Style: Saison

ABV: 4.5

92/100
Aroma: 11
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 18
Mouthfeel: 5

Victory Brewing Company Swing

What the brewers say

With its citrus swagger and spicy refreshment, Swing Session Saison offers you a jazzy jolt of joy. This Belgian-style ale is bracing but benign and enlivens any experience.

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Lots of yeast complexity and good citrus notes of lemon and orange. Prominent fruitiness with a ripe cherry phenolic character. Spices, pepper, oregano, rosemary, and some sulfur. Moderate malt shines through.”

Flavor: “Moderate sweet malt is immediately overpowered by dominant bitterness. Lots of lemon zest, almost bitter pithy-ness. Playful fruit character that leans more toward phenols than esters. High carbonation and finishes dry, crisp, and slightly bitter with lingering astringency. Great body for a session beer.”

Overall: “This is pretty darn full of body for a session beer. Really enjoyed this one. It’s easy drinking and refreshing. I’ve never smelled oregano like that in a beer. This would pair well with pizza and many other fatty foods.”

What our editors thought

Review printed in: The Summer of Saison (Summer 2014) (View All Issues)


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Victory Brewing Company Prima Pils

**Aroma:** Complex, strong hop profile with grapefruit, grass, pine, and citrus. Pils malt adds fullness. Some minerals. If aroma had a color, this would be dark green. **Flavor:** Moderate bready malt sweetness followed by intense, resinous hop profile. Bitterness is high for the style but finishes clean and dry. Moderate malt sweetness with nice pils malt flavor. Needs more malt to balance. Crisp, with a carbonic bite and lingering astringency. **Overall:** A nice, different, complex take on a pils that leans in the direction of India Pale Lager. Hops shine but aren’t overpowering. A bit unbalanced but interesting and very tasty. Like drinking pine needles. You may need to scrape your tongue! Hop lovers, rejoice!

Adelbert’s Brewery Philosophizer

**Aroma:** “A nice, prominent yeast phenolic character of spice and peppercorn coupled with a malt sweetness and a pleasant amount of yeast fruitiness–citrus, orange, apple, pear, and a slight earthiness.” **Flavor:** “A healthy amount of yeast phenolics up front, combined with a dose of fruity esters. Moderately sweet with a bit of tart in the middle but a borderline cloying sweetness carries into the finish. Nice clean dry finish due to the high carbonation. Slight tartness. Touch of orange, lemon, and some spicy notes. A bit bitter in the finish.” **Overall:** “A wonderfully crafted saison that definitely leans more toward examples of stronger, heavier versions, but does so without losing its footing or balance. Very good—the only thing holding this beer back is bit too much malt sweetness throughout. This beer was full of flavor yet still really refreshing due to the high carbonation. Enjoyed it.”

Brewery Ommegang Hennepin

**Aroma:** “Coriander, black pepper, and orange. Good sweet malt with apple and pear fruit aroma. Subtle ginger. Light spicy hop notes and faint herbs in the background.” **Flavor:** “Medium biscuity malt sweetness accented by bright orange citrus. Coriander is obvious but not overwhelming. Low-to-moderate hop bitterness. Finish is sweet and could use more dryness to round it out. Highly carbonated but mellow. Some acidity.” **Overall:** “Love how the spices are obvious but don’t overwhelm the other aspects of this saison. Spice levels are just where they’re supposed to be. Nothing over the top. A nicely well-rounded, balanced beer.”

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