Day 125 / May 5, 2011
Victory Brewing Company / Downingtown, PA
A | NG | P | G | VG | O |
Everybody always needs something to look forward to, right? For me, it’s the date on my Outlook calendar that says “Vacation in Martha’s Vineyard” or “Old 97’s Concert”, or the next Batman movie.
Craft beer drinkers get this opportunity several times a year with seasonal beer styles, generally released by the breweries for a 2 or 3 month period each year . Spring brings out the bock beers, lighter beers in the summer, pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest beers in the fall.
I can just imagine this conversation between a couple Coors Light drinkers:
Bill: Hey, it’s a cool Spring day. What type of beer should we have today?
Chris: How about a Coors Light?
Bill: Great idea! Cold-activated bottle or can?
This time of year, the saisons or farmhouse ales start to appear on the shelves of your local beer specialty store, so for the next few days we’re going on a Farmhouse Ale Beer Run!
From Beer Advocate…
Saisons are sturdy farmhouse ales that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US.
This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.
Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 5.0-8.0%
The first beer in the run is Victory Helios Ale, a Belgian inspired Farmhouse Ale formerly branded as V-Saison. This was a cloudy orange ale, with a thin head and a strong 7.5% alcohol content. I must say, I was disappointed with this beer. This beer had a very strong floral aroma and taste that was rather overpowering, almost unpleasant. We'll see how the next beer in this Beer Run compares.
Now that you mention it, I had pretty much the same reaction when I tried Helios a few months back: strange floral aroma and flavor that overpowers the beer!
ReplyDeleteIf you can find it, definitely try the Southampton Saison Deluxe. You won't be disappointed.
Cheers from Alabama,
HHH
I've been looking for that Southampton - Total in Fairfax has a Southampton Saison on the shelf that is brewed w/ flowers and rosewater. I don't think that's the one you are recommending. I was in there Thursday and the employee checked the computer and it said they had 2 bottles on Southampton Saison Deluxe, but we couldn't find them anywhere. I looked at Total in Sterling, Westover and didn't find it there either. I did pick up a bottle of Saison Dupont.
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