Swing Session Saison - Victory Brewing Company

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Had this on 2013-02-26 in Columbia, PA

A - Quite clear golden-yellow with a pillowy 2-finger white head that sticks around and leaves good lacing.

S - Enticing. Fruity yeast, citrus, straw, musky grape skin, floral.

T - Spicy, toasted bread, citrus, yeast, pepper, nice kick of hop bitterness and spice in the finish. Plenty of flavor.

M - Light-medium body, medium carbonation. Smooth at first then crisp.

O - Enjoyed this quite a bit. Victory managed to pack a lot of flavor into a sessionable brew. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 17:12:32 | More by Tucquan

PaBeerLover

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

06-17-2013 17:21:29 | More by PaBeerLover

zmusselman

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-16-2013 19:02:29 | More by zmusselman

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured golden with a two finger white head that subsided to a half finger slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, banana, fruit, sugar, banana runts, wheat, and bubblegum. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, bubblegum, fruit, spice, and subtle banana. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. The banana runt aspect on the aroma really took this one to the next level as it was definitely unexpected and took me back to my favorite candy growing up and still is the only candy that I eat at all even today. This brought a huge level of complexity to the game and made it quite easy to get close to this beer over and over again. I really went into this one not expecting much at all, but was pleasantly surprised with it in both the flavor and aroma. Definitely glad I got the chance to try this one and suggest that you do the same at least once yourself.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2013 17:48:27 | More by thagr81us

swinyeju

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-16-2013 15:52:30 | More by swinyeju

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.76/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured two fingers of head on a hazy, light straw colored body.
It has a pleasant aroma of grain and citrus.
The taste is mellow but good. A little spice and Belgian candy sweetness with a mild citrus bitter finish.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
A solid session saison.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 20:02:02 | More by Fatehunter

ScottK22

New York

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-15-2013 01:58:13 | More by ScottK22

barnzy78

Illinois

3.64/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, pours golden, slight haze, creamy, white head, good head retention. Fruity aroma with plenty of citrus rind - lemon and orange, biscuity grain, yeast. Refreshing shot of zesty lemon and orange, Farmhouse yeast, biscuit, slightly bitter finish with a hint of peppery spice, while being slightly earthy. Lighter body and lower carbonation - I thought it needed a bit more carbonation. Overall, super refeshing, nice addition of American hops to a Belgian styled ale. I definitely could have a few on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 00:37:31 | More by barnzy78

Boone757

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

06-15-2013 00:26:18 | More by Boone757

AngusOg

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

06-14-2013 23:45:46 | More by AngusOg

macrosmatic

Florida

3.7/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Russian River pint glass.

A: Bright straw to light gold, almost clear - some chill haze. Lots of visible carbonation and a two-finger white frothy head. Almost perfect for style.

S: Grainy, some barnyard, lemony citrus and some peppery spiciness.

T: Light cracker and pilsner malt, funk, tart lemon, and a bigger black pepper punch on the front of the tongue than expected. Some fresh grass flavor as well. Some mild funky dryness hangs around at the end.

M: Light bubbly mouthfeel, no alcohol presence at all. Tons of carbonation.

O: I'm not sure about this one. It has way more funk and black pepper flavor than I would have expected. But it's lacking the complexity that makes the best saisons stand out. I suppose not completely unexpected for the quite modest ABV and the subsequent "Session" tag. This one falls into the "glad I tried it once" category for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 02:14:11 | More by macrosmatic

Stevie_Janowski

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-13-2013 00:15:56 | More by Stevie_Janowski

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.59/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

I am going all-alliterative on this one since it was a Cooler Curiosity for me at Hunger n Thirst and Victory seems to love sibilants - Swing Session Saison. It's like I was telling the Old Lady the other night - baby, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that Swing! We are contemplating becoming a Swinging couple, but she has me settling for watching "Swingers" on DVD. I'm putting in a Swing set and not in the backyard, either. Up in the bedroom, where it belongs! Schwing! Swing and a miss! Hey, batter, batter! Paul Cezanne was known to be a Swinger and his sessions were groovy, man. I'm going to Swing by the neighbors' place later for a beer. All right, let's get this Swinging scene in motion.

From the bottle: "Swing. It's a lively jazz rhythm, a vigorous sway, a change of view or even a roll in the proverbial hay. Now, it also means the welcome jolt of joy you'll experience upon your first sip of this session saison. Bracing but benign, thie Belgian-style ale enlivens any experience with a spicy, aromatic start, citrus snap and fresh finish. Swing into spring with taste! [undersigned] Bill [&] Ron The Brew,asters of Victory"; "Ale Brewed with Spices".

See what I meant about alliteration?!? I may use this as an example with my students in the coming school year (SY). BTW, the bit about "a roll in the proverbial hay" always puts me in mind of Terri Garr in "Young Frankenstein" who took it literally, much to Gene Wilder's chagrin. "Wow, what knockers!"

The two fingers of rocky, bone-white head rose and fell like an elevator (simile) as I poured it from the bottle into a shaker pint glass. Finally, it simply fell like a souffle when the oven door is banged shut. Doing that to a souffle disturbs me, but the gorgeous lacing that this left behind did wonders for my attitude. Color was a cloudy golden-yellow and i must have disturbed the lees as it was initially pouring very clear. I am glad that the yeast is back in suspension as that is where the flavor is derived and who ever heard of filtering a Saison? Nose on this was full-on lemon zest, leading me to wonder what spices were used. I'd bet that coriander was one of them. Mouthfeel seemed to be on the thin side, tending to watery. Is that a characteistic of the style, I wonder? The taste was still very lemony, but now the black pepper phenols were really beginning to assert themselves. I spoke, in my previous review of Ithaca's Ground Break, of pairing a Saison with grilled fish, like bass. This beer would also work well, but as a second choice. I liked it, but not as much as the previous one. Finish was dry and lemon-peppery and a nice representation of the style as I understand it. Worth a go!

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 17:27:27 | More by woodychandler

G_Rod

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-08-2013 03:55:49 | More by G_Rod

NeverSettle

Texas

4/5  rDev +10.2%

06-07-2013 20:23:16 | More by NeverSettle

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -17.4%

06-07-2013 20:02:05 | More by xnicknj

zbooks

Texas

3/5  rDev -17.4%

06-07-2013 18:34:17 | More by zbooks

DaveEcenrode

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +24%

06-07-2013 05:46:32 | More by DaveEcenrode

beerfinder

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-06-2013 17:49:47 | More by beerfinder

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%

06-03-2013 12:49:54 | More by twenty5

CMOrak

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-03-2013 02:09:40 | More by CMOrak

JakeEsterly

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-02-2013 06:15:29 | More by JakeEsterly

jbertsch

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-02-2013 02:50:10 | More by jbertsch

username

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

06-01-2013 23:00:19 | More by username

Skwalk47

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%

06-01-2013 13:04:50 | More by Skwalk47