Victory Brewing Company Golden Monkey

**Aroma:** “Beautiful aroma with notes of banana, tree fruits, cloves, black pepper, and honey. Light spice and fruit. Herbal hops aroma, with an ester profile that is Belgian but doesn’t seem like one of the classic strains. Lemony accents suggest coriander or perhaps even a touch of lemon zest.” **Flavor:** “Crisp carbonic character compliments the spice notes of clove, banana, and pepper. An unusual Belgian yeast profile offers lychee, peach, and a little bit of spice. Malt is there, but in a supporting role. Herbal/grassy hops flavor is moderate and more British than Continental. Tends toward the sweeter side of the style.” **Overall:** “A textbook tripel. Checks every box: nice spice, Belgian yeast, sweet maltiness with a dry finish, fruity alcohols, and all present in a well-balanced package with good level of bitterness and carbonation.”

**Aroma:** “Very fruity ester, mostly ba- nana, but also white grapes. Herbal hops and hints of black pepper with moderate toasty malt and mild clove phenol. White Concord grapes and honey right away on the nose, and a bit of inspection yields subtle hints of Concord grapes and honey. Grape jelly.” **Flavor:** “More Concord grape jelly along with some grainy sweetness. Mild clove phenol along with some alcohol dryness. Spicy, herbal hops bitterness melds with the yeast expression and high cara- bonation to lead to a long, cleansing, balanced finish. The alcohol presence is very fruity.” **Overall:** “Interesting take on a tripel. The malt presence and carbonation level are what you’d expect, but the typical spicy fruitiness from the Belgian yeast is replaced with a unique grape-like profile. It’s surprising just how creamy this is on the tongue. It’s an almost nitro-like texture.”

“Aroma is a little off, funky but in an unpleasant way. Pungent ester and spice in the aroma. Slightly rubbery. Thin mouthfeel, slightly alcoholic, strawberry-banana flavor in the back with damp earth-flavored hops and light spiced hop flavor.”