Golden Monkey - Victory Brewing Company

BeerManDan

California

4.97/5  rDev +34.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Just out of this world. I like to discribe the taste and aroma, but I can't. It is just out of this world. Victory Brewing does it again. This is a must to beer lovers. I can discribe the feeling you get when drinking this beer. This has to be one of my number one beers to buy. I now have three!

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2002 13:18:42 | More by BeerManDan

frank4sail

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours with a nice head but this disapates fast due to the ABV%. Sweet complex nose. The taste beats the tongue with honey sweetness and a yeast/clove taste.. the finish is dry. This brew is not for the timid, but you will will be rewarded with a "mindblow" of a beer if you try it... Watch out for the 9.5 ABV....

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2002 20:21:31 | More by frank4sail

ADR

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hard to control pour (making it ideal to bring to parties as many will think its a "golden" lager and wonder why they have to constantly suck on it to keep it from overflowing ; ) )...Hazy and slightly chunky gold color, parts of the head rise an inch and others less, as it settles. Complex aroma, promises of flavors to come. Medium bodied mouthfeel, flavors of deep cherry, some dried dates, and an alcoholic warming of a brandy. Very similar front to back, maybe could use more complexity, but the brew is assertive. A pretty good match to Belgian Pales, with fewer sour notes than some. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2002 08:37:28 | More by ADR

Todd

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12oz brown bottle.

Appearance: is just about average ... a cloudy golden colour topped with a thin white lace, but with pour head retention.

Smell: Aroma is faint, at first. Floral, bready, a bit yeasty in the nose with notes of caramel emerging as the beer warms.

Taste: A smooth, creamy, rich and full-bodied beer. Hops hit the palate first with a soft floral flavour and flash of spicy bitterness that mingles with a spicy (and warming) alcohol character. A pleasing herbal flavour stretches the entire tasting experience. Malty sweet and very sugary (like golden syrup from England), with bread and yeast flavours. Touch of caramel. Quite the one dimensional beer actually. Finish is dry with residual yeast flavours and a slightly bitty / oily palate.

Notes: Compare this beer to its style and it falls short. There's much better examples out there, and with less hype surrounding it. Is it a good beer? Yes it is, good ... but that's about it. Just another big beer with lots of hype and good marketing for the beergeek fish to bite at.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2002 15:06:34 | More by Todd

stingo

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +23%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Just had this fine brew on tap at the local beer bar. It has a distinct golden color which was quite appealing. While I'm not generally one for pale ales, much less strong ones, this was a very winning combination of silky smooth mouth feel with a nice bite on the finish that was very appealing. Not sure I could drink it for an entire night but it is definitely worth a taste.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2002 16:17:16 | More by stingo

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow, this stuff is strooong! A good strong Belgian-style, but I still prefer other beers over this of similar style. I am re-reviewing this beer now, almost 2 years the day...my how far I have come. Today is July 9, 04. Anyway, back to the beer. Looks beautiful with a huge pillowy head, and is very smooth despite the 9.5 abv. Needs more oomph in the nose to back up its big-beer profile. Aroma is nice, citrusy, spicy, mildy hoppy and alcoholic, but more reminiscent of a Belgian Wit moreso than a Tripel. It's a smooth Tripel as well, which is a bit of an oxymoron. Where's that spicy carbonated bite? I don't know if I should complain or not on that front. One that is quite quaffable but could use some more "tough-guy" character.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2002 21:12:10 | More by IrishRedRock

ElGuapo

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

i love belgian style ales, and this one does not fall short of expectations. smooth, creamy, and potent as all hell. it goes down great, and gets you hammered with a great taste that is not dominated by malt

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2002 20:56:56 | More by ElGuapo

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.43/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle review from 15DEC02...
Slightly cloudy, dullish golden color, with a small, fine head and a bit of lace left in the glass....; I like it's nose...spicy, fruity and a touch yeasty.... Has a pretty good mouthfeel, overall. Body is medium, and it travels over the tongue in a smooth manner. Going down it has a nice combo of fruity flavors, spiciness, yeasty notes, and some traces of pepper...leaves you a tad warmer than before... Real nice!! (Original bottle review: 08JAN02...4.50, re-review 15DEC02).

overall: 4.35
appearance: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 4.5

*** ***

On-tap review from 07JUL02...
Fresh from the Victory taps... Lovely cloudy, medium- golden color, though a very small head and minimal lacing. Wonderful nose! Sharp and spicy, with some sweetness! Good body, and nice over the tongue, especially towards the last half of the pint. Great semi-sweet malt and candi-sugar-like flavor, along with a sharp, Belgian-style spicy bite. Better as it warms...Superb! (4.0/4.5/5.0/4.0/4.5 - 4.55)

253

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2002 09:36:16 | More by Bierman9

goindownsouth

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An exceptional would-be Belgian bier. Very fruity and spicy aroma with a nice head that fades to a lacey head down the glass. Great taste from this tripel. Not as strong as many other tripels (9.5% abv), but still has plenty of kick to offer. Well worth seeking out. Prost!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2002 18:37:53 | More by goindownsouth

beertravel

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've seen this wonderful golden brew fermenting in their open tanks. What a beautiful sight it is! The perfume in the nose carries over to a fruity flavor on the tongue. The alcoholic content is well hidden and is very drinkable which is scary. This brew is another example of Bill and Ron's desire for quality and responding to what the people want in a beer. Distinctively in the Belgian style, this is made in a small town in PA giving the imports a run for the money. Don't miss this one!

