Headwaters Pale Ale - Victory Brewing Company

beerleaguer22

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – A solid copper color with a nice white head.

Smell – Somewhat fruity/citrusy smell. Nothing overwhelming.

Taste – A good blend of a smooth, light, yet hoppy. Has a nice earthy taste and in the end a roasty flavor is left in the mouth.

Overall – I think it is a good beer, nothing spectacular though. Easy to get down. Victory is quality.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 00:24:10 | More by beerleaguer22

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I gotta say, this thing bleeds Simcoe. At first its cat pee (dont even yet), but then I get a bit of pineapple and lemons--enough to cancel out the flavors I dont like from Simcoe hops. Light bodied and slightly sweet. Theres enough malt and fruity hops to pull this thing through. Might be the best use of Simcoe Ive had yet.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2012 23:46:24 | More by VncentLIFE

smakawhat

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A dull amber orange body, but with a nice glow and nice rising carbonation, makes a light tan/caramel fluffy and creamy head with good peaks and valleys. Settles to a finger after a good three fingers sized pour.

Nose is chewy cookie and biscuity sweet malts, mixing some nice fruity hop. Quite solid and delicious smelling. Basic with a bit of creaminess too it also.

Much of the malt presence hits with a slightly wet palate, not unlike what was hinted on the nose. Chewy and sweet, with a cookie dough like taste, then aftertaste has a real nice airy dry feeling hop quailty, that lingers with some nice bread action. Bitterness lingers quite sharp and long.

Overall pretty solid pale ale, not usually what I think of for Victory but this I could easily have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 22:26:05 | More by smakawhat

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

hagbergl

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bought a sixer of Victory Headwaters Pale Ale as my go-to vacation beverage at Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont, MA for approx. $10.50. Poured into a Redbones pint glass.

Appearance (4/5): Headwaters pours a clear copper color with a rusty red tinge to it and is topped with a two finger off white head of foam that leaves a little lacing behind as it dissipates. This is a good looking pale ale.

Smell (4/5): Take a whiff and you'll know straight away that this is an aggressively hopped pale ale. Piney, lemon-like, and resinous hop aromas escape from the glass, but, this being a pale ale, a significant malt backbone can be detected pushing back and balancing against the hops.

Taste (4/5): The hops are the star and flex immediately, with strong citrus notes in the foretaste that are balanced by the malts at mid-tongue, then linger on into the finish. This is my kind of pale ale. Lots of hop flavor, though not intensely bitter and well-balanced–a pale ale that leans hoppy, but would never be confused for an IPA. The hops lend citrus and mellow, herbal characteristics to this brew that are nicely complimented by the malts. This beer is smooth and easy-going. Never cloying and with a moderate ABV (you cannot detect the slightest hint of alcohol in the flavor), you can drink multiple Headwaters and not get tired of it.

Mouthfeel (4.5/5): I think the mouthfeel on this beer might be the best thing about it. Headwaters is a medium bodied pale–that is to say, a little thicker on the tongue than other pales (perhaps due to the generous hopping) and feels just right on the tongue. This beer "punches above its weight," so to speak. The beer goes down smooth and has a relatively long finish, again due to the hops.

Overall (4/5): This is one tasty APA and another successful creation by Victory. Any experienced BA will appreciate this beer's easy-drinking nature and subtlety of flavors. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that likes hoppy beer but is looking for something lower in ABV and a bit more restrained.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 16:03:41 | More by hagbergl

meverhart53

Delaware

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was pleasantly surprised by this APA from Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA. I thought I was buying Victory's Hop Devil, but mistakenly purchased Victory Headwater Pale Ale instead. This ale gets a big thumb's up.

Brilliant copper color, pillowy head

Lots of citrus and pine

Nicely balanced malt and hops

A nice big tasting ale with a 5.1% abv

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 03:29:32 | More by meverhart53

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

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

a beautiful clear amber/copper in color with 2 fingers frothy white head and great lacing. smells mildly hoppy, grapefruit, lemon peel, caramel. taste of toasted grains up front with a slight grapefruit bitterness/citrus zest.
light-medium body with a mild amount of creaminess and mild carbonation. overall a nice session ale for the spring. very well balanced and surprisingly refreshing.

Serving type: growler

07-07-2012 01:06:08 | More by facundoCNB

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a 3" custard head with a pretty long life. The body is a clear golden yellow. It smells of grapefruity hops. The taste is far milder than the smell but the grapefruity hops are still there, and I guess that's what keeps this a Pale Ale instead of an IPA. There's a persistent long finish. And it's a very refreshing beer. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 08:33:21 | More by MoreThanWine

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is a crystal clear gold with a large pale white head on top. Good lacing down the glass while drinking. Scents are citrus, fresh bread, and a little bit of grass. The taste has a big hops profile - strongly citrus, with bitter grapefruity hops coming through stronger than some IPAs I've had. There is still some semblance of balance though, with a malty sweetness coming through in the background. I would rate this near the top of its style. Another winner from Victory.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 12:46:58 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Beautiful copper color with a foamy, frothy, white head. No lace or retention.

