Victory and Daleside beers "monkey around"

The Beer Geek: Red, white and blue beers combine for inaugural celebration

Welcome back. Welcome back to campus, welcome back to Maine, welcome back to America. Regardless of where you've been for the past one or six months, you may have noticed some national changes over the past couple of days. What better way to celebrate the new semester in Maine and our new president then with some local brews with a patriotic theme?

The Beer Geek: As harbingers of spring, brewery conjures "magical" beers

If Willy Wonka really existed, he would not own a chocolate factory. Instead, he would run a large microbrewery in Burlington, Vermont, doing many of the magical things that he is told to do in legend, but with beer. Magic Hat Brewing Company is, by all standards, a successful hippie brewing company. It is constantly creating one-time only brews, and provides infinite fan-submitted wisdom under each of its bottle caps (examples below). The art on the box of the Spring Fever Variety Pack is a half-bird/half-guitarist with a Mardi Gras mask and number nine pants—an appropriate mascot for any promotion for this brewery.

The Beer Geek

Victory and Daleside beers "monkey around"

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Mac Evans

Columnist

February 6, 2009

Margot D. Miller

GO BANANAS: Daleside’s Monkey Wrench and Victory’s Golden Monkey, despite their names, are differently brewed beers. Monkey Wrench is a dark ale and Golden Monkey is a triple-brewed Belgian.

It's probably just me, but recently I've seen a ton of references to Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. In honor of the little guy who wanted to be more than just a monkey and to attain powers comparable to—if not more powerful than—the gods of heaven, I chose a couple of beers that will pay tribute to this mythological figure.

Victory Golden Monkey

Golden Monkey is a Belgian triple brewed at Victory Brewing in Downingtown, Pa. Victory Brewing is a beer mecca for anyone in the Philadelphia area, and for awhile the only way Pennsylvania residents from Bowdoin could enjoy their beer was to get it from Pennsylvania and bring it up. Only recently has Victory become accessible up north at nearby Bootleggers, where I found Golden Monkey.

The beer hits the nose from the bottle well before drinking it, and the smell alone could get you drunk. At 9.5 percent, it is a strong brew not for the faint of heart (or alcohol tolerance).

This beer is an interesting take on the Belgian. It starts off as very light, then hits you with some bitterness, and finally a certain spiciness not found in monasteries. The aftertaste bookends the drink similar to the smell—alcoholic but sweet, a hint of banana. I really enjoy this take on the Belgian triple, and I can see how Victory is as popular as it is.

Daleside Brewery Monkey Wrench

This dark ale is a product of England. Its name is derived from a strange legend involving the demise of a monkey who floated ashore in war-time Britain speaking a foreign language. The monkey of the legend was thought to be a spy and was put to an untimely end, so the brewers wanted to pay homage to that monkey.

The beer itself is a nice balanced brown ale that goes down very easily and enjoyably. It's malty with some overtones of caramel, chocolate, and nuttiness typical of brown ales. It's easy to drink, but on the other hand it doesn't really have anything memorable or spectacular that sets it apart.

Both beers are available at Bootleggers, and both are a little on the pricey side. The Golden Monkey is an interesting interpretation of a triple ale, and I'm glad to see Victory Brewing making its appearance in Maine.

Although I recommend both beers, I have to admit that I would have preferred getting cheaper versions of both of them, and a trip to Bootleggers will open up the possibilities of many different brown ales and triples to try.

Comments are permanently closed.