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2002 14:59:43 | More by beertravel

beernut7

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice gold color and medium body. This brew presents with more that the usual malty sweetness with a nice hoppy bitter twang half way down the glass. Easily drinkable and a decent representation of the style. Deceivingly high in alcohol which is not very apparent oin the flavor or finish.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2002 13:22:09 | More by beernut7

jreitman

California

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice yellow color with orange hue and a thick white head. Noticed some chill hazy and sediment suspended in the beer. Spicy flavor with some malt sweetness towards the back of the mouth. Highly carbonated with a pretty large alcohol kick. Overall a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2002 16:38:58 | More by jreitman

LarryV

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours an orange-golden color with a huge, chunky head almost like whipped cream. Head hangs around for a long time and leaves lacy rings down the glass. Aroma is mild, rather citrusy with hints of banana. Mouthfeel is on the creamy side and seems to coat the tongue. Rather cloudy in appearance due to the yeast. Victory calls this a tripel, and though it tastes similar, it's not as complex as some of the Belgian tripels I've sampled. Still a nice beer to get mellow with.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2002 13:13:37 | More by LarryV

proc

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is one interesting beer. Pours out to a bright, but cloudy gold color with a huge head. Taste is that of spices, like nutmeg and clove and banana. This is a beer to have when you are having one to savor.

Thanks to pbrian for sending this my way!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2002 05:54:56 | More by proc

mickeymac

California

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I found the color to be surprisingly light: a bright golden color. It's chock full of big floaters (I know, bad choice of terms). The head is thick and bright white. It smells a bit like a cross between a lemon and an orange with big chunks of clove stuck in it. The taste is also full of citrus and spicy sweetness. Although it is warming, I wouldn't have pegged it at 9.5% abv if I hadn't seen it on the bottle first. It's an interesting beer and not quite like anything I've tasted before. However, there are too many good tripels and Belgian strong ales on the market to go out of the way for this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2002 20:48:33 | More by mickeymac

StevieW

Florida

4.63/5  rDev +25.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I am now a full fledged Victory fan. I was a little worried about the name and the label, Golden Monkey ? The smell was very strong at the beginning then settled once in the glass. I noticed alot of citrus, fruity, oranges maybe. Poured a nice cloudy golden color. The head was nice a big and melted down the side of the glass, the taste was delicious. Alot of yeast, but very crisp, citrus, slightly sweet, but very drinkable. Unbelievably drinkable. 9.5 % ABV will sneek right by you. I can't wait to have another.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2002 17:53:41 | More by StevieW

cokes

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Whoa, baby.
Greeted me by tossing out a hazy golden body with a creamy head. Big yeast chunks were swimming around the glass. Looked like someone was dunking cookies in this behind my back.
Smell is of tropical fruits and alcohol.
Taste is big on both honey and alcohol. But not obtrusively alcoholic...just a nice, swift kick. Fruitness (tropical, pear-like) and yeast are also major players in the taste dept. Lingering tartness as well. Hops decend towards the finish to sweep up and dry things out.
Heavy carbonation makes it very crisp...also adds alot to the overall drinkability. It's still a bit heavy and clunky, but I enjoy it
Overall winner, a very fiesty tripel.
Thanks to VENOM for providing me with another knock-out!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2002 21:45:12 | More by cokes

Murph

Arizona

4.35/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice golden color, a little bit hazy due to some yeasties, with a nice pure white head that sticks well and a nice lace. Great aroma of spices (coriander?) and citrusy orange zest. The taste is great, banana, orange, spices and something like grape rind (tartness) in the finish. The mouthfeel is crisp and smooth and it is very drinkable. Well this is my favorite style and this is definitely a damn fine example of it. It has all the qualities that I enjoy in the style, light fruit, spiciness, and a little twist in the grape rind. Definitely something to get your hands on if you can.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2002 19:01:33 | More by Murph

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours cloudy golden with a fizzy white head an inch thick. Small sediments make their way through the beverage. The head has good retention as it laces the glass nicely as I consume this beer. Aroma is spicy. Orange peel/orange curaco. Nutmeg. Cinnamon. Very nice. This beer has some taste. There's a bit of alcohol. There's a bit of hard candy. There's some spice, including cinnamon and pepper. A bit lemony. Tangy. All of this backed up with a nice belgian malt backbone. Very complex beer. Has a light-to-medium body I would say. Very drinkable for a beer with this much alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2002 20:11:30 | More by Bighuge

WilliamPhilaPa

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy golden/orange color, with decent lace. On the nose the aroma is slightly spicy. On the palate flavors are slighty spicy, hints of orange peels, slightly tangy, alcohol makes itself known, slight peppery tones. Mouthfeel is smooth. Warming in the gut in the finish. Good brew!

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2002 16:21:48 | More by WilliamPhilaPa

mmthompson33

Kansas

4.47/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

As good of a brewery as Victory is, this tripel is a good example of their excellence. A sharp, spicy beer where the alcohol content kicks your ass if you don't watch it.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2001 21:10:17 | More by mmthompson33

pbrian

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Instead of a warming alcohol finish, this one has a warming alcohol greeting, but finishes nicely. There's no deception of strength with I believe marks the great Belgian strong ales, like La Chouffe. A very good beer none-the-less.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2001 11:27:34 | More by pbrian

Jason

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Man oh man, this is strong @!#$. What a kick, they should have named it after the devil though. Not all Belgian beers are as wild as this, some are just clean, bitter and alcoholic.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2001 23:46:01 | More by Jason

John

New York

4.8/5  rDev +29.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Another winner in the Victory catalog. A delicious strong Belgian style golden. Beautiful cloudy, flocculant appearance. Thems some tasty particles!

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2001 10:46:25 | More by John

gwfrankpsu

California

4.95/5  rDev +33.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This really surprised me. Terrific flavor that I would not expect from an eastern brew. But, this is from Victory Brewing, fast becoming one of the best breweries in the country and one of my favorites. Keep the surprises coming.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2001 14:33:37 | More by gwfrankpsu