Headwaters Pale Ale - Victory Brewing Company

yourchoice

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours to a clear light golden amber with a quickly dissipating white head. Some lacing, but minimal. Attractive in the glass.
S- A sweet toffee or caramel malty aroma. Some pine as well. Not much of citrus aroma...if any fruit, it something much more subtle.
T- A very neutral pale ale. I prefer something a bit more robust with the hops shining through. Some of the piney characteristic, but not much. More malty than anything else. Neutral in a non-complex kind of way.
M- Rather carbonated, with a thin feel.
D- Could you drink a lot of these? I would say, yes. The lack of complexity makes this an easy drinking beer, but that is not what I was anticipaing from it.

I think this beer may be Victory's attempt to be a little more mainstream, where people who aren't typically craft beer drinkers will venture out and drink this as a bridge to craft beers. I wasn't that impressed. I can see myself having this before a Phillies game when I want to have a beer or two with friends before heading into the game. That thought may seem random, but it gives me a setting I could see this beer being okay.

EDIT: Just read jeffthechef's review posted just prior to mine. "Generic" sums it up perfectly.

Serving type: growler

02-19-2011 03:05:47 | More by yourchoice

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Draft at Kraftwerk on 2/17/11.

Pours a clear dark golden orange color with burnt orange hues when held to a light and a half finger white head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lacing left behind.

Slightly earthy aroma that's also a bit perfume like with hintsof crisp light fruit, grass and straw. Pale malt with a bit of apple, pear and phenol.

Lighter end of medium bodied with crisp, dry, earthy hops that linger throughout into a dry finish. Slightly earthy with hints of grass, sweet alcohol and light fruits, notably apricot and apple. Slightly watered down but with enough complexity to make it interesting. More hop forward than I expected but the malt presence becomes more prominent as it warms.

Not a bad beer but nothing out of the ordinary. Usually Victory makes above average beers for the style but I wasn't terribly impressed with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 18:31:34 | More by corby112

twelvsies

Maine

3.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very clear light amber, rising bubbles, and a small layer of head. Citric hop nose, hints of lemon and pine, a touch of honey or caramel. Nice balanced flavor. More malt then expected, hearty bread flavor plays well with the sweet fruityness of the hops. Smooth texture and nice body. Really nothing wrong at all with this beer - it's just not super interesting. A decent sessionable pale.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 01:13:11 | More by twelvsies

ToAzwethinkweizm

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Date: 24 June 2011
Glass: Ithaca English-style pint glass
Type: 12fl bottle

Poured gently, brief 1+ finger head, reduces to a light cap, fairly nice draped lacing, color is clear amber gold

Aroma is wonderfully floral, paired with touches of pine, and a quick wisp of grapefruit.

Taste is incredible for a session beer 5.1% (at least I believe it's of session quality). Taste begins with a lightly floral bitter hops, a touch of pine, and a pale malt backbone. Possibly the slightest touch of lemon, but very brief.

Mouthfeel is extremely crisp, like a quick spike. Doesn't leave a bitterness on the palate. A lemony flavor lasts few a few seconds. Light-bodied beer, great for hop-heads that don't want to spend a lot of money, and want a sessionable beer. Good job again, Victory.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 17:36:11 | More by ToAzwethinkweizm

znichols

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into Gray's Tied House pint glass.

A- Deep, rich gold color with a soft, two finger white head. Somewhat opaque. Looks like your average pale ale.

S- A little bit of sticky hops and light maltyness. Very balanced aroma. Sort of like crackers and lemon butter. It's there but not anything overly intriguing.

T- Very citrusy northwest hop resin hits the tongue first. The hop flavor isn't quite "potent", but the perfect level to enjoy without having to pucker up. The bitterness is pretty subdued at first then comes up a little bit late. A little bready malt flavor round out the sip and then everything dissapears pretty quick. This one doesn't really stick with you long flavorwise.

M- Very easy drinking. Pretty light bodied with a higher level of carbonation and a sticky finish. Enjoyable for a session beer.

