Victory Golden Monkey

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Victory Golden Monkey Tripel Ale with Spices ABV: 9.5% IBU: n/a Volume: 12 fl. oz. Glass: shaker Purchased at: Sherwood Liquors Consumed on: February 27th, 2008, 10:12 pm sensory first impression: A very pretty beer with quirky advertising. Overwhelming fruity scent, which I like. No head or lace to experience, but I don’t miss it, since the olfactory is so nice. I poured twice - first time clear - second time because I felt I had missed out on the bottle conditioning yeast. Whoopsie! the second yeasty pour made it downright cloudy. It’s like sandblasted glass now. Nice bite, lots of flavor - I taste bacon, and I smell banana. I’m not crazy about smoke in beers - see my future review of Triumph’s Rauchbier, for example, but this is balanced pretty nicely. There’s lemon and plums and orange and apple --- lots of apple -- and banana. Nice bite and texture, and the presence is divine. This is a special beer. Aroma/Olfactory: Malt is smoky and full of a fruit bowl of taste influences. Hops are herbaceous, mellow, and leafy. Very nice balance here. In the hands of an amateur, this would be a mess. Hail Victory. Yeast/Bacteria doughy, earthy, leafy, and reminds one of an aquarium. I just jumped in. Did I mention this is 9.5% alcohol by volume? Banana seems omnipresent, and I love it. Paprika? Ginger-licious. What an amazing depth of flavor. Visuals/Appearance: Color is pale and a solid block of gold. Liquid is cloudy with yeast. Head/Lace is nowhere to be found. Taste/Flavor: Maltiness/Sweetness is heavy in smoky sweetness - like a banana infused sausage, but delicious. Hoppiness/Bitterness is light and very balanced. Sour from the smoke, but in an affectionate way. Palate/Tactile: Body/Mouthfeel is quite full and cloying. Texture is creamy, slick, and thick Carbonation is softly present in the background. Finish is long lasting but muted. The cloying aspect amplifies this aftertaste, which is wonderful. Overall second impression: What a wonderful beer. It wasn’t the first thing to reach out and grab me, but I’ll be sure to keep it on the top of my list when I’m looking for something special to sip, enjoy, and savor. What a treat.

not cloudy not hazy golden pour after yeast is dropped in. it’s topped by a fluffy white head that fades slowly to a ring. warming aroma of apples, orange, yeast and alcohol. fruity flavor with tastes of plums without their skins, alcohol, apple pie spiciness and yeast. medium bodied with a creamy mouth feel and soft texture. it gets prickly at times from the alcohol. some how it’s complex but it’s way too simple at the same time.

Bottle from Whole Foods Charlottesville. Pours golden colored with medium head. Bitter aroma (wine/apple/etc.) Light fizzy mouthfeel, banana, apple. Nice and light. Well done.

I wonderful Tripel. Give it a try if you love St. Bernardus Tripel or just great tasting beer the way it’s suppost to be.

Victory’s Golden Monkey is excellent! It is strong, complex, and has a nice warming feeling.

Clove, spice, sweet apple and liquorice nose. Deep golden, slight haze. Sweetness is balanced by the spice and bitterness. Solid body with good alcohol cutting through. One of the better American Abbey-Style beers available.

poured the color of a true pilsner with a bit of haze (too little to call cloudy though the label indicated it was bottle conditioned). Taste reminded me a lot of Stella Artois with an alcoholic bite. Yeasty too - in a positive way. Not bad, just not my favorite style.

Golden yellow color with hints of spices. Not one of my favorites from Victory. Is a good strong beer with an alcohol content of 9.5, yet is crisp and not too harsh. The aftertaste reminded me of bacon though.