Moonglow Weizenbock - Victory Brewing Company

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

re-review. 12oz into tulip.

A- Nice caramel red/orange/brown and an off-white head that is about 1cm tall.

S- Toffee, caramel, mild yeast spiciness. Undefined fruit sweetness.

T- This one holds up, for me. Great flavors. Heavy wheat profile, hefty. Bready. Fruity finish- bananas, plums, and tangerines- and a faint spice from the yeast.

M- Heavy, warming (not hot), big, bold. Great flavors, great finish. Very nice.

D- This was one of my first beers reviewed on BA. It holds up, to me- fantastic stuff. One of the best domestic weizenbocks. Man, do I love a good weizenbock! Worth seeking out. Worth trading for if you're a fan of the style. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 23:58:30 | More by ShogoKawada

CraftAleRookie

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured in a Dogfish Head Pint Glass.

Light brown ale with suspended bits of unfiltered sludge swirling around within (I guess I should not have poured the whole bottle out). 1/2 inch bubbly lace that was gone in 30 seconds, to almost no lace.

Strong yeast smell, slight barley on the end, very faint toffee. Taste is very similar- yeast predominates, with malt and barley notes.

Mouthfeel is a bit on the flatter side, with a medium to light body. I would not drink this on a daily basis as it's not my style, but it feels like it's a solid representation of this style given other's I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 01:01:18 | More by CraftAleRookie

BeerLover99

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: deep amber/brown, solid 2 finger head, good lacing.

S: hint of spices, ripe fruit, carmel, malt.

T/M: smooth, med/heavy body. good carbonation. sweet, carmel, malt, hint of bread and tad of spice/herb. mild bitterness in finish.

D: Where has this style been all my life? Thanks to Scott (my beerguy at a local store). He said this is THE weizenbock you need to try. I agree.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 20:30:26 | More by BeerLover99

msemich

Tennessee

4.4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this one off of a quite fresh keg at the Saucer, thanks Brandi!

Appearance: Cloudy golden brown, the color of a nice toasted bread. Quite opaque. Low head which hangs around solidly.

Smell: Yeast, bread, fruit esters. In a blind sensory panel I would peg it as a bier de garde. Interesting for the style, not off but not quite normal.

Taste: Many of the same notes on the nose are present in the flavor, but the wheat comes through on it. Very yeasty but with a solid malt backbone to go with it. Things get lighter in flavor as it warms, leaving the bock nuances which were hard to perceive when first poured. Nice residual sweetness, adequate to bock style. This one could probably age for a while. Hops are present but only slightly as a peppery background.

Mouthfeel: Big, resinous, solid. Sticks around on the palate for a while. This isn't a beer that should be preceded by hoppy beers and may ruin light flavors afterwords. Stick to the yeasty styles for the night if you want to enjoy this one or go right for the Imperial Stouts after.

Pairing: With big flavors like these, i would like to think that bready/starchy items would do well. Soft pretzels (easy on the mustard) would do for light fare; knockwurst for entree would be a good idea, with schnitzel as well. I don't think it would be a good cheese beer, as the flavors are too forward to work with milk fats. I could be wrong....but i'm following my hunger pangs as I drink it.

Overall: A great beer, probably best on draft. In the bottle i would treat this one like a heffe...turn the bottle up and give it a shake half an hour before drinking. This one's got a lot of things to float around and there's no point trying to keep it hidden or let it settle into chunks. Watch out, after the initial flavors settle on your tongue these glasses will go down awfully easy, keep an eye on your BAC and enjoy them at English Ale temps.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2010 22:15:37 | More by msemich

Chickenhawk9932

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

In the glass it is a rusty brown with lots of floaters and an off-white head.

It has a pleasant nose with sour fruit, fresh citrus, and mulled spice.

It's lively carbonation hits the palate first with a citrus bite flowing into tart raspberry then warming to the mulled spice finishing with a hint of sweetness. A good interesting beer but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 01:23:52 | More by Chickenhawk9932

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Excellent beer. As good as some of the better Bavarian Weizenbocks I've had. Poured with a nice foamy, frothy, off white head that lasts and lots of lace. Aroma is malt, fruit, a little spice and tang. Flavor's like nose; but, more of all amped up. Body is full, rich, and carbonation is perfect for the style. Finish is like flavor and of long duration. Session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2010 22:27:06 | More by drpimento

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazed light copper color with a cap of barely off-white head, decent lacing. First whiff is equal parts doughy, earthy and carmely sweet, slight citrus burried below. Taste starts off as doughy and yeasty with touches of banana, a nice carmely and honey like sweetness follows and finnishes with some citrus and muted spices. Medium bodied, creamy. A nice, highly drinkable beer that doesnt need to wow to be successful.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 15:17:00 | More by rfgetz

gatornation

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a light cooper color with small head and collar..smell is malts and caramel some floral citrus and an earthy smell..taste follows the nose its musty and doughy with spices and malts..mouth feel has low carbonation with a full flavor profile of malts and toffee and spices ,,its drinkable but not my favorite in the style

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 02:55:55 | More by gatornation

Tilley4

Tennessee

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Weizenbocks or wheats in general aren't among my favorite styles but this was a dang good example of one..

