Helios (V Saison) - Victory Brewing Company

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

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a golden yellow in the glass with good carbonation. Carbonation is finer small bubbles and a layer remains on top of the beer through consumption. Good lacing. Nose is floral - like a fresh field of flowers. Taste is also fresh and refreshing - has body yet still light. Again very floral but also spices like Rosemarie and thyme. Floral flavor lingers well after the finish.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2012 22:03:39 | More by Oakenator

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

First had: ?
Reviewed from a recent tasting on tap at Victory, Downintown, PA

I just wasn't feeling this one. Pale straw-yellow pour, mostly clear, with a fluffy white head that retained well and left lots of lacing on the glass. Mixture of sweet and funky on the nose with a promise of earthiness. Taste was interesting, lightly toasted grains, yeast, musty grass. A little thin overall, and just doesn't deliver what I like in the style. Light body, and fairly drinkable if you like saisons, but not something I'd go for again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2012 10:29:11 | More by Rifugium

champ103

Texas

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

On tap at Hay Merchant in Houston TX.

A: Pours a slightly hazy, mostly clear golden orange color. A two finger white head forms with good retention and lace.
S: Spicy, peppery, phenolic yeast. Funky, slightly tart fruits. Almost a Brett kind of fruitiness/funky. I really enjoy the nose.
T: Follows the nose with peppery spicy yeast. Slightly tart fruits. Belgian funkiness. Finishes very dry and puckering.
M/D: A medium body with crisp carbonation. A dry finish brings everything together. Very easy to drink and enjoy.

A very nice Saison. One that has a slight Brett character that is not overwhelming, but very enjoyable. Something I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2012 00:16:41 | More by champ103

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

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

Served in a half liter weizen glass for $5.
Sampled 30APR12

[A] Arrives with a beautiful snow white head of 2 fingers. Great retention slowly fades to a foamy cap. After the initial rush of bubbles, the golden orange body becomes relatively clear. Pellet shot lace is deposited as the beer goes down and continues with proficiency throughout the glass.

[S & T] Very enticing aromas and flavors. I don't know exactly when Victory began using Brett in this beer, but I do know that the result is a significant improvement. The Brett strain seems to be of the fruitier/sweeter variety and works wonderfully to balance the citrusy notes of lemon and orange. There is an uncanny resemblance to Fruity Pebbles...so that is awesome. Light dust and a very faint must add a much needed earthiness to the overall flavor and aroma profiles.

[M] Medium body and medium-high carbonation. Upfront sweetness is almost balanced by the bitterness and long lasting dry finish.

[O] A higher degree of attenuation - or less residual sweetness - would have elevated Helios from VERY GOOD to EXCELLENT. Nonetheless, this is an upper echelon American-made saison.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2012 12:44:27 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

williamjbauer

West Virginia

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

On tap served in pint glass at brewery

A - Bright golden with 2 finger bubbly white head with good retention and excellent lacing.

S - Lemon, wheat, tart funk, yeasty bread.

T - Follows nose, too much lemon and etoh, wish it was a bit funkier and sour.

M - Medium-light body, moderate-high carbonation, chewy.

O - I wish this Saison had a bit more going for it than just lemon character. Make it more potent! Make it sour!

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 21:00:42 | More by williamjbauer

TheHopHeadGirl

District of Columbia

1.85/5  rDev -51.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This beer smells like an outhouse or baby diaper. Even took a survey to those around me and they agreed! It tastes beeter than what it smells like. When not smelling it it tastes more like a sour beer. Not a fan. Had it @ churchky in dc for $2.5 a 4oz. I wouldnt drink it for free.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2012 03:30:12 | More by TheHopHeadGirl

dehjosh

Texas

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

Almost too much a kick in the mouth. The alcohol plays too much in the taste and smell of the beer. This was my second beer of the night and half way through it makes me feel kind of drunk already.

Do not get me wrong. I do recommend it but you need to expect that this beer is heavy in alcohol.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2011 07:17:46 | More by dehjosh

Jerone

Florida

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Very slight haze of golden yellow with a one finger fluffy head that left a bit of lacing.

S - Sweet golden raisin and apple with some yeast and maybe a touch of citrus hops.

T - Not as sweet as the smell with some yeast and grass with a touch of golden raisin and apple, the finish is dry and with a mix of sweet and slight citrus hops.

M - Light to medium body, with medium carbonation, feels very nice in the mouth.

O - People talk about a funk in these beers, but I just don't taste it, I did enjoy this beer quite a bit but it didn't quite reach fantastic for me.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2011 00:51:40 | More by Jerone

impending

California

3.2/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Petaluma Taps into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazed classic light yellow, dense white head, minor lacing.