S: Good balance of hops and malt but the hops stand out with a bite that I like to equate to East Coast hops. Not intense but great hop characteristics. Very pale, indeed.

T: Fresh, fruity, hoppy. Fantastic. Right amount of dryness. Malt hits the palate at the end of each sip to make this one balanced PA...from PA. (lame)

M: Smooth, refreshing, and delicious. Thinner body than I would like but the drinkability is very high.

O: A killer PA from Victory. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 03:46:57 | More by Gatch

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a nonic tumbler- pours a clear copper/amber color with, a finger of bone-white head, light retention and lacing.

Smell is light and floral- hops predominate but are not too intense and there's a little pale malt.

Tastes wonderfully refreshing- not too heavy on the bitterness but still enough to make it crisp. Light hop bitterness on the front palate, followed by some caramel sweetness, giving way to some floral hops (I taste a bit of green apple as well) to finish it out slightly dry.

Mouthfeel is great- light to medium body, moderately carbonated, no sticky, resiny hop feeling. Great summer beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 22:50:23 | More by Hopdaemon39

rangerred

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy medium copper with a thick 1.5 finger off-white head. Really good head retention.

Aroma is full of citrus hops backed up by a little bit of malt underneath. Hops really overpower everything, though and are very inviting.

The flavor really pulls the malt and hops together with lots of citrus up front carried by some toasted caramel underneath. A little bready malt as well. Bitterness ends up being on the light to moderate side and I really wish there was a little more malt. The beer finishes relatively clean and slightly sticky.

Overall, another great beer from Victory. A great summer beer and one that is highly sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 21:03:48 | More by rangerred

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Orange-copper color and showy carb. Quickly fallen head. 3.0

Piney hops and some grape soda from the malts. A little musty and lightly toasted. 3.5

Spicy hops... almost black peppery. Some dank earthiness evident. Toasted pale malts show off uber-dryness. More pepper in the finish. 3.5

Wow! A heavy-bodied APA. Rich with a busy carb to match. Full and almost creamy in the mouth. Expertly crafted mouthfeel. 5.0

Other than the great feel, not much else stood out. But, I'll simply call it a well-made APA with enough to character to pick it out in a taste test. 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2012 20:54:14 | More by thecheapies

Ego

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

$8.99 for 64oz @ joe canals.. not bad

eyes...
3 full fingers of craggy off white head, clean orange hue with a good amount of carbonation rising up keeping that mountain of foam well alive for some time, the head finally settles down after a game of peggle. good looking brew.

nose...
honey laced herbs, citrus with hints of cinnamon sticks, malty sweetness lurking in the background, aggressive for an APA but not overly

taste etc...
light body, has the flavor of some "bigger" IPAs but doesn't club you over the noggin with ABV.. which is nice, this has some nice hop bite (floral) but is not overly bitter, very easy drinking here, lots of bright floral notes throughout, lingering after taste and then it disappears waiting to force you into another sip, almost tastes more like a red than an APA but that is just being picky

verdict?
tasty, really smooth on tap, great bbq summer beer for those who want a good amount of flavor/character but not a ton of alcohol, not worth going crazy out of your way for but any locals should definitely try this (pa, nj, ny etc)

Serving type: growler

05-28-2012 04:56:59 | More by Ego

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Slightly hazy, amber brew with a small head and rings of bubbly lace.

S - Grapefruit - pith and flesh, pine, slight malt.

T - Grapefruit pith, light malt, watery. Aftertaste is mild, only a hint of pithy bitterness.

M - A little harsh, medium body, high carbonation, very refreshing.

D - Stellar, it is exceptionally refreshing. A really great APA, I'll have it again. Another winner from victory.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 23:49:43 | More by mrasskicktastic

Samp01

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice amber with a medium offwhite lasting head, with very good head retention and lacing to the end. Aroma of caramel malt, citrus, orange fruity esters fill the senses as well as some good citrus piney hops. Taste is caramel malt, fruity citrus notes, some yeast and citrus piney hops. Palate is a medium body with good carbonation. Finish is sweet caramel malt, fruity citrus flavor, some slight orange peel, ending with some good citrus piney hops bitterness for balance. Overall a very good, balanced and tasty solid all around Pale ale. enjoyed this

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 19:26:50 | More by Samp01

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 1.5 finger white head with decent retention on a hazy golden with amber hue body.

