{"id":361,"date":"2010-03-08T15:38:37","date_gmt":"2010-03-08T21:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tombedell.com\/?p=361"},"modified":"2014-10-05T10:02:01","modified_gmt":"2014-10-05T16:02:01","slug":"tap-beer-of-the-week-10-victory-golden-monkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/361\/tap-beer-of-the-week-10-victory-golden-monkey","title":{"rendered":"TAP Beer of the Week: Victory Golden Monkey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>As mentioned last week, we\u2019re filling up a fantasy 12-pack of beers from brewers who will be represented at the May 22, 2010 Brattleboro Brewers Festival<\/a>. This, our second beer, will be poured at the festival, although I\u2019ve been pouring it quite a bit lately anyway, ever since Victory began distributing here in Vermont in late December.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ron (left) and Bill<\/p><\/div>\n

The brewery has been operating since 1996, although the genesis goes way back to when co-founders and owners Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski met on a school bus in fifth grade. They\u2019ve had a good ride ever since.<\/p>\n

That Golden Monkey did not crack the top ten in the recent New York Times<\/em> tasting of Belgian-style golden ales (some actually from Belgium) suggests two things to me.\u00a0One is that the category is awfully broad.\u00a0The second is that there are a lot of tasty Belgian-style golden ales out there.<\/p>\n

It seems obvious that the model for Golden Monkey is Duvel, a beer which the late Michael Jackson dubbed a world classic, although it, too, failed to crack the NYT<\/em> panel\u2019s top ten.\u00a0(What\u2019s wrong<\/em> with them?)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Both beers are indeed golden, looking for all the world like unexcitingly tame pale lagers.\u00a0Both are ales, both are anything but unexciting, redolent of spices and fruit, particularly pear notes.\u00a0They\u2019re peppery and effervescent on the tongue, refreshing and delicious, and both will cut a drinker off at the knees if not mindful of their hidden wallop. One 12-ounce bottle is enough to begin working some magic.\u00a0If I had a Duvel on hand I would taste the two side by side for purposes of research.\u00a0Then I would take a nap.<\/p>\n

Soldiering on with just Golden Monkey is not a hardship. Victory calls Golden Monkey a tripel, perhaps because of the spices it adds, or perhaps, as Will Doak, my man on the ground in Pennsylvania puts it, to make a play on the monk in monkey:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the flag for Golden Monkey, inside the pub, says something about enlightenment.\u00a0But after a few Golden Monkeys, I’d be your man on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will, who lives ten minutes from it, reports that, \u201cBusiness at Victory’s renovated brewpub is booming. It\u2019s hard to find a parking place.\u201d If lucky enough to find a space and get inside, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to hear your wife, even in your good ear.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife, Andrea Botts, is also a beer nut, making Will lucky in love.\u00a0\u201cAndrea went through a long phase of drinking Golden Monkey, but has moved on; she’s now quite a fan of Victory’s Fest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>There\u2019s certainly plenty to move on to.\u00a0Victory probably cycles through 30 different beer styles in a year\u2019s time, though some are available only at the brewpub in Downingtown.\u00a0But along with typical year-round beers like HopDevil, Hop Wallop, Prima Pils, Storm King Stout, are seasonal and specials that take no prisoners.<\/p>\n

Among those birthday bottles my brother picked out for me were Victory\u2019s WildDevil and V-Twelve.\u00a0The latter is a Belgian-style strong ale that tops 12% ABV, and which I haven\u2019t had yet since I don\u2019t dare drink it alone.\u00a0The WildDevil is the company\u2019s HopDevil fermented with a Brettanomyces yeast strain (one strain for the draft version, three strains for the bottled version). Here it seems obvious that the model is Orval, a Belgian Trappist classic.\u00a0And again, the homage seems righteous.<\/p>\n

Name: \u00a0Golden Monkey
\nBrewer: Victory Brewing Company, Downington, Pennsylvania
\nStyle: Belgian-style Golden Ale or Triple
\nABV: 9.5%
\nAvailability: Year-round, 30 states
\nFor More Information: victorybeer.com<\/p>\n

Related Post: TAP Beer of the Week: Victory V-12<\/a><\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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