Aroma is clean, yeasty with citrus and light skinned fruits. No funk of much measure, earthy hops.

Flavor begins with a slight sweetness ends with a slight dryness. Taste is narrow, some citrus but lacks complexity. Light bodied mouthfeel.
forgettable
cheers
jd

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2011 23:05:16 | More by impending

BeachBrewerDude

Florida

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slightly foggy, light golden color. Medium head at first, but settles quickly

Smell: Very subtle aroma slightly resembling a pinot grigio white wine. I'm guessing this comes from the saison yeast strain.

Taste: Pleasant sour and bitter, pepper, grass, hay, tool shed, sweat, sour apple. Very slight maltiness.

Mouthfeel: Sparkly high carbonation. Sour flavors linger for a while.

Overall: Great beer for hot weather. Perfect beer to drink from a tulip or wine glass as a reward for a hard days work out in the heat. Very refreshing. Goes well with a wide variety of grilled foods!

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 20:04:09 | More by BeachBrewerDude

jneiswender

Massachusetts

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

Had this beer at the victory brewpub in doylestown. Served cool on draft in a tall pint glass.

A. Clear caramel body and a pretty sponge white head.

S. Spice... cloves and nutmeg ...some light hop...fruitstone

T. Tastes like it smells.

D. Nice and drinkable beer...good with food. I would drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2011 20:18:18 | More by jneiswender

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Victory Brewpub. Reviewed from notes.

.3 Liter glass. Beer arrives a dark gold, but clear color with a finger of foam. Foam laces the glass nicely. There is a spritzy, sprite like aroma without any hops or malt sweetness in the nose.

First sip is... nice spicy yeast flavor. light body. There is a phenolic, dry finish. Overall a very nice saison. Maybe finishes a touch too sweet, but that is a minor criticism.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2011 01:01:37 | More by FickleBeast

mactrail

California

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bit of a gusher, so I wouldn't keep this one around too long.

Pale amber in the glass. Head dissipates with some modest carbonation in the mouth. Texture is pleasant, like cheap champagne. Taste is a surprise-- sharp, sourish, intense. Woody and mushroomy. Has that elusive "meaty" flavor of a good Biere de Mars. Very powerful in the nose with maybe a little too much of the Belgian funk. Long aftertaste, rather bitter but just enough kiss of the hops.

Grows on you with more sipping. I let it out of the fridge for an hour so but a little more warming didn't hurt. I;d like to try this again from another batch.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 05:44:25 | More by mactrail

GrindFatherBob

New York

4.28/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served into a goblet at Tap and Mallet.

Pours a lovely golden amber with an off white head. Smells strongly of Belgian yeast, white grape, and caramel. The taste is so complex, up front is the yeast with a sour attack, then it gives way to celery, coffee, and finishes with juicy indoor fruit, namely apples. Mouthfeel is light with moderate carbonation. Overall this is the beer that helped introduce me to the wonderful complexity Belgian yeast contributes to flavor profiles.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2011 23:09:25 | More by GrindFatherBob

womencantsail

California

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ

A: Pale straw in color with a large white head and impressive retention.

S: A nice, but subtle sweetness followed by a mild funkiness. Quite a bit of earthy characteristics along with some fruity notes, particularly pineapple and citrus. Just a hint of spice, phenols, and yeast.

T: Fairly bready and substantial for a saison, which I found nice. Yet, it still manages to be fairly light (impressive at 7.5%). Mild spices and yeast with a touch of white pepper. Fruity, but not as intensely as on the nose. Some hints of floral hops and a mild earthy quality and bitterness.

M: Medium in body with a lively carbonation.

O: I quite liked this beer. A very nice nose and a pleasant flavor made for a good experience.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2011 05:12:03 | More by womencantsail

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

I had this on tap at Al's of Hampden...tried this in the bottle already, but was interested to see what the differences/similarity is like on tap.

A clear golden color, very sunny appearance with bone white cap with very tight bead. Visibly carbonated and lacing clings well with good retention. The aroma is slightly vinous like white grape with slight hop scents and mild pepper from the yeast. the feel is very dry, with high carobonation and mild bitterness. The body is affected slightly by the alcohol giving a drying finish.