O- I would easily go through 6 of these in a night and enjoy every one. A lighter American Pale Ale with a very oily, sticky mouthfeel and a easygoing lemon and sweetmalt flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 02:23:22 | More by znichols

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Light golden with a one finger head that has poor retention. Minimal lacing.
S- This is one of the most herbal beers I've ever come across. It's like chopped cilantro and parsley. SLightly "dank" as they say.
T- More of the same here. I like the herbal presence in a lot of beers but this one goes a touch over the top on it.
M- A bit light, but good active carbonation.
O- I like when pale ales use herbal hops but this one goes too far down that road. Interesting but probably a pass for me. Sadly, my least favorite beer Victory has put out so far.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 02:51:56 | More by jsprain1

GregBlatz

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Clear light copper color. Light tan head.

S - Esther fruitiness and grain sweetness. Slight iron aroma. Very little hops are noticeable.

T - OK, now I get it. This isn't a bold American pale ale, it is more of a simple session pale ale. The grains and esthers are dominant. Hops are subtle but provide a nice bitterness in the finish that helps to even out the sweetness that helps the finish dry out.

M - Thin and medium carbonation.

O - This is a very nice easy drinking pale ale. In fact I would like to put a few more of these down. The hops are subtle but they start to come out after a few sips. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 19:38:33 | More by GregBlatz

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.3/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Light caramel colored pour, good clarity, good head. Best by Sep something 11 date. Nice hoppy aroma, not picking out the specific hop varieties, but whatever the meld, it was enjoyable and even keeled to not be able to say it leaned pine or citrus wise.

Taste, starts off good, carbonation, hops, mild sweet caramel malt, average bitterness. Swallow. Wait for it, ugh, what is that aftertaste in this? Slightly off flavor. Not horrible, just not pleasant like everything else about the beer. Its fresh, it still has 3 more months on it before the best by date, and the hopping is there. The only possible descriptor that came up was like, you know those biscuits that come in the pressurized metal containers that pop open when you depress a spoon on them? This had a like, stale, metallic bitter, biscuit aftertaste really ruined an otherwise pleasurable beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 22:35:13 | More by Beerandraiderfan

plfahey

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance-Deep gold to light amber with good clarity. Moderately tall white head with moderately good retention.

Aroma-Big floral and grassy hop bouquet, with lesser notes of citrus, grapefruit, catty, and resin. Grain, biscuit, and light caramel show up in the malt profile, which is rather subdued compared to the hops.

Flavor-Biscuit, grain, and husky malt flavor. Hop flavors are grassy, hay-like, and catty-a little bit off-putting. The more I drink it, the mustier it seems to be. Hop bitterness is moderate. catty, hay-like hop flavors linger on the palate.

Mouthfeel-Medium body with moderate carbonation.

I really liked the aroma off the bat, but the grass notes get to be a bit much, especially in the flavor. Not my favorite type of hop flavors, which turns me off a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 03:58:36 | More by plfahey

THECPJ

Delaware

3.33/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

reviewed from notes:

appearance: copper orange with a 1 finger white head

smell: hops, malts,

taste: sweet malts, hops, dry bitter finish

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, thin / medium body

drinkability: was hoping for a bit more out of victory, this beer is just not doing it for me unfortunately.

cheers,

the CPJ

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 16:13:33 | More by THECPJ

meeekyh

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I just spend half an hour writing a review for this beer but my session timed-out. Stupid programming. The improvements to this site usually seem like they are not such good things, here is an example.

In short it was good but not great.

Slainte, but hurry!

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 03:18:44 | More by meeekyh

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, goldish amber color. Average off-white head.

Aroma is grassy and fruity with some slight citrus tones. Seems like a good volume of fresh hops. There seems to be a bit of sulfur in the nose, until it warms and becomes undetectable.

Flavor is simple and gentle with very light bitterness for a pale ale. The overall hop flavor is gentle and balanced with the malts. The malt flavor is gentle with caramel and toast. It seems like it could use a bit more of a sharp, hop bite in bitterness and flavor. Carbonation is average, with the mouthfeel not bringing much to the table. Overall, a bit generic.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 01:59:11 | More by jeffthecheff

phreshbeer

New York

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured into a pint glass... beer is crystal clear and golden in color. Has a white foamy head that dissolved quickly with little residue. Some lacing apparent, not overly carbonated.

S: More aroma than I anticipated. Some straw-like hops and a little musty smell.

