Headwaters Pale Ale - Victory Brewing Company

Beaver13

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle, enjoy by 4/29/12. Pours a clear yellow gold with a smallish rocky white head that retains well and laces the glass some.

The aroma is sweet bready malts and piney hops.

The flavor is sweet, slightly vegetal, malts and a little fruit with a good sized resiny grassy hop finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some prickly carbonation.

Overall, a decent pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 23:58:42 | More by Beaver13

tigg924

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass

Appearance: 1/4 inch head, orange-brown in color, clear, high carbonation

Smell: caramel and floral and citrus hops

Taste: caramel and floral and citrus hops

Mouthfeel: high carbonation, medium bodied, sweet with a distinct bitter backbone and a bitter aftertaste.

Overall: An ok pale ale. I could have a couple of these, but this one really does not stick out. If you love hops, try it, but I will pass on this one in the future

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 14:06:55 | More by tigg924

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light layer fo white head. Fades down to a ring. Color is a clear gold.

Aroma: Light aroma. Grassy and kind of weedy. Crystal and pale malts. Kind of bready.

Taste: Pale malts. Very bready. Grassy and weedy. A light citrus note.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and creamy. Light to medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky.

Overall, a decent pale, but nothing I would want a lot of. Somewhat easy drinking. Average pale.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 02:00:03 | More by mothman

Wadsey

Indiana

3.03/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Victory Headwaters 

Served in a Terry Abner Salon signature glass

A: Pours as shiny copper with decent head that sadly has poor retention. Still, a nice stream of bubbles rise through the beer. 

S: Hops smell pungent and lively, evoking citrus and tropical fruit, especially passion fruit. A little marijuana. Malts throw biscuity aromas.

T: Unfortunately, the above characteristics are not as sharp in taste. Cracker-like malts with a hint of steely caramel.  General fruity and a little spicy hops. Medium-high bitterness. The beer is dry. Weeds and citrus peels in finish.  

M: Medium-light body and medium carbonation. The beer would be smooth except somewhat harsh weedy finish. 

O: Victory Headwaters strikes me as a decent pale ale whose overall score is hurt by a relatively harsh finish. I will probably revisit this beer, particularly if I find it on tap. 

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 03:17:18 | More by Wadsey

deaconoflove

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ap. Beautiful, bright amber color with frothy off-white head. Nice lacing, too.
Sm. Grapefruit, first and foremost and really the only thing.
Ta. Grapefruit...maybe some malt way back int he corner.
Mf. Light, crisp, good carbonation. Good.
Dr. Goes down easy.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 21:03:52 | More by deaconoflove

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

Buggabeer

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A Nice golden color with nice lacing around the glass. It has a nice carbination and you can see the bubbles rising to the top to produce a thin head.

S Oh the Hop and Citrus (Grapefruit) aroma is wonderful. I could smell this all day!!

T Oh if I could only taste smell. As it hits the mouth it has a nice taste but after swallowing the best discription is it taste like biting into a grapefruit rind. It has the acidic bitter flavor to it.

M Nice feel with the right amout of carbination but nothing more than an average Pale Ale

O It was a dissapointment to me. After smelling the beer I so wanted to drink but after my first swallow and I got the rind taste it was all down hill after that.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 23:30:05 | More by Buggabeer

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle. Enjoy by Aug 17, 2011 but no idea when it was bottled. Poured into a DFH tulip glass a clear, darker than expected copper orange color with a 2 finger antique white head of both large and small bubbles. The aroma is not overly fruity or piney but has subtle hints of orange and grapefruit rind. Medium mouthfeel. The taste is more subtle than I thought it would be with a light sweetness up front with a light/medium amount of citrus bitterness that quickly fades. Mild lingering bitterness. Some lace. Overall, not bad but I was hoping for a wee bit more of a pop in flavor from this.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 22:41:01 | More by kbutler1

sdsurfer217

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass. Purchased this beer because of the headwaters program. I'm always down to support a good cause.

A: Copper/orange color. Half finger worth of clean white head. Pretty sexy looking beer.

S: Citrus, hoppy, almost sweet smelling. There’s something else that I can’t put my finger on, but it smells delicious

T: Almost a caramelized orange flavor, a little bit of biscuity/toast. Touch of hops linger

M: Not very carbonated and a little thin.

O: Pretty drinkable Pale Ale. Not bad, but also not remarkable. I would probably buy this again because it goes toward a good cause and the beer is decent.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 12:29:36 | More by sdsurfer217

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes taken at the Armsby Abbey on 5/9/11.