The taste is very good, with some yeast fruitiness which leans toward white grape and the hop flavor is herbal/spicy. Some of the spice seems to be amplified by the yeast and alcohol is adding to the dry quality of malt and yeast in the brew. I like how it is refreshing with good flavor from the yeast and has some hop bitterness. The saison is very traditional in taste -true to the standard Dupont which is good, drinkability is ok, but I prefer a little more malt. This is a super dry and a little on the alcoholic side for my taste.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2011 13:59:39 | More by Slatetank

nezelrac

New York

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

A - cloudy blond with a moderate pale white head that quickly subsides and leaves decent lacing - I am beginning to wonder about the glassware at my local

S - strong set of estery notes (citrus, grapefruit, yeast) and typical funkiness with pleasing grain notes as well, seems to have more hops than I would have expected

T - nice balance of malt and yeast influences, the hops are more pronounced - especially at the finish, there is also a good dose of yeast driven funk and sourness

M - lively set of sensations, good carbonation with a firm edge

D - very, very drinkable, though I wish it had been warmer day

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2010 16:27:19 | More by nezelrac

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a tulip glass at ChurchKey.

I've been wanting to revisit this guy, but I kept getting bad bottles. Thankfully, the CK has my back yet again. It pours a clear pale straw topped by over a finger of white suds. The nose comprises mandarin oranges, peach, grapefruit, and a light kiss of a caramel. The taste is nearly identical, with some additional mild floral bitters. The body is a heavy light, with an active carbonation and a crisp, dry finish. Overall, a very tasty brew, possibly my favorite regularly-available saison.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2010 06:02:42 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: It poured crystal clear straw yellow in color with just a few bubbles floating on the surface. A very slight amount of carbonation is visible from the rising bubbles.
S: The smell isn't that strong; the nose has aromas of citrus and spices.
T: There are flavors of lemons and pepper along with some hints of apples and yeast. Compared to other saisons, the presence of the underlying malts is more noticeable in the taste.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and there is some dryness in the finish.
D: The beer is refreshing, but not quite as some of the others in this style. However, I would definitely try this beer if I wanted to have a saison on a warm day in the spring or fall.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2010 13:17:20 | More by metter98

chaz410

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this on tap at the flying saucer.
Pours a light yellow that's very transparent with a nice white head.
Smells of crisp grassy hops and wheat malt. A little dried corn from the pilsner malt used.
Taste of sweet pilsner malt, a little toasty and a little dry. Some tart finish and a little peppery finish.
Nice crisp finish. A perfect REAL beer for the summer time!

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2010 03:14:23 | More by chaz410

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a nice golden yellow color with a thick head and visible carbonation and particles. The head gives way to almost no lacing. The aroma is of wheat, with hints of clove and a little pepper, there is also a smell of banana present. The taste has a wheat backbone with a nice banana taste over the top rounded out with a hint of clove. The mouthfeel is dry and moderately carbonated. Overall this is a very solid beer, it has a nice variety of flavors to keep you interested.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2010 17:36:49 | More by goblue3509

jrallen34

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I drank this from a 22oz bottle into an Orval glass.

The beer is honey gold, murky with lots of carbonation. Good retention and lacing.

The aroma is ok, but the weakness of the beer. Its sorta floral but in a generic way, slightly skunky.

The taste is ok a little grassy flavor and more skunk. However, its pretty easy to drink, not that you would drink a lot of it.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2010 01:58:38 | More by jrallen34

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

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

A - Pours a pale, crisp, clear golden yellow color, lively carbonation, with one finger creamy white head.

S - Mainly lemons, apples, pears, and floral hops with a light bisquit-like malt character and a little pepper.

T - Taste mimics what the nose indicates. Lemons, pepper, apples, pears, light bisquity malt, has a little bit of sourness going on, and finishes a little dry. Is very crisp and refreshing and one I haven't tried from Victory which is terrible considering they're within an hour from where I live.

M - Crisp, dry, a little bit sour, and the hop bitterness lingers but not very long. Medium body.

D - Outstanding.

This is one of those best kept secrets. I can't think of a better beer for a really hot day because it satisfies the hop-heads, is crisp, clean, has the right amount of ABV, great taste - where have I been? I'll definitely be keeping a case or two on hand this summer. Awesome summer brew. Rock-n-Roll air fist pump to Victory on this one.

This is an outstanding beer. It's not one I would have considered before and I'm glad I had the opportunity to try.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2010 05:43:39 | More by jzeilinger

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Victory's Helios, belgian style ale. Found ontap. Pours a clear light gold, small head forms and leaves after a while.

Smell: Lightly like a belgian, some malt sweetness pulling through.

Taste: Also very light, but has belgian characteristics. Like the base of a belgian pale ale, with a little bit of funk. Hops lend a lemony touch. Quenching right in time for the summer months.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, thin-ish feel but not bad.

Drinkability: This is a pretty easy drinking ale. A good session beer from Victory, though it is a little strong to have more than one or two. The price point can't be matched, however.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2010 17:56:58 | More by Stinkypuss