Aug

11

Victory V-Saison

By Andy Murphy

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We’ve talked about saisons before, you and I. A saison, or a “Belgian Farmhouse Ale”, is a type of pale ale traditionally brewed to quench the thirst of lucky farmhands. Wild yeasts and casual recipes created a variety of tastes and quite a lively beer.

Modern versions often crank up the ABV, but I find the style quite delightful, even if unpredictable. You never know quite what you’re going to get when you open a new brand for the first time. Of course, I’ve found the same to be true of many IPAs, porters, wheat beers, etc. So far, my favorite Saison has been Saison Athene, from Saint Somewhere Brewing Co. in Florida. Saison Athene was crisp and rustic, but with a distinct peppery spice that kept me entranced. (Unfortunately, that review is only partially written — I had the beer June 28th.)

Victory Brewing Company tackled the style as part of its “V” Series of bottle conditioned, Belgian-inspired ales. And since “V-Saison” is only available as a 750 ml bottle, I had quite a bit of drinking to do tonight.

My bottle was filled in May 2008, so it has had over a year to mature — but there’s been a significant change since 2008: V-Saison is technically a collector’s item now. Starting August 17th, Victory will be releasing this beer under the name “Helios Ale“. The brewery is changing the strain of yeast, but the recipe will largely remain the same. My thanks to @PhillyBeerGuy for sending me the link!

Here’s how Victory describes V-Saison:

Our latest release in the V Series of bottle conditioned, Belgian-inspired ales is heady with an earthy, aromatic hop start. Involving hops from the Czech Republic, Germany and England, this flavorful ale slides into flavors of honey and mildly tart fruit. Leaving a refreshing impression of dryness, this is a quenching, invigorating ale, despite its substantial strength at 7.5% abv.

Yes, it sounds relaxing and delightful — but don’t let your guard down as I did! This bottle-conditioned ale is quite explosive. I un-caged the cork and pulled it from the bottle only to have the beer shoot foam into the air and all over my floor.

You’d think that after all the gushers I’ve had this year, I’d learn to be more careful with bottle-conditioned beers. But I’m at a loss for what to do differently — I’m letting the bottle sit undisturbed for several days, and I’m so careful pulling the cork. My only conclusion is that some beers are just more boisterous than others.

After everything settled down, the beer poured a pale, hazy gold into a tulip glass. I managed a small amount of white foam that quickly faded; much of the carbonation seems to have exhausted itself in that initial foamy explosion.

The aroma is both fresh and earthy, pale malt accented by a dash of peppery hops and a floral richness. V-Saison tastes lightly tart at first, but those soft fruits (citrus and pear) gradually give way to a mild spiciness and a grainy, wheaty malt. The combination is somewhat dry and easily drinkable.

The label reads:

“So simple in its creation, so magnificent in its maturity, this wonderful ale begins with Nature’s most humble offerings, water, malted grains and hops. Our soulful yeast breathes life and depth into each brew. The steady hand of time orchestrates this alchemy into the splendid ale before you. Cheers!”

I found the beer to be a pleasure to drink, and its 7.5% ABV was certainly warming. If V-Saison has a fault, it’s in being too well-balanced. The beer is excellently crafted, but I like my saisons to be a little more carefree and willful.

But don’t hold that against this beer; it’s pretty darned good and oh so easy to drink. I’ll be looking for it under its new guise as Helios Ale.

Related posts:

1. Haverhill Brewing L’Esprit Saison
2. Victory Old Horizontal

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Categories : Beer a Day