Moonglow Weizenbock - Victory Brewing Company

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is amber-brown and really deep. Slightly cloudy with a great head and nice spider web lacing on the glass through consumption. Smell is malty sweet with molasses and maybe a hint of caramel. Taste is sweet with nice body and good depth of flavor. It has been a while since I last had this beer but very pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 21:52:58 | More by Oakenator

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Big cheers to GnomeKing for this

Pours a slightlty hazy amber/tea coior with a 3 fingers deep sand colored head. minimal lacing & zerohead retention. Really the only weakpoint for this outstanding beer

S: Bubblegum & choclate & hints of bandaids

T: Fruittyness, chocolate & bubblegum up front. Warming alcohol pepper & hints of brown sugar follow. Finishes bready, quenching, juicy & spicy (pepper & cinamon)& warming. Taste the weizen gives way to the bock as it warms

MF: Medim/heavy bodied with low carbonation & nicely balanced

Drinks very easy for the abv, a really nice weizen bock. I could session on this no problem

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2006 04:47:17 | More by russpowell

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Picked this up last week up in Totowa...seeing that I've never had this before and it seemed quite alluring a beer. After taking a few sips of this, it's obvious that this is more than alluring. It's pretty amazing! I'm not quite sure how to review this since it's unlike anything I've ever had, but here goes nothing!

For starters, I loved the pour and look of this. A rich, purple mahogany hue filed my pint glass up with a thick head and lacing that is slowly falling down my glass as I take each sip. Make no mistake - this is complex. Plum, banana, bubblegum, clove, grass, and wheat are here with a very strong alcohol backbone to tie them all together. Is it overpowering? Yes, it is. Is it complex? Indeed, that is the case as well. Does this work? Absoutely! This has the mouthfeel of a saison with complexity and taste of a lambic with the fullness of a wheat beer. For someone desperately hanging onto the summer like me, it doesn't get any better than this.

There's no doubt that the 8.70% ABV of this beer can be felt not too long after the first mouthfuls of this go down. No matter. Out of all the beers I've tried from Victory, this is my favorite; and that's saying a lot cosidering they have some pretty impressive offerings in their portfolio. This is amazingly complex, harmonious, and has the aftertaste on the level of a fine champagne. If you want to celebrate the fall and wish to get away from the Marzens and Octoberfests, this is your beer. Cheers to victory for upping the ante on the Weizenbock style!

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2008 09:15:51 | More by JerzDevl2000

Star80

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep ruddy brown with a tan head. There is no sediment in the bottom of my bottle. The smell is of dark fruit, spice, and some esters, like banana, and vanilla. Not quite as complex smelling as I recall Aventinus, but would love to try neck and neck. The taste, is outstanding and extraordinarily complex. Sort of a symphony of deep, complex (did I mention this brew is complex?), dark fruits, and more and more esters, some phenols. You know, all the buzzwords and tagwards apply on this beer. Little or no alcohol in the nose or the tastebuds, could perhaps be why last spring I drank four or five of these last spring and I was hammered, and cause they go down so well! I must say, I tried this last srping as noticed the flavor of this beer has changed over the years, and I must say it has improved. It is far more spicey, and less soapy than when I first ever tried it. I almost think it is near carbon copy of Aventinus, but perhaps better cause I get it fresher. Another Victory in the beer world....

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2010 23:45:55 | More by Star80

maek228

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: A burnt orange, almost caramel in appearance. A beautiful pale brown head arose quicly fell into a half a finger dome that hung around the long haul.

Smell: Like a chai latte spice mixed with pumpkin spice....imagine that. Wheat is apparent in the scent..the smell is divine.

Taste: What a delightful contradiciton. The power of a bock and the smoothness of a hefeweizen. Yeast, esthers, tart fruit, and autumn spice ride a wave of tight carbonation. It comes on creamy, yet refreshing, strong, yet delicate. Unbelievable.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth.

Drinkability: So drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2005 05:04:40 | More by maek228

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. The beer was brown and murky with an oily foam. The murkiness was a little unexpected based on the few other weizenbocks I've had.

The smell was stunning, it was so good. Lots of ester-type fruit aromas, bananas in the lead with some plums or raisins following. The taste was awesome too, with all the afore-mentioned fruits competing with sweet malt flavors.

Very good seasonal which I think Victory should make all year long.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2006 17:28:49 | More by TurdFurgison

matjack85

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I found this single 12oz brown bottle at the Binny's liquor store in Glen Ellyn, IL for $2.19. The label has a blurb about the beer along the left side as well as an "enjoy before date" of June 19, 2010 stamped on it. The Victory Brewing web site says this beer is only available in September and October and this is already January, so I must have gotten one of the last bottles from the 2009 batch.

