White Monkey
Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Tripel Rotating|
Score
7.18
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Golden Monkey aged in Chardonnay barrels.
“Our Golden Monkey is beloved by many, so we anticipate some heartfelt responses to our intriguing transformation of this beer,” expressed Victory brewmaster Bill Covaleski. “The wine barrel aging has had a substantial and delicious impact on the Golden Monkey.”
Approximately 100 oak barrels that once held chardonnay varietal white wine from Wente Vineyards of Livermore, CA were filled with Golden Monkey and aged at ambient temperatures in the Downingtown brewery for 3 months. This process is an extension of an experiment dating back 6 years prior, when a single oak barrel once holding white wine from local vintner, Chaddsford Winery, was used in a similar manner to produce a test batch which never left the brewery. Deemed delicious by Victory brewmasters and brewing staff, the White Monkey project was made possible through a collaborative partnership with Wente Vineyards.
“Our Golden Monkey is beloved by many, so we anticipate some heartfelt responses to our intriguing transformation of this beer,” expressed Victory brewmaster Bill Covaleski. “The wine barrel aging has had a substantial and delicious impact on the Golden Monkey.”
Approximately 100 oak barrels that once held chardonnay varietal white wine from Wente Vineyards of Livermore, CA were filled with Golden Monkey and aged at ambient temperatures in the Downingtown brewery for 3 months. This process is an extension of an experiment dating back 6 years prior, when a single oak barrel once holding white wine from local vintner, Chaddsford Winery, was used in a similar manner to produce a test batch which never left the brewery. Deemed delicious by Victory brewmasters and brewing staff, the White Monkey project was made possible through a collaborative partnership with Wente Vineyards.
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7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
750 c&c from Craftshack. Pours translucent gold with a white head. Aroma is oaky and slightly winey. Med body. Flavor is mildly citrus, winey and woody. Very pleasant, tho missing fruity esters of the standard tripels. Not strongly flavored, but tasty.
Tried
on 01 Dec 2014
at 12:55
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
750 ml bottle. Aroma is mostly white wine with oak barrel. Appearance is hazy gold with a orange hue. Some head retention in the snifter.
Flavors shows musky grapes, chardonnay wine, wet oak leading into a very dry finish. Not sure how the wine barrel helps the base beer. In fact this is more like drinking a cheap chardonnay rather than a Belgian Triple. If you like white wine this is drinkable, otherwise I would skip it.
Flavors shows musky grapes, chardonnay wine, wet oak leading into a very dry finish. Not sure how the wine barrel helps the base beer. In fact this is more like drinking a cheap chardonnay rather than a Belgian Triple. If you like white wine this is drinkable, otherwise I would skip it.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Nov 2014
at 15:37
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
3rd September 2014
Almost clear gold beer, decent white head. Smooth palate, mild fine carbonation. Smooth malts, light cream and a trace of honey. Mild vanilla oak and mild grape. Good white wine tang. Well integrated mild orange. Pinch of spice. Finishes smooth and semi dry. Mild winey linger. Lovely stuff, really nicely joined up and the last mouthful was as good as the first, lovely.
Almost clear gold beer, decent white head. Smooth palate, mild fine carbonation. Smooth malts, light cream and a trace of honey. Mild vanilla oak and mild grape. Good white wine tang. Well integrated mild orange. Pinch of spice. Finishes smooth and semi dry. Mild winey linger. Lovely stuff, really nicely joined up and the last mouthful was as good as the first, lovely.
Tried
on 07 Sep 2014
at 15:01
4.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 3
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4
Bottle. Almost clear golden liquid with medium white head. Aroma of dill, butter, jenka, grain and sugar. Taste is light sweet and light bitter with notes of jenka, butter and dill. Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation. Really bad.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Aug 2014
at 11:54
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottled, from Systembolaget. Clear deep golden, brief head. Malty nose covered in raisins and oaked white wine. Sweet with full body and rounded mouthfeel. Lots of white wine and oak. Warming finish with low bitterness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Aug 2014
at 13:41
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
750 ml bottle into chalice, bottled on 3/14/2014. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep gold color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas lemon, orange zest, golden raisin, pear, apple, apricot, white wine, vanilla, oak, coriander, clove, pepper, candi sugar, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of fruity/spicy yeast , wine barrel, moderate malt sweetness; with good strength. Taste of lemon, orange zest, golden raisin, pear, apple, apricot, white wine, vanilla, oak, coriander, clove, pepper, candi sugar, herbal, and yeast/oak earthiness. Good amount of earthy spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange zest, golden raisin, pear, apple, apricot, white wine, oak, clove, pepper, herbal, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and pale malt sweetness; with a great crisp malt/yeast/oak flavor balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and slightly tannic mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged tripel. All around great complexity and balance fruity/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and pale malt sweetness; and very smooth and crisp to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Aug 2014
at 18:50
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottled:
Pours clear, deep amber with a mid-sized, lacing head.
Aroma is nettles, bourbon and white wine.
The taste is toffee, nettles, bourbon, oak barrells and white wine. Somewhat harsh alcohol finish.
Pours clear, deep amber with a mid-sized, lacing head.
Aroma is nettles, bourbon and white wine.
The taste is toffee, nettles, bourbon, oak barrells and white wine. Somewhat harsh alcohol finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Aug 2014
at 10:59
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle bought @ Systembolaget. Pours hazy deep golden with a rather small frothy and slightly fizzy offwhite head that quickly dissipates without leaving much trace on the glass. Smell is sweet, estery and phenolic with biscuits, Chardonnay wine, marzipan covered baked pears, banana bread, moist hay, white grapes, moist wood, glue and hints of alcohol. Taste is slightly sweet, tiny sour, estery and phenolic with biscuits, marzipan, baked pears, hay, white grapes, moist wood, leather, white pepper corns, coriander, lemon zest, white raisins and hints of Chardonnay wine. Mouthfeel is soft, round, tiny tart, tiny boozy and medium to full bodied. Finish is tiny sweet, tiny sour, estery and phenolic with biscuits, baked pears, lemon zest, marzipan, moist wood, white grapes, hay and white raisins. Quite nice white wine BA characteristics but a bit too marzipan and baked pears focused. --- Beer merged from original tick of Victory White Monkey on 23 Dec 2015 at 20:52 - Score: 7. Original review text: X-mas vacation is finally here. Had with "tacos". Nice white wine character. Solid!
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Jul 2014
at 12:50
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle thanks to hubsluvsbeer: Poured a copper orange with creamy off white head. Aroma is winey. Taste is strong with vanilla, wine, fruit. Overpowering at first but nice finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jul 2014
at 20:30
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Barcade, Brooklyn tap: Pours cloudy orange with a white head. Aroma is wood, wine, citrus, and spice. Taste has the barrel-aged flavors kind of overwhelm the the Golden Monkey. The wood tastes are quite strong in this one, as is the taste of grapes. This was interesting.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 Jun 2014
at 06:56