This was laden with cinnamon and cloves, although not overpowering, atop a wheat base that brings a touch of sweetness but not to the point of being cloying... Booze is somewhat present but it doesn't dominate. Perhaps a little Band-Aid?

A nice beer for sure but probably not one that I will revisit... As I stated, not my favorite style but this was a really good example...

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 03:35:26 | More by Tilley4

homemalt

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

Purchased case the first week of release
Best by: 9/2011

Very disappointed because of inconsistant bottle conditioning. First two bottles were nearly flat. Waited two weeks, which greatly improved conditioning but still inconsistent from bottle to bottle. Waited 60 days before the bottles were consistently conditioned.
Dark brown/red color with slight amber head.
The best bottles poured lively nice 3 finger head deflating rather quickly...some nice sticky lace.

Nicely aromatic with yeast with dried fruit and leather aromas. The aroma was the best aspect of this beer.

The first bottles of this case were cloyingly sweet and alcoholic. Probably because the bottles were not complete bottled conditioned. As the beer matured, the sweetness evolved into an array of phenolic dried stone fruit flavors and the alcohol blended in better. The Fall 2010 verision lacked the liveliness and vivid complexity it had in the Fall of 2009.

The 2009 season verision had delightfully lively and evolving ellusive flavors on the pallate. This season's version seems a bit monolithic and heavy lacking the brett/lactic character the beer seemed to have Fall 2009. Then again, I could have been more patient.

The 8.5% ABV doesn't help to improve the enjoyment of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 04:32:30 | More by homemalt

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

(best by Sept 1, 2011)

Another respectable, enjoyable take on a German style by Victory.

Dark tangerine hue with a hazy/unfiltered look with much sediment (yeast?) in suspension. A small uprising of head (3/4") at the start that checks out swiftly.

Sweet smell with a funky tang to it. A little citrus, a little malt. A tad doughy and musky and some faint alcohol in there as well. Quite accurate aroma, though a bit weak (lack of head to blame?).

The alcohol is startlingly muted in the taste, though you feel a slight warmth in the finish. Strong, though you wouldn't know it. A fair degree of dark fruitiness - cherry and/or maybe peach. The malt presence is medium-light. I'd say I could be fooled into believing this is a German import!

Clean, slick, and silky feel with a touch of chewiness. Some minute sticky tang from the fruit left behind. Doesn't sit heavy overall and it finishes moderately dry, though far from parching. Everything - flavor and feel - drops off rather early.

This is an extremely drinkable beer. I could easily have two or three of these in one session. Would love to try this along side some good German grub.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 04:30:41 | More by Bouleboubier

beagle75

Iowa

3.65/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a becker glass.

A: Hazy, light amber color with two fingers of diminishing off-white foam head. Pebble-sized yeast solids are seen slowly settling to the bottom of the glass.

S: Intensely bready, with yeast prominent in the smell. A bright citrusy quality adds interest while an occasional whiff of caramel adds fullness and depth.

T: Begins off-dry, demonstrating immediate clove spice and even more pronounced banana fruit, alongside caramel malt and a pleasant--but fleeting--nuttiness. Flavors are similar (minus the nuts), but less intense in the middle. The finish sees this beer at its weakest, mildly boozy and papery, although bitterness remains appropriately restrained.

M: Medium viscosity, yet remains fluid on the palate, with low carbonation.

D: It may have been enough to say that this beer is malty, interesting, and pairs well with savory food--if the yeast were not so conspicuously clumpy. Despite the half-full bottle being given an energetic swirl to homogenize the yeast of this weiss beer, it still poured as described. Its saving grace is that the yeast is never felt on the surface of the mouth. Wheat qualities, while not jumping out as isolated elements, add to the overall appeal, enhancing smoothness somewhat.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 06:07:26 | More by beagle75

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got a little cold so hopefully the taste will not be affected

Pours a nice hazy brown with a big amount of sediment. Best before Sept. 1st 2011 suggest this is what it is supposed to look like. Half inch of creamy foam. The smell is bread, clove, banana, fruits like fig and raisin, and a mild yeast. Taste starts off spicy with clove, moves to banana peel and yeast, and finishes bready and sweet. Very little fruit maybe a mild fig but it's really covered by yeast. More bitter than expected but the ABV is well covered. Drink ability is pretty nice but since fall came and went I may still be able to find old bottles but I really didn't love it. Was less drinkable than the Hofbrau version since the bitterness but more drinkable than Aventinus. A sort of average middle ground but great rep of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 00:01:58 | More by DrDemento456

dogfishandi

New York

3.7/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle pulled from the fridge poured into a SA perfect pint glass. best before Sept 1 2011.