The beer poured a cloudy copper color that turned to more of a light caramel shade when held to the light. It made a 2-finger light tan head that lasted awhile and left lacing that can best be described as slippery. It makes lace, but instead of sticking to the glass, it quickly slides back into the liquid.

The smell is wonderful. I was expecting the traditional banana and clove aroma, but instead I got more of an apricot smell instead of banana. The clove was still there and joining it was sweet caramel malt and lots of wheat. I loved it.

The taste did not disappoint either. There is no doubt that this is a wheat beer. The wheat flavor is the main attraction but there is also a great supporting cast. I still get that apricot presence but there are some other dark fruits and citrus flavors in here that give it even more tart and fruity character. Some caramel sweetness gives it some additional body and a touch of spicy hops make for a great finish.

Even with all those flavors, this beer remains medium bodied and refreshing due in part to its high carbonation.

I guess all those flavors hide the 8.7% abv because I didn't notice the alcohol at all. Maybe it accented the spices a bit but that's all. Now that I've tried this, I wish I had seen more than the 1 bottle on the shelf, I could see myself enjoying a bunch of these.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 06:00:12 | More by matjack85

dmarch

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy dark amber in color with a thin white head. Aroma is very fruity with lots of cloves. The taste is very very powerful. Strong plum taste as well as some clove and bananna. The 8.7% is obvious, but it very enjoyable and warming. Personally, I think the best Victories are the seasonals. All the more reason to stop by often.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2003 22:41:26 | More by dmarch

edchicma

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Whoa....To the Victor(y) belongs the spoils. I just may move to PA if they keep this up. This should be a kick ass beer at 8.7, but it is soooo smooth, I couldn't tell....Banana, citrus, tingly tongue were definitely there. The color was that of fresh pressed cider witha nice head. Mouthfeel was round and smooth with a hint of malt to impress in the drinkability category. This was the last single bottle on the shelf of my favorite packy....too bad...gotta remind them to order more!!!!

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2003 00:01:32 | More by edchicma

goindownsouth

South Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Another fantastic find on my most recent stop in Downingtown to Victory. A tremendous darkened red, almost a burgundy color and the head left a lace all throughout the glass of brew. The suspended cloudiness was a gorgeous site to behold. Notes of spice, perhaps just barelyt ripened bananas were apparent, as was a hint of alcohol. The malt profile was a good counter balance to that. Smooth, luscious and creamy on the palate, the alcohol offers a little tingle when you least expect it.

While this is a style that is rarely attempted here state-side, this is one of my favorite Biers, bar none. Well worth waiting for until September.

Prosit!

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2004 01:43:11 | More by goindownsouth

fdrich29

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to IrishRedRock for this brew. A very welcomed surprise.

A rare beer that I find the bottle just as satisfying as from the tap. One of the finest American beers on the market and well worth the money you'll pay for it.

Nothing I can write could possibly do this beer justice. If you see it buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2005 03:28:31 | More by fdrich29

auxiliary

Rhode Island

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance - Reddish amber color, has a ring around the glass, but no lace. You can see the bits of fruit because it is unfiltered.

smell - Very spicey aroma here.

taste - Almost like a barleywine with a fruit taste. More of a spicey taste I think. Not sure what kind of fruits I am tasting here.

mouthfeel - On the light side, not much carbination here.

drinkability - Ver interesting, malty, fruity, and sweet. I enjoyed this. a Nice sipper I think.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2007 00:06:14 | More by auxiliary

ugaterrapin

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a cloudy deep golden amber color. It is highly carbonated and leaves about 2+ fingers of head that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Has a nice sweet malt aroma. Has an unmistakable wheat beer smell. It has a nice sweet flavor up front. There are some fruit notes, but they are very subtle. The sweetness is balanced very nicely by malt character of the beer. I normally do not like wheat beers too much but this is a great beer and the first weizenbock I have tried. It is a style I will have to delve into a little more.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 01:54:12 | More by ugaterrapin

J23hc

New Jersey

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Exquisite mahogony tone with an orange tinge. Thick and foggy. Creamy off white head, down to clumps. Lots of banana on the nose, with peanut butter and chocolate truffle. Very complex flavor including caramel, clove, citrus, hop bitterness. Chemically aftertaste. Very full bodied and refreshing. Smooth yet crispy. What a great offering from victory, relatively high abv

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 22:37:17 | More by J23hc

RoyalT

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Luscious orange-brown in color with a good head that left a nice film.

Smell – This is a lovely combination of dark yeast aromas and toasted bock scents. The fruits are not bashful, either. The apricot, plum, and big banana are large and in charge.