S: a mild wet sock hop, almost fresh hop like note, and mildly earthy and floral hops. little on the malt side.

T: nice pine, grass and floral notes provided by the hops. minimal on the malt end.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: Nicely hoppy but still drinkable. This APA is properly hopped for the style. A nice member of the genre.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 02:09:03 | More by kylehay2004

david131

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Pours a lightly hazed yellow liquid with a thick and craggy white head that leaves some nice lacing.

S- Some toasted grains, cut grass, and a light fruitiness. A little faint but it isn't bad per se.

T- Toasted grains, a touch of butter, some fruitiness, and fresh cut grass. The flavor is alright, but nothing to write home about.

M- A bit bitter with a nice amount of carbonation.

O- It is fine, but nothing all that memorable.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 03:26:35 | More by david131

MatthewWilde

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sample: 1 bottle 2012

A: Copper-orange in color, completely translucent, mild internal carbonation, pours a small foamy head that dissipates into respectable lacing

S: Heavy citrus and tropical fruits, definite orange peel and some papaya, pretty fragrant all-in-all

T: Pretty weak in terms of flavor, quite similar to the nose, tropical fruits, light hops, of course, still a good sour/bitter balance, but missing something

M: Very smooth and drinkable, light citrus aftertaste, not drying or overpowering on the palate, but to be expected for the style and with such a low abv

O: Light, fragrant, and smooth, but nothing special, just a simple pale ale, pretty average

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 23:57:49 | More by MatthewWilde

Luigi

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Clear copper color with a full two finger white head. Good retention as the head settles down to a thin blanket on top of the ale. There is a good amount of lacing around the glass as well.

The aroma has a clean hop profile to it. Citrus fruit, floral notes, and hints of pine. Yet, nothing is over the top or in your face. Biscuit like malt and some alcohol sweetness.

The fisrt flavor to hit the palate would be the floral and citrus hop. But, the hop is blanced out by the buiscut, and soft bread malt. There is a small amout of alcohol sweetness, but the finish is clean. Finish is clean and quenching with pine hop notes lingering for a bit.

Mildly carbonated with a medium/light body

One of the best APA's I have tasted it a long time!! I hope this is a year around Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 03:07:50 | More by Luigi

sethmeister

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Luminous clear brass in color with a 1 finger offwhite head. Good amount of lace.

Scent is fresh and bready with earthy, citric and oniony notes

Taste is light citrus with a hint of onion. Very crisp and clean with a mineral flavor.

Drinkability is very very high.

Mouth is medium - light and nicely carbonated.

This is a refreshing and eminently drinkable session ale with enough hop scent and flavor to satisfy.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 00:13:37 | More by sethmeister

atr2605

New York

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-pours a semi-transparent light amber/orange color with a slightly off white foamy head with good retention.
S-bit of sweet malt/honey, with moderate citrus and pine hop aroma
T-Citrus and malt up front followed by a bit of pine bitterness that is followed by more malt sweetness. Citrus bitterness lingers on the palate
M-medium bodied
O-Really well balanced beer with tons of flavor but still extremely drinkable. Look forward to having it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 00:09:54 | More by atr2605

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Mildly haze orange color with a small amount of carbonation. Head retention is average, but the lacing on the sides is remarkably abundant!

Smell - Floral hops, caramel, yeasts, and malts. There's a good sweet aroma here, giving it a butterscotch scent. Nice!

Taste - Floral hops, butterscotch, yeasts and malts. For an APA, this is pretty sweet tasting beer without overdoing it. It strikes a balance between sweetness and what an APA normally tastes like!

Mouthfeel - Pretty light in body and the carbonation is above-average here so it gets in the way of the flavor just a little bit. It's not creamy or smooth, but it feels crisp!

Overall - Much like Prima Pils, it's got a simpler flavor but it does it so well that its easy to overlook it's faults, which primarily has to do with the carbonation. It's a good beer to start off your macrobeer drinking friends off with!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 05:35:57 | More by NuclearDolphin

CloudStrife

New York

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a chalice. No dating on the bottle.

A: Pours a crystal clear goldish amber with a 1 finger white head. This head dissipates to a film within 2 minutes. Hardly any visible carbonation.

S: Starts with some nice floral and citrus notes. Nice bready and roasted malt smell to it too. Hints of fruity sweetness.

T: Pretty balanced brew here. Starts off with some fruity citrus hops, then more of a grassy taste, continuing on with some sweet malts and barley notes. Finishing with a nice lingering hop touch.

M: Medium bodied, lower in carbonation. A little sticky.

Overall a very drinkable, tasty and balanced pale ale. Solid entry by a great brewery. I like the barley notes but wouldnt mind a little more hop.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 21:05:10 | More by CloudStrife