Victory Swing

Awesome ale portfolio? Their strength is in their lagers.

Edit: not to say they don't make some great ales. BTW, I really enjoyed Swing and think it'll pair wonderfully with some spring baseball!

 

It wasn't great but for the lower abv and being American it wasn't horrible. I bought 1 bottle and that will be it. Tastes like they add spices to it and a true Saison the "spice" flavor comes from them yeast!!!

Therefore, I will never buy again.

Talking about session beers though Founders All Day IPA rocks!!!!!

 

“Tastes like they add spices to it and a true Saison the "spice" flavor comes from them yeast!!!”

I am probably not the best person to respond to this statement since when I homebrew my Saisons I personally choose to not add spice but the reality is that it is not uncommon for Saisons to utilize spice additions.

Now, you may not be a fan of Victory Swing beer for some other reason but you should not let the fact that spices are used in the brewing of this beer to color your opinion of this beer. It really is OK to use spices when a Saison beer is brewed.

Cheers!

 

Please do your research and get back to me. Thanks. My goto Saison is Saison DuPont. Nothing fancy at all. No spices used. Read Oxford companion to beer. Great book. Although a farmhouse ale uses anything on the farm. Great beer but not to BJCP guidelines.

 

I am also a big fan of Saison Dupont. As I previously mentioned I personally do not use spices when homebrewing my Saison beers. Below is from the BJCP for Saison:

Ingredients: Pilsner malt dominates the grist though a portion of Vienna and/or Munich malt contributes color and complexity. Sometimes contains other grains such as wheat and spelt. Adjuncts such as sugar and honey can also serve to add complexity and thin the body. Hop bitterness and flavor may be more noticeable than in many other Belgian styles. A saison is sometimes dry-hopped. Noble hops, Styrian or East Kent Goldings are commonly used. A wide variety of herbs and spices are often used to add complexity and uniqueness in the stronger versions, but should always meld well with the yeast and hop character. Varying degrees of acidity and/or sourness can be created by the use of gypsum, acidulated malt, a sour mash or Lactobacillus. Hard water, common to most of Wallonia, can accentuate the bitterness and dry finish.

As you can read, the utilization of spices is totally appropriate for the brewing of Saison beers.

Cheers!

 

It seems are tastes are the same. I still don't like spices in them and don't think they belong.

 

“I still don't like spices in them and don't think they belong.”

I do understand that you have an opinion on the utilization of spices in Saison beers. It would appear that Victory Saison is not a beer for you. I drank a Swing this evening and I enjoyed drinking that beer. Not every beer is for everybody.

Cheers!

 

OK, back to the spices discussion and style. Ever try Saison De Pipaix? From the B United page: it uses Pilsner and Munich malts, Hallertau hops and six [6] spices "pepper, ginger, curacao, sweet orange peels, coriander, roast chicory." ​

​

And while styles are a necessary judging creation, many of us brewers dont like to be boxed in so much. Had a great session (over DeRanke XXB) discussing this with New Belgians brewmaster Peter Bouckaert, who used to be brewmaster at Rodenbach. He uses the analogy of a painter or architect and very much dislikes the stylistic limitations and in particular in Belgian brewing. The more I visit Belgium the more I agree with Peter.​

​

BTW, if you prefer no spiced saisons, we do that too!​

​

Have fun, Jim ​

 

I stand corrected. I had a taste of this on Saturday. Very nice. Tastes like a spiced Hefe. Very nice beer! I stand corrected.

 

At $4 for a bomber of 7.5% abv Saison, I'm happy with the current format for Helios.

 

Well, I sure enjoyed this beer, and will be buying more soon. I understand why it may not be some people's favorite, but I heartily disagree with many of the specific complaints that people seem to have with it.

 

I brought a case of this to Florida, and my girlfriend and I polished it off pretty quickly. Awesome beer.

 

You are spot on. The flavor is so overpowering that I tasted it with every sip of my next two beers which were a lager and an english brown. It tasted so perfume-ish and.... not like beer at all. The only highpoint I had for this beer was that I only bought one 12 oz. at the bottle shop to try.

 

Man. These sound way different than my experience. Victory isn't really one for big bottle and batch variation, are they? Huh.

 

Jumping on the "too heavily spiced" bandwagon. Picked up a 6pack of this over the weekend, and was thoroughly disappointed. Bracing, sure- bracingly spicy.

Haven't checked the reviews, but I'd take Notch Saison over Swing any day. Notch Saison might not be the perfect saison, but it's pretty damn good, appropriate to the style, and FAR more drinkable than Swing.

 

I haven't had it but a friend of mine agrees. I was going to try it but he said it sucks. Can't win em all.

 

“I was going to try it but he said it sucks.” So your friend doesn’t like a certain beer and you are not willing to try it? Everybody has different tastes in beer. Maybe you would like Swing?

Cheers!

 

I would try it. The beer I had was clean, tasty, and up to par with Victory-quality!

 

The pepper is very pronounced although like most spicy foods that fades as you continue to eat/drink it. I have drank close to a case of swing and enjoy it thoroughly, pairs great with a variety of foods and interesting enough to keep me interested on its own. While on the beach in FL it was spot on. Can't wait for this snow to melt and spring to finally catch up with my fridge, full of spring seasonals.

 

I couldn't agree more and the fact that there are a lot of people on both sides of this one should keep you interested in trying it. Some people didn't like, some did, you might be part of the latter group