Moonglow Weizenbock - Victory Brewing Company

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

pezoids

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

On draft at the Grey Lodge. Wow, this one is a slap in the face. There are some very strong flavors in this beer. If your standard Hefe is David Banner, then this beer is the Hulk. Poured a cloudy burgundy brown color with a small white head. Intense aroma of bubblegum, sweet candy and alcohol emanate. Spicy, complex, malty sweet, sour and yeasty all at once. Very strong in flavor and I would say that this beer is for serious beer lovers only. I gave this an average score for drinkability because although I enjoy the taste of this beer, it would not be my first choice to pair with food, or even to crack one open for the game. This beer is a special treat to be enjoyed once and awhile.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2003 11:28:36 | More by pezoids

nomad

Kansas

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A super fresh case of this good stuff to get me through the month...

Pours a gorgeous browned ruby color; I've never seen something so dark, lustrous, and unique. Has a big pocky foam head that builds volume easily from the strong amount of carbonation, like a good hefe-weizen would. Falls to a good thin head that shows some lace and ocassional stain.

Smells of very strong banana and clove but covered in all the other scents: like dark wheat, figs covered in alcohol, then spices such as cinnamon, dark sugar, nutmeg. Altogether, complex and intriguing, and not something you ordinarily come across. Tastes like bananas mixed with a couple cherries, though at times it seems more like notes of plums. Also brings some sour notes, a firm wheat backbone, while the second half of the flavor profile sends up a creamy-yeasty flavor, but then the great finishers of strong spicy and earthy mixed notes all of the above. Moderate length finish of these yeast and humble spices. Flat out drinkable, with a mouthfeel that is shading toward thicker without being thick; not summer thin, not winter thick.

Words to the Wise: Let it warm up toward room temperature, put it in a flute-like glass as if it was a hefe-weizen as well as pour in the yeast. Cheers to V-Town for making a very rare style and doing it well.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2003 15:42:10 | More by nomad

WVbeergeek

Ohio

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

Appearance: So here I am listening to the sounds of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" imbibing upon one of the most appealing to the eye weizen bocks in existence, well the Moonglow of the deep amber mahogany body with a ruby brown tinted massive head leaving complete webs of lacing around my glass just reminds me of that glowing amber moon that sometimes mysteriously appears in the sky. Aroma: Where do I start, banana sauteed in a light pear liqueur and the presence of the wheat malt along with the magnificent tones of the yest born bliss. The alcohol nose isn't overbearing but blended across a spectrum of fruity yet musty tones of paradise, this beer has to be one of the most enticing aromatic creations ever to come across my path. Taste: Even as it warms the sharp wheat based malt sweetness mixed perfectly with the alcoholic tone fruits such as pear, banana, and mild apple tones over a brown sugar base arise and soar over the palate oh "come a little bit closer hear what I have to say", "just like children sleeping we could dream this night away", "but there's a full moon rising, let's go dancing in the light". Wow, this is an experience whoever samples this beer must pop in some Neil Young it's awesome together. Mouthfeel: Slight sense of chiunkiness to it medium to full bodied luscious wheat ale, a must try for all German style beer lovers, props go out to Bill and Ron on this one muchas gracias guys for creating not just a sessionn of exotic ale sipping, but one that will be emblazoned in my memory as one of the most skillfully constructed good times I have shared with true art. Drinkability: Well, I don't even know what the ABV of this beer is but I can tell you that after one I am feeling on another level of relaxation and at peace with the world. We all need that push to get us through the day, and to picture an evening with my own family someday and a night cap in the form of a Moonglow each day will be more blissful than the next.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2003 19:00:46 | More by WVbeergeek

rotsaruch

Pennsylvania

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

I sampled the 2003 version on tap at Victory on 8/19/03. This year's version is totally different than last year and probably the best batch of Moonglow ever. This unfiltered, wheat beer pours a beautiful, brown earthy pastel with a robust off-white head. If your a fruit lover, the aroma will remind you of a bouquet of freshly picked apples with a hint of cinnamon. The flavor is dominated by a very delicious malty, spicey sweetness. The aroma translate to a taste of a refreshing fruit appetizer of apples, peaches, dates and rasions. A very tasty brew, but also a very deceptive brew. The finish displays a token amount of hops lurking in the background with this tinge of alcohol that lets you know that this can be a dangerous brew.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2003 00:18:55 | More by rotsaruch

jcalabre

California

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Originally sampled from bottle on 4 November 2002. This beer was a pleasant surprise. Victory is very hard to get in my area, so when I noticed this seasonal I picked up a couple of bottles. What a nice flavor. Beautiful slightly cloudy amber color, w/ a hint of sweetness on the palate. Excellent beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2003 13:47:29 | More by jcalabre

