mouthfeel, but it isn't bad either.

Overall - Some flavors are good, some flavors are off. Not a drainpour, but not anything I want to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 18:55:48 | More by Alieniloquium

DrewBrew

3.38/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First Review! Hi Guys and ladies!

So I'm reading the back of the bottle and they say it is orange hued. Compared to bud light sure but pretty much a dark yellow with a big white head. Pour this one slowly. I'm pouring it into a frozen pint glass nice and carefully and I'm getting a lot of head and about 1.5 inches of beer which subsides but leaves a nice fine thin head that persists throughout the whole experience. I see all these comments on lacing and yeah it's got it but who cares so lets get onto the smell. I saw another poster and they were getting hints of band aid. I think that's on the mark and may be a product of this type of yeast. Yeah it's there but don't let that turn you off it's band aid good in a way the smell of gasoline or a new shower curtain is good, am I right? I'm not a fan of the style in general but its better than just drinkable. I just tasted a dash of white pepper and there isn't any in here. There is nothing earthy here, all sky from the big bubbles on the palate to the lemons in the tree with more Meyer sweetness than Eureka sourness. Overall I enjoyed this one even the taste of the belches afterward. I suppose I'll have to get more schooled in this style but I'd grab another one of these especially since the price is so right. I love HopDevil so I'm looking forward to more of Victory's brews

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 02:51:37 | More by DrewBrew

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

split bomber into tulip.

A: hazy golden. very bright. orange at the core. head is very frothy with good retention and lacing.

S: tart, soured fruit. horsehair. hay. pears.

T: a little barny and tart to start turns to freshly cracked black pepper. finish is super dry. not finding a real malt presence here seeing that most of it dried out.

M: vibrant carbonation and refreshingly medium bodied.

D: a well-made saison from victory. i really dig that an offering of this quality is so cheap. i believe i got this bomber for $4 which is definitely one of the cheapest saisons ive had. good shit.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 00:36:26 | More by Jimmys

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a narrow pint glass, color is straw gold, head color is bright white with some nice lacing.

Smell is some bready, light toasted malt, some hints of yeast and esters and phenolics and maybe light funk.

Taste is interesting, a little sweet upfront and throughout then transitions to light bready, hints of malt and toast and yeast, some drying esters and phenolics finish it up. A little bitter throughout.

Mouthfeel is a little strong on the tongue and a little sweet, strong bitterness from the taste does not linger in the mouthfeel.

Overall, a touch sweet in flavor for a saison, but there are some drying qualities and light touch of yeastiness. Its tasty and easily drinkable but not a down the line saison.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 01:25:04 | More by mvanaskie13