Moonglow Weizenbock - Victory Brewing Company

Svejk

Washington

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Many thanks to Froggyfrog for providing this beer in trade.

This is a great example of the style. It pours an amber color with a fair amount of sediment in the bottle. The smell is an excellent balance of clove and banana. As far as taste goes, this beer is exactly what I am looking for when I want a weizenbock - sweet, spicy and complex. It is remarkably drinkable for a beer with almost 9% ABV, and I wish Victory would distribute it to the Northwest.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 01:37:09 | More by Svejk

jthomp000

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Orange-ish hue, somewhat cloudy, lots of "floaters" in this one.
S - Carmel aromas, nothing that jumped out at me
T - Carmel taste upfront, alcohol aftertaste/backend
M - Medium body, light carbonation
O - At first I wasn't a fan of this specific beer, but each time I have one, it continues to grow on me. First time with this type of beer and I'll definitely try this beer or a similar kind again...

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 16:24:48 | More by jthomp000

DSmith24

Massachusetts

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

Good looking dark amber with copper highlights. Nice creamy head which dissipates leaving little lacing.

Aromas of clove, banana, yeasty breadiness (or bready yeastiness?). Smells like an amped up dark hefe, which I suppose it is!

Taste is awesome! Tons of banana and clove. Spicy and yeasty. Unlike Well's Banana Bread beer, this actually tastes like banana bread.

Mouthfeel is excellent. Medium-full body and very creamy. Just a touch too much carbonation keeps it from being perfect.

Crazy drinkable for an 8.7% beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 02:37:08 | More by DSmith24

paulhargus

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on-tap at the Victory Brewpub.

A: dark brown with some orange tint. about 1 1/2 inch off-white head. slight retention and decent lacing throughout

S: nutty/banana aroma. even a slight bubblegum scent. once the beer warmed up, you could very distinctly smell the alcohol. not a huge fan of the heavy alcohol scent.

T: wheaty and malty. they say you will taste a healthy banana flavor and you certainly do. i enjoyed that very much. however, as with the scent, once the beer warms, you REALLY taste the alcohol. i had a .5L weizenbock glass and about 2/3's of the way through, i felt like i was having a mixed drink.

M: medium bodied, well carbonated.

O: overall, this is the first weizenbock i've ever had. i didn't think i would like this style, but i found this beer to be very enjoyable. the high ABV will certainly have you feeling fuzzy after just a few. as mentioned above, i would go with the smaller glass and not let it warm too much, unless you enjoye a strong alcohol presence in your beer, which i do not. would certainly try this again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2012 03:49:06 | More by paulhargus

bags6lax

Massachusetts

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

Poured a very cloudy (partly my fault) amber orange...a very mellow sweet smell, and something i'm still unable to put my finger on, but a rich earthy scent. It had a nice foamy head, and with little trails of orange throughout the top, it was for my tastes, a medium to heavy body, with it being almost syrupy in my mouth...but a very refreshing taste, i'd never had a weizenbock prior to this, but i'm definitely hooked on it...

And the alcohol definitely sneaks up on you...hidden really well, but with a pleasent warming feeling.

Excellent brew!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2008 14:37:55 | More by bags6lax

drjamyma

Massachusetts

2.55/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I feel like I haven't properly evaluated this beer when it has such a high rating, but I just didn't like it. The tartness of the wheat and the bock just didn't do it for me. I don't know if I got a bad six pack or what. The tartness almost had a soy taste to it. woof, I expected a lot more drinkability out of Victory. Looks like it's just me though.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 16:12:24 | More by drjamyma

A1Sports

Pennsylvania

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

Bottle poured into pint.

A: Very cloudy amber color with thin, white colored head.

S: Very contrasting and interesting. Some sweetness smells along with banana.

T: Complex taste. The taste hit immediately and is powerful. Maybe too powerful for my tastes. Like the smell, you get a little sweet with the bitter. At the end you get a distinct taste of alcohol.

M: Leaves a little sting in the mouth. The feel remains mixed like the smell and taste. On the high end of carbonation.

O: I think a fan of this style of beer would appreciate it much more than I did. It was an interesting experience, that I would try again, but couldn't do it too often. My scores are higher than my personal opinion, but factor in the beer style.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 01:45:43 | More by A1Sports

StevenZubler

Hawaii

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

The label says “Enjoy by April 4, 2005” and today is April 3, 2005 so I’m cutting it close. I live in the same region as this brewery so I gave it a try since fresher beer is better beer. An unfiltered wheat beer was my first “premium” brew, a Franziskaner given to me by my German friend Frank Neubert. I always give unfiltered beers a good swirl. Beautiful color head went quick but it might be my pour. Really does smell like banana, I don’t usually pick up fruits and such in the flavors. Good body. Tastes rich and complex, hops and malts pronounced. Alcohol is well hidden by the rich flavor; this could really creep up on you. I definitely recommended this brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2005 02:52:04 | More by StevenZubler

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

mahargcornsilk

Pennsylvania

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

reddish color, can't really tell since the lighting sucks...this has a really interesting head though, big and foamy and almost looks alive

smells...like a big wheat beer, bannanas, yeast, etc...getting excited

the taste isn't really what I was expecting and is surprisingly light ( I guess since I assumed it would be bockish) really nice and complex, very tasty

mouthfeel is really smooth and just spot on

drink is decent

Victory you never fail to impress me...I wish this was a year-round release

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 02:04:54 | More by mahargcornsilk

artistsatwork

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had 2 of these from brewers Bill and Ron and went looking for fun.

The cat and dog both ran away.
Lucky I know where they sleep.
They will wish they had one too.
Don't report me to the ASPCA.
Beer brews love.