Taste – This is more weizen than bock. The fruits are exceptionally smooth and helped along by a shot of vanilla and a puree of flavors. The flavors mix so well together it’s incredible.

The lightly-toasted malt comes along for the ride, but this is all about the Rochefortisc manner in which these fruits and the yeast are mixed. This is a blend to remember.

Mouthfeel – Very light carbonation and a creamy, creamy smooth body makes this one a standout. The alcohol warning is too little, too late.

Drinkability – This was incredible and defined its own style. It went down smooth as silk.

Comments – Leave it to Victory to produce this quandary. This was too light for a dunkel weizen and too fruity for a bock. It was even probably off style for a weizen bock. But man, oh man, was this a pleasure to drink. Can we add some flexibility to the style and say that this was f***ing awesome?

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2003 02:32:27 | More by RoyalT

bmills1608

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled at the brewery.

Color - Deep reddish hue, slight haze.
Head - Off-white, pillowy, rather large and full.
Nose - Totally unbelievable aromas of bubble gum, baking spices and heaps of super ripe fruits. Sweet and cake like.
Taste - Chewy rich fruits right from the start. More bubble gum and lots of it. Mid pallet has more lovely sweet banana flavors, very rounded, very smooth. Spicy notes of cinnamon and hard candy make appearances towards the end with some dark wheat flavors. Oh, and more fruits as well. (melons, figs, various tropical and sweet raisins).
Mouthfeel - Slick and velvet like, smooth.
Finish - Sweet, with some herbal qualities. The alcohol tempers well all the fruity richness, drying out the finish a bit. Flavors lingers a rather long time. I love that.

Overall - Just a fantastic beer. Loved it. So full and rich, smooth and luscious. All cylinders are firing with this beauty.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2004 14:49:08 | More by bmills1608

danadeny

Colorado

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

had on tap at Anam Cara, in the moonglow wisen glass (very very cool). Cloudy brown body, with a slight hint of yellow. Small head. Smells of banana, a little citrus, and overall fresh and crisp. The flavor follows up with a little spice, medium banana, and a clean citrus finish. Slight alcohol flavor mixed in but nowhere near what you would expect from a 9%. god damn smooth and no aftertaste. Overall: one of the best things on earth.

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2004 18:43:14 | More by danadeny

51mmz0rz

New Jersey

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Light caramel colored body, cloudy, as expected with many bits of yeast slowing falling to the bottom. Very good lacing as the light tan billowy head recedes. The body does tend to 'glow' as the yeast disperses the light.

S: Very aromatic; I can smell it even when the glass is 24 inches away. Smells powerfully of wonderful weizen yeast.

T: The odor translates very nicely into the flavor of this beer. There is a distinct sweetness as well, which is flushed away by yeast esters, as well as a slight bitterness and alcohol bite.

M: The mouthfeel on this beer is something special. I poured it a little rough, and the carbonation level is very good. There is a distinct thickness without feeling sticky.

D: A clean finishing beer without any unpleasant alcohol aftertastes.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2008 00:29:47 | More by 51mmz0rz

GoalieRon33

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Caramel, brownish color with legitimate "moonglow". Interestingly dark

S- Fruity, somewhat. A bready smell is also evident, but not overpowering.

T- Top 5 ever for me. Nothing I would change about it. Bready, fruity, enough bite, with enough smoothness. Wheaty, with a flavor somewhat like the Franziskaner Dunkel Weiss...Wonderful

M- Not too overpowering, but still enough to let you know that its there. I love it...almost perfect

D- A little too much for the average drinker, but wheat beer lovers would love it, as I do. This is one of the best beers I have ever experienced. YAY For PA!!!

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2009 06:21:33 | More by GoalieRon33

chodinheaven

Maryland

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Looks a bit like apple cider with a nearly opaque orange-brown hue and some soft bubbles rising from the bottom along the side of the glass. Decent sized silky white head on top that reduces down to silky patches. Beautiful rings of lacing are left after each sip. As for the smell, imagine that perfectly ripe banana and the way it smells as you peel away the skin: that's what this smells like. Other aromas of wheat, yeast, and a little touch of booze balance some of the banana.

