Beer Review: Victory Golden Monkey

I’m gonna get this out of the way first, this beer is my overall favorite beer. I underline my and overall because this is my opinion and because it is my favorite when all aspects of the beer are considered. I’ll go into more detail on this in a bit, just wanted to let people know where I stand on this beer and where this review is headed.

Brewery: Victory Brewing Co.
Beer: Golden Monkey
Style: Belgian Tripel
Alcohol by Volume: 9.5%
Ingredients: 2-row pale malt, European whole flowers, imported Belgian yeast

Great dirty gold color with a slight bit of white head that goes away fast. It almost seems to glow when held up to the light.

The smell isn’t that powerful but has a nice subtle presence of floral hops and bready malt. I can’t get quite enough of the hop aroma to really pick out what flavors are going on there.

It hits my tongue with a touch of spice and pineapple hop flavors. There is a nice malt profile of bread and hint of caramel that mixes in with a honey like sugary sweetness.

Ultra smooth and creamy mouthfeel with a medium body and a very warming alcohol presence.

As I started off with saying, this beer is my overall favorite beer and here’s why:

• Quality – See my reviewing notes above for this and add in the consistency of this beer over the 6+ years I’ve been drinking it.
• Price & Availability: $10 a 6-pack available at all better beer stores in the area plus many Kroger’s and various convenience stores around the area
• Strength: 9.5% in a 12-oz bottle of easy drinking booze.
• Style: Belgian styles are by far my favorite style, this isn’t the best Belgian by any means at all, but it’s the most affordable and is damn good!
• Experience/history: This was my third “craft” beer. I started drinking it before I enjoyed good beer like I do now. Back then I was drinking to get drunk, this beer definitely got me drunk plus it tasted great.
• All that and a badass logo! I usually don’t get into beer logos that much, but I just love the gold Buddhist monkey statue with the crazy eye in its belly. Plus you get that whole monk/ey thing which gives you something to ponder when you’re wasted on 3 or 4 of these.

Now I want to level with everyone. This beer is not the best of anything at all. There are FAR better Belgian ales, disturbingly cheaper beers (craft & otherwise) and while it is on the high side of average strength it’s still only half of a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

With all that said if you haven’t had one of these yet go out there and get a 6-pack. I have yet to meet anyone who was disappointed by and didn’t have a good time with the monkey!