Helios (V Saison) - Victory Brewing Company

mattkoon

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

this ale from victory is a fresh one. the look is clear and golden with white head and a good bit of lacing. the smell is zesty, with citrus and i feel like i am detecting a honey sweet fragrance. the taste is fresh and crisp with citrus flavors. this helios has an oddness about it that is different from anything i have ever tasted. they nailed the summery fresh zesty beer thing, but there are some slight flavors in the background that i cant put my finger on. those flavors bring a uniqueness to this beer that i didnt expect, because of that i think you should pick one up if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 23:55:02 | More by mattkoon

AmitC

Indiana

4.21/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a large snifter.

Bottle opened with the beer overflowing out of it. A clear golden color with a lot of small bubbles rising up very vigorously. Over four fingers thick white colored head that has good retention and stays as a finger thick fluffy layer. Excellent lacing on the sides left by the receding head and by every sip along the way.

A good amount of fruity smell with some herb and spiciness. Not one of the strongest aroma. A little moderate strength. No alcohol. A slight hint of hops. A light malt backbone that seems nonexistent. Some dry fruit like smell and typical Belgian yeast strength.

A little sweet to a lot of spicy character. No alcohol presence. Overall finish is dry. Some bitterness but the feel is pretty much dominated by fruity and slightly peppery taste. A lot of creamy yeast taste typical of Belgian ales and especially saisons.

Light to slightly medium feel. A lot of apparent carbonation, but is not punching enough on the tongue. Effervescent and bubbly. Drinks pretty smooth with no astringency.

Style Rate: 4.25
Personal Rate: 3.75

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 02:10:53 | More by AmitC

ianmhall

Connecticut

4.68/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: golden with big fluffy head

S: Funky and chill inducing... loads of fruit and funk bright and complex notes of pepper, lemon and a fatty meat component

T: fruity lemon notes with a herbaceous notes dry and yet refreshing funky with a light sour kick... there is no notes of brett so i'd have to say it a beautiful strain of Belgian yeast that is doing some serious work here
M: Light, Dry, and Drinkable Slight Acidity

O: Incredibly funky fruity and refreshing... drinkable, dry, farmhouse ale that's one of the best readily available saisons at a tremendous value!

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 05:10:08 | More by ianmhall

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

Thanks to Darrell for hipping me to this beer.

The beer is a bit of a gusher, with a formidable white head. The aroma offers citrus, hops, brett, etc, very nice. Flavor follows suit. Light to medium in body and highly drinkinable. Delicious. $4 per bomber?!? Alrighty then. Absolutely worth a try. I look forward to revisiting this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 04:58:52 | More by Huhzubendah

JeffreyJDavis

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up as part of my normal restocking run, hard to argue with $3.79 for a bomber of what had potential to be a decent Saison. Poured from a bomber into a New Belgium snifter.

A: Relatively cloudy golden color which formed a couple of fingers of nice thick head. Residual bubbling from the bottom , head dissipated pretty quickly but laced out well. A good looking beer.

S: Nose for me was dominated by Brett with some slight hoppy fruitiness behind, banana and grapefruit. Aroma got me psyched for the potential for funkiness.

T: Basically in line with the nose. Pretty sharp lemony pepper taste with a barnyard funk to it. True to form for style but I would place it on the crisper / sharper end of flavor spectrum, with the grapefruit and citrus dominating. Misses some of the sweetness you may find in a truly classic Saison. But very refreshing and enjoyable.

MF: Crisp and very refreshing. The finish is peppery and slightly astringent. Light as is typical for style. This would go down well on a hot summer day.

O: A nice Saison, if a bit on the dry / crisp end of the curve. At $3.79 / bomber very sessionable, and I could imagine knocking back several of these on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 23:34:57 | More by JeffreyJDavis

BEERMILER12

Maine

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

A: Pours a chill-hazed straw yellow color with 2+ fingers worth of bubbly head

S: Lightly funky yeast, lemon, some peppery spice, and a hint of hops

T: Follows the nose. Lightly funky and slightly bitter with notes of lemon peel, black pepper, and earthy hops. Finishes with a lingering bitterness

M: Light-medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation. Drying

O: A nice saison from Victory. Decently complex and highly drinkable (especially for 7.5%) at a great price point ($3.49). More-so recommended for the summer months, but even in the winter it's not bad

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 19:07:10 | More by BEERMILER12

StoutHunter

Michigan

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

I picked up a bottle of Victory's Helios a couple weeks ago for $6.49 at The Lager Mill. Victory has been hit or miss for me and I haven't had a beer from them that I have really liked, but I'm starting to get into beers with a little bit of brett in them so I decided to take a chance and give this beer a try, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date, but i'm pretty sure it's a 2012 vintage. Poured from a 22oz brown bottle into a tulip.

