Tap/Bottle – Bottle
Only twice I’ve subjected myself to high potency beers: La Fin Du Monde and Sam Adam’s Imperial Pilsner. Usually, I avoid anything over 5 or 6% when I’m out and about, and this past Tuesday I was tricked.
Victory Brewing is one of the new lines of beers to have been added to Strangebrew’s roster. After a pint of delicious Bass, I decided to try one of the new offerings. Based on name alone, I chose the Golden Monkey Ale. What I envisioned and what I got were two different things. The words ‘golden ale’ usually bring up thoughts of a calm summer afternoon, but not this time.
The beer was served in a 12 ounce bottle; this should have been a hint. Second, the aroma was a little off. Finally, after a quarter of the bottle, I read the label: 9.5% alcohol by volume. Suddenly, I felt the urge to consume more nachos.
If you managed to try Sam Adam’s Imperial Pilsner last fall, it was intensely hoppy. Golden Monkey can be likened to the Imperial Pilsner, yet it tasted slightly better due to whatever spices Victory mixed in the brew.
The one characteristic of beers that are 9% or above is that they all begin to taste similar. Due to the alcohol content it really dilutes the flavor, and you can’t taste much else. This is why I avoid high alcohol beers.
Halfway through the bottle the flavor smoothed out a bit. I managed to finish it and peel off the label for future reference. For beers like this, you often need the right mindset before you pop the top, not totally be taken by surprise. I’m intrigued to try more by Victory Brewing; I just hope that the rest of their line isn’t so intimidating.
Tweet This Post 