pours out a brownish orange color with quite a bit of sediment. very small head that faded almost instantly leaving absolutly nothing.

lots of spicy phenolic yeast in the aroma. lots of fruitiness, such as ripe apples and dark dried fruits. sweet malts. bits of caramel and solvent alcohol.

lots of sweet dark fruity malts and phenolic spicy yeast. clove, ripe apple, caramel estery alcohol. pretty spot on for the style.

heavy body, a tad astringent. sparkly, bitey carbonation, tingles the tongue.

a one and done beer for me, sits a little heavy in the stomach. i prolly wouldnt seek this out again, not my favorite style, but its pretty good for what it is. worth a try if your into german dark beers, but if your not, not worth your time.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 20:34:48 | More by dogfishandi

Bobby12many

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Nearly opaque deep orange-amber color with a small crop of "nano beaded" head. This weizenbock pours a surprisingly light, yet very inviting color. The head leaves a bit to be desired

S - Immediately reminds me of the king, Aventinus. Big and yeasty with a biscuit and banana backing. The alcohol is completely hidden by the robust and complex nose. Slight astringency, but not off putting at all. Smells delicious.

T - Sweet biscuits and banana up front that transitions seamlessly into a robust Bavarian wheat profile. The finish has a touch of hop bitterness. Fantastic balance of yeasty wheat, malts, and spices.

M - Average body for the style. Slightly chewy mouthfeel with just enough carbonation.

D - VERY drinkable, especially when you consider the ABV. A complex, yet delectable big wheat beer that keeps you interested, and leaves you satisfied. Not on the same level as Aventinus, but a worthy offering form Victory. I will definitely be seeking this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 00:43:55 | More by Bobby12many

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap 11/19/2010 at Doherty's East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a murky light brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains wheat, bananas, caramel, bready malts, some citrus and some spice.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and bananas. Then bready flavors of wheat and a hearty malt character follow. There's a mild but complementary hops presence that brings a good balance. There's also a touch of an alcohol sting. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, slightly filling, strong kick, very good representation of style, this is a decent beer to drink for a long time if you're in the mood for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2010 23:46:18 | More by TheManiacalOne

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a deep maroon brown brew, with a tiny tan head that disappears entirely within a minute. As it is unfiltered, there are tiny particulates floating towards the bottom of the glass. The beer is otherwise opaque and a bit murky. The nose is sickly sweet and abundantly estery, and contains hints of clove, vanilla, orange, and naturally, wheat. The sip begins with a pleasant sweetness, yielding to a fruity and bready profile, with a mildly cooked characteristic. We end with a bitter peppery spiciness that is borderline astringent, thus leaving the mouth to quickly dry out. It is otherwise creamy, warming, moderately carbonated, and medium to thick bodied. The drinkability is fair, considering the healthy abv and thick character.

Overall, this is a bold weizenbock. While the flavoring remains true to the style, it asserts a powerful and fruity complexity at its center. What was most surprising about this brew was the deep hue of the liquid itself, which should have been the first clue to its overt robustness.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 23:27:13 | More by TheBrewo

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: I poured this sucker WAY too hard. Half of my glass is now fill with head.... but it looks like it's on its way to submission.

S: German malts, but I can still gauge the sweetness by the nose. An entire loaf of whole wheat breat (or German struedel?) is coming my way.

T: Not too sweet... wheaty even! The dark fruit here is covered in a cushion of yeast and German malt. There is no other brew in Victory's arsenal that illustrate's its taste profile like this one.

M: Despite the high ABV, this one is a very smooth drinker.... almost too smooth. The carbonation is perfect, and the sweetness is extremely well tempered.

D: Last year, I came short of going door to door to promote this beer. "Craft beer Radio" gave this very high marks, and so am I!

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 21:52:49 | More by Chaney

billab914

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Dogfish shaped pint glass. It poured brown with a bit of an orange hue to it. The head started off big and full, filling the top two inches of the glass. The head retreated to the sides of the glass, but left some great lacing.

The aroma is sweet with wheat malt leading the way. A moderate banana and clove like spiciness flavor comes through in it as well. Very flavorful and appealing aroma to it overall. I really like how much the wheat comes through.