T: Solid American Pale Ale, nothing special as far as taste. Some hops present with maybe a little hint of apricot at the finish. Not a lot of malt, but enough to balance it out.

M: Headwaters is a smooth pale ale with a pleasing amount of carbonation. Not too watery, not too heavy. Right on.

D: This wasn't my favorite pale ale, but still very drinkable. I could use this as a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2011 01:49:24 | More by phreshbeer

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a bright amber with orange orange, lots of bubbles rising from the bottom with puffy, off-white 2.5 finger head.

S - I could actually smell this one as I was pouring. Smells of grapefruit and citrusy hops. But there's also a little bit of a dirty soap water smell in the background. A bit unpleasant.

T - Good forward amount of citrus along with some piney hop bitterness. But again, that malt in the background tastes quite soapy. It's sort of masking the overall taste for me.

M - It's pretty thin, lots of carbonation though. Very easy to drink

Overall - I thought it was a decent APA. But I'm not sure if I had a bad bottle or what, because there was just that faint trace of soapyness that became all I could think about when drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 21:00:14 | More by BeerBuckeye

infinitejester

Massachusetts

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: A sixpack with a freshness date of 9/12/11. Bought with "session-able" in mind. The bottles were poured into a chalice.

Poured a deep amber and presented a white, two finger head. Good retention throughout and left a cobweb-like lacing. The nose begins with hoppy floralness and settles to a toasty malt aroma with some spice. Taste was consistent with the smell, plus some citric elements. The spicy-toast malts in the nose makes a pleasant and balancing presence alongside the bitter hops. The brew felt crisp and refreshing on the palate. A light body finishing mildly bitter and dry. Overall it was balanced and refreshing. The nose and taste were pleasant, but wholly, just seemed rather average. However, as a session beer, it worked out quite nicely.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 14:46:42 | More by infinitejester

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This brew was served in a pint glass from the tap at The Distillery in Victor, NY. It arrived a golden-brown color. It held a one finger head of creamy, foamy white bubbles, which left a decent amount of lacing as is descended. No sediment or haze was noted, and carbonation appeared light. The aroma was of partially adjuncty malts that were pale, with a sweeter toast to them. Hops were minimal, but notes of earth and grass were picked up. Towards the far back of the nose a sweetness of raspberry was detected. As we sipped, the flavoring began with soapy hops and paler malts. The grain here also took on flavors nearing wheat or rye. The middle moved us forward with cleaner malts, much more pale and unfiltered. We ended on notes of bitter grain and further soapy hops. There was also a sweeter boozy fruitiness, as there was in the nose. The aftertaste sung more of the finish, with soap, booze, and berry. The body was medium, and the carbonation was high. The head retained nicely, so this imparted a nice froth and slurp. The mouth was left a bit dried, and overall was cooled and coated. The abv was appropriate and the beer drank easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the feel. While the carbonation came out on the higher side, with each sip there was a good cream, making this beer nice and satisfying. This beer was good for the style, but the flavoring could have stood to be more pronounced.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 14:49:20 | More by TheBrewo

Murrhey

Montana

3.35/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer poured on a flight at Haven Gastropub in Orange, Calif. Reviewed from notes.

A- Finger width head, good retention and carbonation. The lacing is nice as well. Orange-brown body.

S- Hoppy and light.

T- Crisp flavors, bitter and fresh.

M- Smooth and fairly dry.

O- Easy drinking beer. Tasty and floral hops. I wish I took better notes on this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2012 23:45:05 | More by Murrhey

ktrillionaire

Florida

3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - The pour is a radiantly translucent bronze; the head, lace, and retention are all underperforming.

S - The nose is comprised of equal parts resiny-tropical hoppiness, and a doughy malt aroma. It doesn't smell particularly strong, but as I get deeper in the glass, the doughy impression increases.

T - The taste offers a good balance of fresh and somewhat vibrant hoppiness, and an understated pale maltiness that serves well. I dig the hop profile, it is earthy, lemony, and cannabis-like. The finish is mildly bitter with some sweetness final revealed at the very end.

M - APA. Good enough.

O - This is a nice little beer, if fresh. Easy to drink, a decent option, but nothing I will seek out. Then again, there is very little I actually seek out so that consideration is somewhat worthless.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 03:06:23 | More by ktrillionaire

Genuine

Connecticut

3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle into a clean pint glass.

