This beer is absolutely unlike anything else we've ever tasted. In fact, when we first tried it a few years ago, we hated it! But now that our taste in beer has grown up a bit, we decided to give this spicy, fruity beer another shot.
Beer Details - Golden Monkey from Victory Brewing Company in Downington, Pennsylvania. This is a Belgian-style tripel ale, meaning that it is brewed with triple the amount of malts typical of Belgian ales. (9.5% ABV)
Appearance - The beer is a rich gold color and very clear in the glass. It has a bubbly, foamy head and we can see beads of carbonation streaming up through the liquid.
Aroma - Spicy and heady. The aroma reminds us a lot of mead! We also get a strong yeastiness, like rising bread dough.
Taste - Oh, wow, was ever a different experience than the first time we tried this beer! Right away, we tasted honey and ginger: sweet, spicy, and hot. This transitioned into a brown sugar and fresh orange juice flavor with a nice balance of bitterness at the end. We could definitely taste the heat from the alcohol on the tongue and in the throat after a few sips, but the alcohol is otherwise very well-hidden.
It has a creamy, full-bodied feeling in our mouths. There's a lot of carbonation, which gives the beer a crispness that works well with the heavy malts and keeps them from being overwhelming.
Our overall impression is that this is a big, complex beer. Every sip seemed to reveal something new and interesting, especially as the beer warmed up a bit. We haven't had a lot of other tripels to compare this too, but our reaction is positive. This isn't one that we'd keep stocked in our fridge for everyday drinking, but it's a good choice for special occasions.
Food Pairings - There's so much going on in this Golden Monkey that we wouldn't want to pair it with anything that would distract or complicate. A basic dinner salad with an acidic dressing would go really well, as would simple steamed fish or other seafood. It would also pair very well with caramel and nut-based desserts. Definitely try it on it's own, too!
Have you ever tried Golden Monkey? What do you think?
Related: Beer Guide: All About Pale Ales
(Image: Victory Brewing Company)
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I once drank far too much of this beer for my own good. I've tried to drink it a few times since then, but can't escape the unpleasant taste-triggered flashbacks. sad!
I used to live in PA, and Golden Monkey was available everywhere in bottles. Very delicious, and incredibly strong punch. Order it with a glass of water and cleanse your palate frequently. I'd recommend it with heavier, greasier bar fare, actually. Well-salted fries would be an excellent match.
I second kodaly, after getting wasted off this beer once, I haven't been able to stomach it since! Too bad : ( I'm guessing it's much more enjoyable when not chugging by the 6-pack.
As an aside: I really like the glass in this photo. Where is it from?
@sarah9876 - They're Reidel "O" glasses and I got them at Williams-Sonoma. Supposedly they're only for drinking merlot, but...shh...don't tell.
Sounds good; I'll have to seek it out!
I live in Philadelphia so there's always Golden Monkey around, but oddly I can't drink it when the weather is warm. It's a perfect winter/fall beer to me.
Good ol' Victory in our hometown of Downingtown, PA.
Stop in some time and try their other Belgians - Abbey 6 and Abbey 8 for a single/double taste to compare to GMonkey.
Leave with a couple of bottles of V12. Just don't finish them both off on the same day!
I'm very, very fortunate to have in-laws that live a few blocks away from the Victory Brewery, so over Thanksgiving we availed ourselves of many different kinds of beer--including Golden Monkey. I strongly suggest making a trek out there if you're in the Philly area, because the food is great, the beer is fantastic, and somehow the prices are extremely reasonable to boot.
Philly loves Golden Monkey. It's my go-to in a beer bar unless there's something else I haven't tried. If you like the complex flavor, try Troeg's Mad Elf (from Harrisburg).
LOVE this beer. If you live in Columbus, Ohio - they have it at Bodega!
Golden Monkey is superb, as are most tripels. Just don't drink too much, because it's around 9% ABV.