Barrel-Aged Rosé Monkey
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown

 

 

 

500ml bottle into a pint glass. Bottled 5/9/19, so a little over a year old. Shared with friend greg.

Looks great in the glass, clear whiskey amber colored body. Small white head which quickly shrinks to a ring and faint covering.

Interesting slightly boozy winey aroma.

On tasting, the wine barrel aging is quite prominent. A little floral. Slightly oaky and a little bitter right towards the end.

Mouth leaning towards full, a touch foamy, and a warm oaky bitterness finish.

Overall, nice beer, interesting to muse over a year after bottling. Thanks greg!

 

$ 9.00 (Including tax)/500 mL bottle ($0.533/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. Reviewed 10/25/19.
“Bottled on 29 May 2019” stamped in painfully tiny white letters on the edge of the front label. Stored on the shelf at the store, stored and served at 50 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Yellow, clear. Second pour is a bit hazy.
Body – Light orange, slight haze. Second pour produces a darker orange nearly opaque body.
Head – Large (Maximum 6.5 cm, aggressive center pour), off-white, high density initially with the bubbles rapidly breaking to form a medium density head, average duration, diminishing to an eighteen to twenty-five mm irregular torn curtain crown with a rocky thin partial cap.
Lacing – Excellent! Wide bands of tiny to small bubbles with large chambers, connected by wide columns.
Aroma – 3.75 – Generally weak with some vinous cherry. No hint of barrels.
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins slightly sweet with a cherry fruitiness. Ends slightly vinous. Again, no overt barrels. No alcohol (9.5% ABV) flavor or aroma, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide. Slight gastric warming eventually occurs.
Palate – 3 – Medium, just short of creamy, soft carbonation. Typical of a tripel.
Final impression and summation: 3.75. A decent tripel, much better than the base beer (Golden Monkey). While some vinous character is noted (from the chardonnay barrels, no doubt), no other hint of barrels is present. IMHO, the best of the mutated Monkeys. My fruit fly drinking buddy approves.

 

 

 

Poured from a tall bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Opaque dark golden pour with a bit of pink as you hold it up to the light. Thick fluffy off-white head. Outstanding lacing

S: Sweet and yeasty... Rosé wine and fruit.

T.F: Sweet up front... a bit of yeast and ester. White/Rosé wine and grape juice. Not a lot of oak or funk... more juicy and fruit. Definitely some cherry mixed in. Sticky on the tongue and well carbonated.

O: Not nearly as good/complex as the 'White Monkey' but still enjoyable... more of a sweet grape juice tripel than wine. Only picks up a bit of the Rosé character and not much barrel/oak.

 

A - Dark rose gold color with soapy white lacing and light carbonation.

S - Sweet honey with white grape and cherry aroma with a hit of spice.

T - Pretty much sweet honey malt and cherry from start to finish and finishes sweet. The cherry comes across as a little tart.

M - Thick and slick on the palate with a wet finish.

O - Decent, but I prefer the regular Golden Monkey.