Victory Helios Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

I wasn't really in love with this one....reminded me more of strong wheat, as some saisons/farmhouses that I tried and liked better had more hop to it. Some fruit (banana perhaps, etc.) to add some sweetness. Has some sourness to in the flavor, but overall seems about average for the style. Alcohol is not hidden that well for 7.5%....a bit sharp on that end. Finding Saisons hit or miss, and this is about middle of the road.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

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.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Had not seen this brew in the hood before so I picked it up. Real nice! Beautiful, hypnotic orange colour. Lots of fizz = lots o' froth. Nose is tropical, pomegranate, citrus fruit. Taste is noticeably spicey, fruity and lightly hopped.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

It pours golden with a thin white head and fairly thick lacing. A fruity aroma of sweet malts, hops, oranges and other citrus notes, banana, mangos, melons, and other tangy fruits. The mouthfeel is smooth and rich. Flavors of sweet malts, hops, oranges and tangerines, honey, banana, mangos, tangy fruits, and spiciness. I'm not too big on Saisons, but this is one of the best I've sampled.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Aroma is strong, crisp, yeasty and a little fruity. It pours a slightly hazy solar yellow with a thick, fluffy white head that sticks around. Light, refreshing flavor is fruity and malty, a little hoppy, a little yeasty, slightly bitter and rather enjoyable. Fizzy texture leaves a fairly persistent tingle on the tongue and lips. Brave Helios, wake up your steeds!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

A pale golden colored beer. A medium frothy textured, white head rises briefly above. Settles fairly quickly, leaving a thin ringlet. The nose is of pepper, malt and yeast. The tasting a nice blend of sweet orange, bitter lemon hops, spicy pepper and grass. The body is medium, well carbonated and crisp in finish. I liked it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

repackaged in 22's as Helios. lots going on here in a light bodied package...lemon & citrus, earthy hops, peper, tartness. refreshing in every way. dough and spice as well, but all delicate and light on the palate, especially at 7.5%. dry finsih. solid brew.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Labeled as Victory Helios: Ah the final beer on the final evening of summer and it’s extremely fitting, a wonderful complex saison in all aspects. Smells of tart lemon, sour citrus and peppery spice with a great earthy yeast aroma. Hazy golden yellow color, huge slowly settling head and a thick coating of lacing. Feels light and snappy with a refreshing affect and a warm bitter bite. Flavors of lemon, lime, orange and a splash of peach. The fruits are mildly tart and teetering on a touch sour. Strong notes of biscuit and hay with a generous addition of spicy European hops. Plenty of great qualities in this brew.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 7

Sampled 8/22/2009. This saison pours an orange gold color from a 750 ml bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is apricot, peaches, sweet and spicy. A medium bodied saison. The malts are fruity and sweet with nice apricot and peach flavors. The hops are floral. Good lively carbonation. A nice summer beer, it’s light and fruity without being overly sweet. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is crisp, clean and a touch on the dry side. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Sampled March 2006
Almost brilliantly clear, rich gold color with a hint of copper to it. The head is initially three-fingers thick with a just off white color. The head subsides in a rocky surfaced manner with a touch of Belgian lacing on the side of the glass. The aroma is quite fruity as I pour this beer into my glass; I get notes of apple and pear, with mostly the fruity tart aspects of these fruits. Going in for a deeper smell yields a nice grain character which evokes thoughts of grassy grain, and sweet malt. Some of the grassiness seems to be hop derived as well. There is a nice herbal almost spicy hop character to the nose that mixes well with the earthy spice notes from the fermentation character. I get notes of orange zest, a hint of white pepper, and some notes of clove.

The taste is pretty dry up front with just a hint of malt sweetness. There is also a nice level of tartness here, though nothing approaching any acid producing organisms, just a nice tart character from the yeast and grain. The beer finishes with a nice spicy bite, a combination of the ample carbonation and spicy yeast derived notes. The finish is a mix of lightly hot alcohol, ginger, pepper, a yeasty almost bread-like bite. The carbonation is just about perfect, it is quite high, especially for an American beer. It really goes well with the light refreshing aspects of this beer. Hops you ask, yes they are here as well, certainly not over the top, but here in a nice supporting way. The hops add some herbal grassy character to this beer, as well as contributing to the overall spiciness of this brew. There is a bit of malt sweetness in the middle through to the finish of this beer; a nice sweet grain character.

This is a really nice example of a Saison, I am really digging it right now. It is perhaps a little sweeter than I would prefer, but the initial carbonation really helps to offset this in the beginning. As time wears on though it seems to not maintain the interest, it loses a bit of complexity perhaps, or more appropriately, I think it needed a bit more fermentation complexity. It seems to need a bit more yeast derived spiciness and bite. I think that the grain character, which is nice by the way, becomes a bit too dominant in the end. It somehow weakens the finish of this beer.