Agreed. Only 1 of the 5 Monkey branded beers is anything like a traditional Tripel. One is an IPA, the only thing in common is the 9.5% abv. I interpret their intended marketing message as "these will get you drunk", which is sad. https://victorybeer.com/show-me-the-monkeys/
It says that Golden Monkey uses a Belgian yeast? They must have changed up the recipe, because IIRC it originally used a hefeweizen yeast that they pitched and fermented in a way that it sorta tasted Belgian. Last time I had Storm King was as a Silverback- half Golden Monkey, half Storm king. Back in 2016 at the brewery.
There was a bunch at the Bottle King in Glen Ridge when I was shopping last weekend before going down to Philly for the Eagles game, so it is in-state.
The recipe for Golden Monkey was indeed changed but that was quite some time ago (many years ago). I don't know if changing the yeast strain was part of the 'update'. The present day Golden Monkey is a high quality Tripel IMO. I was not a fan of the old Golden Monkey. Cheers!
Golden Monkey is indeed really nice, my only "complaint" being the carbonation not being high enough... It comes across a bit heavier than I like with my Tripel, personally. I always think about getting a keg of it and carbing it up to proper levels...!
So pumped to have this back, excellent value too… $11.99 a six is unheard of right now for a beer like this.
Picked up a 6 pack canned. Last time I had a SK was at their Downingtown brewery years ago. It seems more bitter and took me quite a while to drink one. Opens up as it gets warmer. Kept wondering what hop made it on the bitter side. Maybe lots of magnum early and late additions. A nice sipper watching the game.
First can i had was nothing like the second The second one was outstanding and really reminded me of Old Rasputin . Solid offering and can't thank Jphisher enough. I think I'll grab a six pack of this
Storm King is typically a hoppy beer (including bitterness) when fresh. Cellaring this beer for a year+ will soften the hop expression of this beer. Cheers!