The taste leans a bit more on the fruity and spicy flavors coming through from the yeast. That sweet wheat malt comes through nicely and lends a sweetness right through the finish. It mixes the flavors very nicely though and neither overpowers the beer. Very flavorful beer overall.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being a bit below average. Drinkability is good, I really liked the wheat malt flavors to it. All the flavors worked together very nicely and make for a very nice beer overall. I really love this style when it's done well.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 00:25:02 | More by billab914

airheadmtrcycle

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Opaque copper with no head at all. Weird. This is my first weizenbock so I don't know if that is normal. Smells of alcohol and baked fruit. The taste is delicious with really sweet malty flavors leading the way. Lots of fruit, including bananas are coming and going. There are plenty of flavors that I cannot put my finger on; this is definitely not a boring or mono-dimensional brew. The mouthfeel is thicker than a hefeweizen and less than a dobblebock, which is to say just about perfect for me. A little more carbonation might be nice, but who knows? Despite the slightly high ABV this is a very drinkable beer. The alcohol is extremely well hidden which I appreciate. If Moonglow has any faults it's the lack of a head and it could be too sweet for some. Still, I'm quite impressed. This is my third in three days and the other three will disappear quickly. I've been impressed with the Victory beers I've tried, including Hop Wallop and Hop Devil Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 03:37:40 | More by airheadmtrcycle

lordofthewiens

Maine

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In my weizen glass the beer was a hazy orange/brown color with a fairly thick tan head. Pretty carbonation.
Spicy aroma, sweet, malty.
Big time malt taste, fairly spicy, a little bit of fruit.
All that malt made it a rather filling beer, but still very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 02:06:38 | More by lordofthewiens

dolphlungdren

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I'm on the second bottle in about 25 minutes. I have a dip in my mouth. There was no dip for the first beer.

My first impression wasn't that great. However, once I put the deliciousness in my mouth it opened me up to a world I had never known.

At first, I felt like I was shrinking. The flavors overpowered my soul. I saw Jesus. I thought about space. I want more. It goes down smooth. Almost too smooth for a beer that's almost 9%.

I think we should make a Willy Wonka-esque movie about the wizards at Victory. They do impressive things, even if I would never really list it as a favorite brewery. They rarely disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 22:08:02 | More by dolphlungdren

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is cloudy deep amber in color and a foamy off-white head. No carbonation is visible in the form of rising bubbles.
S: There is a moderate to strong aroma of sweet malts with hints of bananas, cloves and yeast.
T: The taste has a slight amount of malty sweetness and has notes of bananas and dark fruits along with hints of spiciness from the cloves and yeast.
M: The beer is full-bodied and very smooth on the palate and has a slight amount of carbonation. There is some warming from the alcohol.
D: The beer is quite drinkable considering it's alcohol content; for the most part it is fairly well masked.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2010 09:25:47 | More by metter98

kzoobrew

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

No best before date listed on this particular bottle. I am assuming it was this years release.

Moderate pour produces a very large four finger head.The french vanilla colored head has some staying power and leaves a good amount of broken lacing encompassing the glass. The body is truly beautiful. Different hues of red orange and amber glow when the glass is held to the light. The body is a bit hazy but that is expected for the style.

Heavily caramelized sugars and a warm spiciness fill the nostrils. Clove aroma transitions into a bit of subtle apple. Hints of banana and vanilla are tucked beneath. The heavy caramel and spice are really overpowering and a bit distracting. The aroma could use a bit more balance in the complexity but overall it is solid.

It takes a bit to sort out the flavors as the come across the tongue. The transition from subtle to dominate flavors happens quite quickly. Smooth caramel bready malt, banana and a light spiciness are a soft introduction on the the front of the palate. The intensity builds as beer beer travels back. The malt flavor becomes more earthy, more grainy on the mid palate. Apple and vanilla flavors also are opening up at this point. The back of the palate the flavor reaches its peak. Dark roasted wheat and heavily caramelized almost burnt sugar flavors dig into the taste buds. A significant, though still pleasant, booze bite hits as the beer travels down the throat.

Medium to full bodied beer with moderate carbonation. The texture is almost creamy on the tongue and the finish is a bit long.

Moonglow is a sipper. Very nice beer to drink after getting out of work on a rather cool gray fall evening. The alcohol is certainly evident but leaves a pleasant warmth behind. The transition of flavors allows you to savor each sip if you so choose. I do not think I need more than one of these and I do not think I need one too often, but one a cold Michigan night I will revisit this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 22:45:19 | More by kzoobrew

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle dated "best by sept 2011".

a cloudy amber brown color, very little head.

smell is wheaty, with a boozy aroma. taste is a sharp alcohol bite, with a warming aftertaste. wheat is in there, a good balance with the malt. a little spicyness. a good autumn brew.

syrupy, sticky mouthfeel. drinkability is okay, but its more of a sipper.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 03:09:27 | More by jmdrpi