A seasonal beer to look forward to acquiring each year from Downingtown's best.

This is the best of Victory's weiss offerings.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2006 22:54:08 | More by artistsatwork

daubelbrew

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Aroma - starts off with big banana and a hint of clove spiciness, mellows to a malty sweet nutty banana combination - like liquid banana nut bread.

Pours a medium brown with a finger's width of light tan head. Head sticks around a while, leaving a bit of lacing on the glass.

Taste - fruity banana with some nuttiness in the flavour. Not a lot of phenols (clove). Has a malty sweet finish. Much more flavor as it warms up.

Body is lighter than expected but probably due to the effervescent carbonation. Again, body increases to a medium full body as it warms.

This is a yummy beer in the bottle (almost as good as it is on draft at the source) and is therefore dangerous at almost 9% abv.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2007 18:23:32 | More by daubelbrew

MikefromDormont

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a reddish brown and was cloudy with a good deal of suspended yeast particles floating about my glass. A creamy tan head was present following the pour. I detected an aroma that was a mix of sour apples, banana and spices. This beer's flavor was tart and there were traces of sour apple and banana flavors.

When I first started sampling this seasonal beer, I ran into some bottles that had gone sour even they weren't that old and had been well cared for after they'd been purchased. Victory seems to have improved their quality control with respect to this beer since I've not had a bad sample in the last couple of years. This beer has a unique taste and is not for every beer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2007 21:57:00 | More by MikefromDormont

irishman646

District of Columbia

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

Poured into an Aventinus glass, I sure wish this beer came in half liter bottles to match wiess glasses.

Appearance- Pours a nice pale yellow with a hint of blood orange color. Quite beatiful. The beer itself is a cloudy brownish-blood orange color at the edges, fading to a deeper brown in the middle. Quite nice, not as muddy looking as an Aventinues.

Smell- This beer marries perfectly the smell of malty bocks and Hefeweizens. Sugary cookie like malts and the scents of banana and clove hit the nose at the same time. Interestingly enough I get the scent of grapefruits like in some DIPA's. Actually, as the beer warms the Hefe characteristics in the nose fade and the grapefruit notes intensify.

Taste- The clove hits the tongue first as usual with this style. It's powdery and peppery, nice.

Mouthfeel- The mouthfeel was a bit thin when I cracked this beer but now that I've given it some time it has really improved. It gently coats the tongue without becoming too thick. The carbonation lightly tickles the front of the tongue and then steps aside. An accompishment that really helps the beer shine, even a little overcarbonation would have ruined this beer.

Drinkability- The 8.7% is hidden pretty well. I think I could handle two but no more.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2008 02:58:28 | More by irishman646

Foamster

New York

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

Just enjoyed this on a cool summer's day, even though this is a "fall" beer.

Another great beer from these guys. They never disappoint.
That unidentifiable flavor? Licorice! Enough said. World class,, 4.5 in taste and mouthfeel (4.5), 4 in appearance and smell.

The appearance and smell were modest, self-effacing -- which made the outstanding taste and mouthfeel that much more enjoyable and surprising.

Nothing more to say except - make this the first beer of your day. Savor it.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 19:57:17 | More by Foamster

mboland67

Florida

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

First off I have to admit that when I first had this beer it was only half a glass and I didn't like it. However, I felt I needed to revisit it when I wasn't rushed and all.

I poured into a pint glass, very nice color of reddish brown with about a 1 inch head. A lot of nice unfiltered goodies came out of the end of the pour which is something I really enjoy. Bananas are definitely at forefront with a nice sharp smell of cherries. Mouthfeel is very good and smooth. I would say this is a very drinkable beer without any type of burn. I like it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2005 15:20:39 | More by mboland67

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

djramage

Pennsylvania

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

Served on-tap in a standard pint glass.

Fragrance was fruity and spicy. Appearance was clear, however, visible "chunks" of yeast liberally floating about.

Taste was exceptional, with alternating flavors of strong spices and sweet overtones. Strong finish.

Truly a wonderful beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2011 22:31:03 | More by djramage

inkandpen

New York

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours beautifully cloudy, with quite a bit of yeast from the bottle (tried it both with and without the yeast, and prefer with). The head doesn't stick around long. Aroma carries strong scents of wheat and bannanas, which carry over to the taste. Sweet and complex, with a lot of fruitiness. The bottle I had was a bit over-carbonated, and the sharpness of the bubbles detracted from the otherwise creamy mouthfeel-- it was better after sitting a bit, but at first bubbled along like a Sprite! Too complicated (and too high an APV!) for a session, but high on my list of after-dinner beers for the season.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 16:23:42 | More by inkandpen

FCasale

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A - Poured from bottle into a standard pint glass. Deep, cloudy mahogany color. Impressive off-white head with a good size and excellent lacing - very creamy.

S - I get bananas, clove, bubble-gum, and a hint of the relatively high ABV. Other spices present too.

T - A lot of malt upfront, followed by the fruity-sweetness of the yeast. A warm, yet mild alcohol bite finishes this one up. No evidence of any hops or bitterness whatsoever. Moonglow is definitely a complex brew with a lot to offer. Reminds me of Franziskaner (Hefeweizen) with a kick.

M - Expected a thick, syrupy mouth feel from the alcoholic content, but I was surprised with a smooth, light to medium mouth feel. Lightly carbonated.

D - I could definitely have two or three of these before the sweetness, let alone the high ABV, would get to me. Wouldn't consider Moonglow a session beer, but it's surely a nice start to the night!

Another masterpiece by Victory!

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 01:27:57 | More by FCasale