Poured a clear copper/amber in color. Formed a nice, slight tan 2 finger head that left some decent lacing.

Smell - some light citrusty hops hit the nose first, with a nice crispness.

Taste - initial hop bite, that floated over the palate for the malts to show up, and finished very clean and smooth. very easy drinking pale ale.

Mouthfeel - medium light.

overall - not a bad pale ale. Not sure if it's one that i'd get again, but it is a very easy drinking pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 20:38:05 | More by Genuine

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A - Pours a slightly cloudy orange with a light tan-yellowish head.

S - Bread, citrus, and malts.

T - Sweet malts and carmels.

D - Low carbonation, light body overall.

O - Pretty average all around. Yawn, yawn.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 04:22:11 | More by HuskyinPDX

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Pours a nice copper color with a big billowy white head. The head fades slowly giving a good amount of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is lighter overall, but has a nice blend of aromas. There are hints of caramel, biscuit, grapefruit citrus hop and some pine.

Taste – The taste begins biscuity and smooth. There is an ever so light sweetness, but it is very light and towards the middle it is almost completely gone. With the loss of the sweetness comes good hints of hop flavors. These are a mix of pine, citrus as well as a lighter earthy hop flavor. These flavors take the taste to the end where a bitter and lightly roasted flavor are left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is a bit above average in smoothness and thickness with a carbonation level very average. Both are fitting, but are nothing really to exceptional for the style.

Overall – It has a nice more bittering flavor and is quite easy to drink. Not bad, but not the best either.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 01:15:12 | More by Darkmagus82

NODAK

Tennessee

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Aroma is quite hoppy with a high citric content. Definite notes of grapefruit and perhaps lime even.

For an APA, it's rather hoppy as the smell indicated. A person who referred to it as "IPA lite" had a point. It starts off with a good dose of grapefruit, citrus hops smacking the tongue around. A small undercurrent of biscuit malt is present but is most certainly second fiddle. On the finish, the hops linger around with an aspirin-like astringency on the sides of the tongue for a little while.

When I drink an APA, I like a little more balance than this I suppose. It seems like an IPA in a way. It's certainly not bad, just not my favorite in style.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 04:25:07 | More by NODAK

emerge077

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

BBD: Aug 17 2011

Burnished gold color, offwhite cream colored foam that maintains itself well. Random spotty lace and a partial sheet of foam sticks to the glass. Slowly ascending visible carbonation.

Honeyed malt, mildly aromatic floral hops. Fairly mellow with a sweet, malt forward aroma.

Soft sweet malt, grassy hop, light lingering bitterness. Very simple and understated malt character. Hops come across as slighty spicy and floral. Light carbonation, easy drinking. A bit simple with no real flaws, slightly sweet for my taste personally. Still it's a quality offering, like the majority of Victory's output. Good craft transiton beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 01:59:26 | More by emerge077

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a rocks glass at Mellow Mushroom. From notes. Reviewed 2 July 2011.

A: Light head. Very pale orange. Decent lacing. Not much to say.

S: Niceish hops, if a bit astringently citrusy. Some grapefruit. Good overall.

T: Mediocre pale ale, but pleasant. The aftertaste is full of drying, bitter hops. A bit better than originally suspected.

M: Mouthfeel is pretty great. A substantial malty dryness is excellent.

O: Pretty good. Nothing to go out of your way for, but I'd have another if not much else was on offer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2011 20:11:43 | More by AgentMunky

MrOH

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Brilliantly clear deep gold with thin white head. Very little lacing.

A lot of overripe pineapple and grapefruit jumps out, far more than a standard APA. Some dry bready malt and a touch of caramel underneath.

Really crisp flavor. Bitter herbs, seltzer water, pineapple, some citrus rind. Very cleansing. This beer should be in a Jewish deli, as it would probably go exceedingly well with pastrami or lox. Malt does really show itself outside of a vague pretzel impression. Fruit comes forward a bit as it warms, but never overcomes the bitter seltzer sensation.

Light bodied and effervescent, as it should be.

Meh, next time I'm having a reuben or sailor sandwich I'll look for one, but not really something I'd drink repeatedly

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 00:48:17 | More by MrOH