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours to a deep copper color with a tan head. The aroma is sweet, fruity, and yeasty. The flavor is malty, sweet and fruity. It is a medium-full bodied brew with a sweet finish. It is a warming, spicy beer. It was not at all what I expected, but good none the less.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2003 05:23:43 | More by BeerBuilder

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a brownish-cherry color with a thin tan head. Highly carbonated and hazy with slight suspended sediment. The aroma is a mix of citusy and grassy wheat smells, with a hint of yeastiness. This brew has an underlying sweetness that is presented at the first sip, and a full-force tartness (bordering on sour) that sticks through the aftertaste. It's really a refreshing, but slightly heavy beer. Not really what I expected, but it's very good.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2003 14:40:50 | More by Suds

PSUDREW

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I am going to admitt this off the bat - it had gone spoiled. However, I am not letting that affect my ratings in the sense you might think. I think the tartness that was produced by "aging" ,if you will, had an interesting effect. The color was a cloudy, ruddy, orange. a good amount of head also seems to comes w/ each bottle. It was almost like mixing a sweet-tart and wheat beer, and I did enjoy the results.The thing is, in alot of way, it was like a cider, but a sour apple cider, quite interesting.Also by this time you could taste a hint of the ABV. I do wish to sample this fresh, but you know what, spoiled is an interesting and enjoyable alternative

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2003 10:48:41 | More by PSUDREW

mzwolinski

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy, darkish amber in color, with a thin, even head and a tart, fruity aroma. The flavor is sour in a tropical-fruit sort of way, with some definite spicy notes. Medium-full boided and a bit sweet, with a gently dry finish. I wasn't overly impressed, but got the impression this would be a nice beer on an Autumn evening. I was shocked to see the ABV on this beer is 8.9%. It doesn't show at all.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2003 06:20:17 | More by mzwolinski

mickeymac

California

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It pours a really pretty golden-red with a thin white head the almost completely disappears. The smell is most definitely clove, but other spices are noticeable. In addition to clove, slightly fruity flavors are present. Citrus flavors become more pronounced working through the beer. It also seemed to become a bit too sweet and almost cloying as it warmed. It has a nice body and doesn't go down like a beer with an 8.7% abv. It's not the best beer Victory makes, but it's better than most beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2003 15:30:23 | More by mickeymac

stoutlove77

Arizona

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

The deep amber color , the soft head , the taste of banana , citrus, berry, and hints of spice gave this a good fresh taste to cover its high ABV. This one for me is one of my favs list, the full flavor that it provdes while mysteriously masking the ABV is very clever. A good desert for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2003 21:46:55 | More by stoutlove77

the42ndtourist

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out a rather nice red-gold colour with a good amount of murkiness. Moonglow is an apt name, as this almost did glow... Head wasn't huge, and settled back to a very thin layer for the rest of the glass. My problem here - floaties. Big chunks of yeast floating around in my glass. Maybe it could've been poured with more care, but there shouldn't have been that much and such big flakes. I took them a while to settle, as well. The taste was excellent. A very belgian style of a german beer. Lots of fruit - banana from the yeast, orange and lemon. Plenty of spice as well. Quite the beer. Would've gotten a five on the appearance if not for the floaties.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2002 14:50:05 | More by the42ndtourist

TheLongBeachBum

California

3.08/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Moonglow is (was?) my first Victory beer. What an introduction!
I tried this last night during a Beer tasting held in the Rock Bottom, Long Beach.

Pours a deeply turbid, murky, orangey color, which troubled me a bit at first. Head never appeared, was present or even attempted to develop, a disappointment that with the hazy look made it resemble part unfermented home brew.
Nose, well without a head to hold it in place the aromas leap of the glass, up your nose and instantly reminded me of the smell of Banana flavoured milk I drank in the UK when I was a child. Some Cloves and a little fruitiness are there as well, but the bananas are over powering and dominate the beers smell.
Taste, again Bananas, but I also got Vanilla, Spices (incl. Cloves) and some Lemons. Minimal carbonation and a medium mouthfeel give this beer a somewhat light lacking feel. Hell, I only realised this beer was 8.7% when the Brewer at the Rock Bottom pointed it out – until then, at a guess, I would say it was only 5.5-6.5% tops. The tastes are quite complex, but I found the beer a bit “sickly” to be honest. Finish is sweet at first but draws to a dry conclusion.
A strange beer that perhaps I do not understand fully.
I shall return another day, Victory Weizenbock, when maybe I do!