Flavors of banana and spices create a rich, full flavor that follows through in every sip. A unique yeast strain gives this beer a distinctive taste on the back of the palate that rounds out the big banana notes. The spiciness is very prevelant, as well as a hint of cinnamon, giving the spices a sweet, almost pie-like taste. Other spices are remeniscent of an herb garden, but it blanaces and works nearly perfectly in this beer. The alcohol is not in your face, but is noticeable when looked for. It creates a deceptively easy to drink beer, as it goes down fast and easy. The mouthfeel is as silky smooth as the head looks, with a clean and dry finish that complements the flavors oh so well. The mouthfeel here actually makes the beer as awesome as it is by adding a layer of texture that is nothing but pleasant. This beer is very complex, but so enjoyable and full-flavored that its simple to drink. I really like this one, and once again Victory has impressed me.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 05:52:38 | More by chodinheaven

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is a cloudy dark amber with a tan head. Had to be patient with the pour and wait for the beautiful dense head to fade a bit. Not much lacing left behind. Scents are mainly fruity - orange peel and lemon - with a little wheat as well. The smell could use a little more oomph though. There's a lot going on in the taste - it combines the flavors of a wit with a hefeweizen - and boy is it good! Banana and bread give a bubble gum-like sweetness, and a twinge of lemon gives a perfect amount of tartness. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, though carbonation is high. This is one of the best wheat beers I've had. Victory has a winner.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 05:09:46 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

frank4sail

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Sweet wheaty clean malt tropical fruit smell... Light tan lingering head. Ice tea color and clarity. Initial thickish sweet wheat taste is then balenced by a sharpish dryish plum skin, pineapple, and bananna finish. Smooth and full up front in the mouth and then it turns crisper and more carbonated as the brew slides down across the tongue. Wow what a feel. A special seasonal from Bill and Ron.. The ABV is a creeper on this one as well. It is only detectable by a slight warm fuzzy feeling in the gut. The perfect beer to be calming me during Isabel.... description in one word....comforting...

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2003 02:07:13 | More by frank4sail

rajendra82

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Acquired in a trade from BA Px2GrafX, the beer poured out murky amber brown in color with a rich creamy head typical of most Weizen biers. The looks were like a Weizen concentrate, and so was the smell. The smells of banana and clove were found here with a pungency that other Weizens rarely ever exhibit. The taste was again very similar to a hyper Hefeweizen, with every phenolic element present, but only more so. Reminiscent of liquefied banana nut bread with spices, this beer went down very easily with not a single hint of the high ABV content. To add an American twist to the style, a definite hop bitterness was detectable towards the end of each swallow. Carbonation was extremely fine and gave this a creamy mouthfeel. What a dangerously drinkable beer! I can see this one getting someone is trouble quite easily, as it packs quite a punch that you can never see coming. Quite different from Aventinus, as this is more Weizen than Bock.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2005 05:31:55 | More by rajendra82

karst

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

During December the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. This month's full moon is sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.The moon, now two days prior to The Full Cold Moon, is the last of 2005. The next is The Full Wolf Moon, the day after my birthday followed by The Full Snow Moon - Feb 12, 2006. The 2005 year had The Full Beaver Moon - Nov 15, 2005 but that is missing from the 2006 calendar to be replaced as an early Sept. 7th 2006 Full Corn Moon pushes the better know Harvest and Hunter's Full Moons into Oct and Nov of 2006. No bluemoons in 2005 or 2006 according to the Farmer's Almanac. http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoons.html

Since todays moon is nearly full it has peaked above the horizon just as I have finished raking leaves and stopped to try Victory Moonglow Weizen Bock ( bottled six days after The August 2005 Full Sturgeon Moon. A clear caramel amber Bock with a careful pour- although I know better I did not swirl up the yeast in the pour. Well carbonated a 1-11/2 finger creamy moon colored head that could have given this Bock its name, persists and slowly becomes a full fat disk of bubbles outlined by a raised meniscus that rings the 0.4 L rastal sniffer. Tilted to my nose I notice the legs and lace on the sides of the New Belgium glass. Bananna esters and faint clove allow more faint fruit aromas to emerge - plum and perhaps pear. Alcohol more in the aroma than the taste helped by my choice of glassware and the 65°F room temperature of the beer. At 8.7 this Weizen Bock is smack in the middle of the 7 - 10 % abv range for the style. The alcohol warms but is completely hidden in the not quiet full bodied sweet caramel laced with spices and fruit flavors. A few of these and you will howl at the moon! Truely a thing of beauty - finally I swirl the 12 oz bottle and rough pour in the "magical yeast strain" responsible for this nearly excellent Weizen Bock. Nice yeast taste that muddys and moderate the aroma and flavors I have described above. I would have missed a lot of the joy of this beer had I swirled in the yeast at the first pour. Either way, I am moon struck by this haunting seasonal brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2005 22:12:04 | More by karst

bigdeuce

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazt, opaque, brownish-copper colour. Unbelieveable scents, wheat, cherry, gooseberry, etc..Great head, goes nowhere. Full flavor, all kinds of flavors. Fruity and nutty, and a nice swish of hops on the back. What a great beer, will revisit as soon as I can find it again!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2008 03:46:34 | More by bigdeuce