A- The label looks nice, it has a simple yet well done label that's a little eye catching. It poured a nice and hazy straw golden yellow color with two and a half fingers worth of white head that died down a thin ring that stayed till the end and left some patchy lacing. This is a good looking beer, I have no complaints since the color and head are very true to style.

S- The aroma starts off with a nice earthy and grassy aroma that quickly gives way to a high amount of sweetness followed by a medium barnyard and funky brett aroma to it. After that comes the fruits which are pretty nice, there some citrus fruits like lemon and a little bit of grapefruit, but there's also some banana and pear aromas that seem to stick out the most and give this beer a pretty unique aroma. This beer had a good aroma that was a little funky and pretty unique.

T- The taste seems be to somewhat similar to the aroma, it starts off with a wheaty and malty flavor followed by that signature peppery Saison flavor. After that comes some straw followed by a light lemon flavor and some more of that banana and pear that seem to be pretty light also. Up next comes a lightly acidic flavor followed by a little bit of earthy funk and a slight barnyard flavor. On the finish there's some lighter bitterness followed by a slight lemon, grainy and slightly funky aftertaste. This beer tasted pretty good it had some nice complexity to it and it was pretty true to style.

M- Pretty smooth, sharp, very crisp, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a higher amount of prickly carbonation. The mouthfeel was good, it was pretty carbonated, as the style should be, but it was just a little too prickly for me, but still good overall.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and a good example of the style, it had all the qualitys that I look for in this style with some nice complexity while being very crisp and refreshing. This beer had good drinkability. it went down pretty smooth, was refreshing, and the flavors held my attention, I could see this being a great choice on a hot summer afternoon, I think a bomber would be the perfect amount for me. What I liked the most about this beer was how true to style it was, the brett gave it the earthy and slightly funky aspect that really tied everything together and doesn't overpower the beer as can happen easily. What I liked the least about this beer was that comes in bomber, this is the perfect candidate for 12oz bottles, a six pack would be great to have during those hot summer days. I would buy this beer again, but I'll probably wait till the summer to revisit it, it wasn't too expensive and it was a good example of the style, I recommend giving it a try and it might make for a good and easy introduction to brett beers. All in all this beer delivered just what I wanted from this style and I thought it was a very solid Saison. So far this is the best beer I have had from Victory and it's up there as one of the better Saisons I have tried, good job guys. I'll have to try a couple more of your beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 05:05:00 | More by StoutHunter

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Nice light orange color. Superb head.

S - Maybe not the most appealing for me. Citrusy but not not as balanced as I'd like. Perhaps I should have drunk this when it was fresher.

T - A quite refreshing beer at first. Lemony with a fair amount of hop character. After a while the hops become a bit much for me. Yeasty.

M - A bit lighter than I'd hoped.

O - A well-done beer for its style, but the hopiness and lemony taste made it less appealing for me. There are other saisons I'd prefer.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 22:15:52 | More by Beer-A-Lot

PatriotsRule

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is a nice, potent 22oz bomber of Belgian yeasty yumminess.
A: Pretty light with some off-white head
S: Strong hoppy blast with some floral notes and strong German malts
T: The malts and hops together with this spicy yeast are killer
M: Definitely a pleasant strong brew, with intriguing yeasts that dance all over my mouth
O: Enjoyable, and strong enough that one bottle gets me there... Relatively affordable too!

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 12:41:26 | More by PatriotsRule

tcsparkx

Minnesota

2.8/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

It was light and had enough flavor. I picked it up on a whim. Brewing my own was going to work better with the bomber, and I found that trying out other the brews inspired me to make something better...or equal. I was inspired to try out a light brew next batch. Nice on all counts.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 03:13:49 | More by tcsparkx

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