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2002 21:27:19 | More by TheLongBeachBum

MaineBeerMan

Maine

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

This beer was a cloudy dark copper orange in color with a good head of beige foam that shrunk to a thin layer and left some lace.Typically active weizen carbonation with lots of bubbling.
Smell was standard weizen aroma of banana and clove with a bit more malty sweetness present.
Flavor was a bit more tart than expected with tastes of banana, clove and tart apple fruitiness blended into a caramel malty character. Fuller, creamier mouthfeel than a typical weizen, with a lasting finish.
Nice beer and very drinkable, tasted like a cross between a Belgian dubbel and a German Weizen.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2002 20:29:55 | More by MaineBeerMan

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Murky red-orange body, topped by a rapidly decaying off-white bubbly head. It's alive - lot of traffic in the glass as bubbles rise to top and yeast gently floats to bottom. Nose is dominated by apples, with bananas and clove in support. The apples and bananas are joined by more spices, and a wall of malt in the taste. Very full mouthfeel, smooth, but there is a hint of alcohol buried in the sensation. An autumnal warmer, a late night sipper, a bridge to the imperials, strong ales, and barleywines of winter.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2002 20:16:11 | More by RonfromJersey

mophie

Delaware

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Perhaps the first Victory I wasn't totally blown away with (hey, nobody's perfect). I may also have been thinking Aventinus when drinking this, which isn't necessarily fair. Anyway, the beer has a nice copper color, slightly hazy, with a small tan head. Dark flecks floating around in the glass. Aroma is fruity and sweet, banana and spice, typical weiss aromas. Taste is also fruity and sweet, rich caramel, banana, spices (mostly clove, perhaps some nutmeg). Oddly, the taste is at once creamy and thin. Again maybe the Aventinus influence, but I wanted a bit of a richer, fuller flavor. Still, this is a nice beer, just not necessarily one that sets itself apart.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2002 19:20:28 | More by mophie

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

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

Cloudy. Deep orange with a brownish cast, topped by a frothy deep tan head that drops but holds well. The aroma is fruity, lightly tangy, and sweet with some banana, vanilla and spice (which includes clove, but is not necessarily limited to it). The body is medium with a very fine and gently effervescent carbonation. The flavor is quite rich, starting with a very creamy and lightly caramel maltiness, turning fruity, yeasty and lightly tangy with apple notes, then revealing some banana and vanilla before it finishes with a lingering spiciness. The alcohol is fairly well hidden within the flavor, but it's strong enough that you feel it before the glass is through. 8.7%... whew! Surprisingly complex. An interesting and enjoyable beer. Well brewed. This is a fall seasonal packaged with Halloween in mind, and I can't think of a better, or more appropriate time to enjoy this. The perfect "warming" beer for sitting on the back porch on a crisp evening with the smell of damp leaves and wood smoke wafting through the air.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2002 19:29:58 | More by NeroFiddled

ZAP

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a foamy tan head of about an inch that settles quickly to almost nothing..a cloudy/murky gold in color...the nose has a sour apple nose and a faint wheat aroma...the taste is thirstquenching but it is a very sour apple flavor with little else emerging...It has an OK malt backbone, but I expected more of a spiciness and bananna flavor as well....very good but well below Aventius in my opinion....

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2002 21:46:09 | More by ZAP

jreitman

California

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

Brown with a good amount of white head and a bit of haze. Very nice aroma. Light - medium bitterness. Nice malt, almost nutty, character with sweet undertones. Finishes with nice bitterness. Really smooth and nicely drinkable. Victory, again, does not fail to impress.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2002 22:03:30 | More by jreitman

Murph

Arizona

4.72/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy light amber with a nice creamy head. The smell is wheat with a lot of yeast and some fruity undertones in there. Taste starts off with a nice wheat flavor that slowly turns to yeast then banana and finally into a slightly tart apple flavor. The tongue is left with a yeasty taste that leaves you wanting more. Very creamy and smooth and extremely drinkable. Damn this is one fine brew, but what else do I expect from my favorite East Coast brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2002 14:32:11 | More by Murph