A - A copper clear pour with a one finger head which left nice side lacing.

S - Kinda lackluster here. Typical hoppy (grapefruit) notes with a little bit of sweet malts.

T - More of the same. Everything seems somewhat dull and muted. The hops are there, as is the malts, but theres nothing complex about it at all.

M - Its not bad, decent carbonation for the style. It still feels a bit watery though.

O - This isnt a bad example of an APA, just nothing to write home about. Enjoy a better APA for a better price.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2011 15:49:26 | More by rudzud

phantomwyse

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours out a perfectly clear copper/caramel body – almost looks like cream soda. Half finger white as snow head rises and recedes quickly.

S: Pretty straight forward hop aromas – thick pine, slightly orange tinged citrus. Simple syrup sweet. Apple turnover, pastry malts.

T: Moderate hops, clean pine and a bit of grapefruit. Sweet in the middle, again reminds me of breakfast pastries – like the ones you get in gas stations that cost 99 cents and have a half life of 600 years. But, I mean this in a good way.

M: Medium to light bodied, halfway creamy, finishes crisp.

O: Hop Devil light. A moderate pale ale without the peppery bite of other hoppy Victory beers. Personally, that’s what attracts me to Victory beers is the assertive hop and alcohol presence. So, this beer comes across as middle of the road for them. I’m sure it opens their market up a little bit by having a less aggressive pale ale, however, there are better travel lane pale ales in my book – Troeg’s Pale Ale comes to mind.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 00:27:03 | More by phantomwyse

Khazadum

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- Pours easy, smooth, gentle. The head develops quite nicely with very miniscule bubbles, not necessarily a creamy emulsion on top, but something appreciable. We got some disturbing medium to large size bubbles cascading up from the bottom of the glass and ripping through the cap. Copper body is clear to vision.

S- Very light floral and herby nose. A light metallic sharpness does flow through the hop character. Could be a bit of grapefruit as well. Simple, but faint at the same time.

T- Opens herby hop nature, spicy, bit sharp. Flows into a more grassy nature, bit of sweetness but very subdued. Finishes the standard bitterness that has pine thoughts, but not pine frond or bark. Bit of a simple, normal flavor.

M- Nice full body, sort of creamy. Crisp ending around the side of my tongue. Doesn't bubble the entire palate, just picks and chooses where it would like to find its nucleation points.

Not bad, not great. Just a pale ale you can enjoy when you got no other options.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 02:57:20 | More by Khazadum

gatornation

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

from a 12 oz bottle best by 070811

A- was a yellow/orange sunset color with a fresh head just a litlle lacing mostly clear PA

S- was malty hay with some lemon citrus ,some floral hops

T- was wet grass,some floral hop notes mixed in were some lemon and citrus notes

M- fizzy a little watery

D- easy to drink but the taste was a watered down pale ale ..i like victory but this PA was a let down for me..and one i would not buy again.. ill try it on tap and maybe buy a single again

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 20:20:21 | More by gatornation

merc7186

New York

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this beer poured on tap at The Ruck in Troy NY, into a pint glass.

A: Golden Straw/Amber Hue, Passes Lots of Light, Almost No Head, No Lacing

S: Mild Malts, Mild Floral

T: Malty, Mild Piney

M: Poor Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter, Mildly Dry

Overall, this may not be a fault of the beer but this beer was under carbonated, which diminished the nose and taste. Would try again, somewhere else.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2012 02:28:59 | More by merc7186

jSehnert

New York

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Light copper in color, with thin had on pour.

smell citrus and some malt.

taste citrus hop with thin malt balance

lingering bitterness, not harsh but good

overall good hop nose and flavor but not balanced by malt backing.

at 5.1 % may bee a reasonable balance for a hoppy session beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 21:38:52 | More by jSehnert

JG-90

New Jersey

3.24/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

bottle into glass

A - Pours medium/large slightly creamy head, leaves moderate lacing, very clear pale copper color

S - Not as much smell as I expected, resinous hops, bread, and a little malt

T - Huge prickly/resinous hop start (seems to me a little aggressive for a pale ale), bread, grapefruit, and a slight malt finish

M - very prickly mouthfeel, medium/light body, moderate carbonation

O - I think the prickly hops with lighter body are a little too much for my taste, seems like a sligthly watered down IPA, but still a good and interesting beer

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 22:11:30 | More by JG-90

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