Day 11 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 11: Victory Brewing Company Merry Monkey
Our first (and only) Belgian beer on the calendar this year. We’re familiar with Golden Monkey so it’ll be interesting to see the Christmas version of this. From Victory: “This belgian-style holiday ale combines the beloved flavor profile of golden monkey with notes of cranberry, orange peel, cinnamon and nutmeg to deliver a delightfully smooth finish, perfect for merry gatherings with family and friends.”
Reflections
Ben: This is fantastic. It’s everything I want in a Christmas beer: boozy, warming, slightly spicy. Victory does big beers very, very well. They have to if one of their flagships is a giant Belgian. This is no different. I will definitely be purchasing this again, along with the other Belgians I normally dive into this time of year.
Julia: It’s been so long since I had a Belgian beer, I really missed them. I was excited to try this because I’m a fan of Victory, especially Golden Monkey. I’m happy to say that this did not disappoint! It’s rich, flavorful but not heavy at all on the spices. I honestly don’t get too many spices, so some people may be disappointed. It does give off Chrismtasy vibes, probably because we usually have some Christmas Belgians on the list. It’s so smooth and I just want to keep drinking this all night. This will be a Christmas staple in our house for sure.
Adam: Haul out the freaking holly this beer reminds me of Christmas. It is warming (what’s up 10% ABV) and I get the cranberry and orange and that fabulous Belgium boozy notes. This is what mad elf wishes it could be. Let’s get holibombed!
Alex: Victory Merry Monkey is delicious. I love Belgian beer, and this is one has a fun holiday twist. It has a nice amount spice and I can taste the cranberry and orange peel as well. I would absolutely drink this again, and probably even bring into the regular holiday rotation.
Scott: A brewery named Victory completely lived up to its name. This Merry Monkey is un-freakin-believable and is one of the best Christmas ales in a while. It’s spicy, sweet, full-flavored and just flat out awesome. I would like this beer to be #’s 12-25.
Christa: Wow, this is incredible. I love this beer. This is a delightfully subtle beer but with a big flavor profile. It doesn’t blend into the beer we’ve tried, it stands out significantly. I love the sweet and spicy flavor in this one and will be drinking this one again and again.
Tony: Oooh hello! Thats nice Clark, real nice! 👌 This is a good one. Smells hoppy, nice light orange color when you pour. Upon first sip you get the citrus of the orange peel and then the spices join in and its all very well balanced. To me thats the key to a good holiday beer is the balance. Everything works together beautifully on this one. 10% will definitely get you feelin good too. This one is delicious, would highly recommend grabbin this if you see it at the store! 🍻
Megan: I don’t think I’ve ever tried Merry Monkey before but I will most definitely look out for this one again! You get the cinnamon, orange and cranberry. It has a sweetness but not over powering and it’s well balanced and smells delightful. It sets itself as different from the pack in taste and flavors. I could drink this easily which could get me in trouble at 10% ABV. This is in my top so far.
Brad: I’ve come to really enjoy Victory beers after visiting the brewery a year ago and am happy we found this Merry Monkey holiday Belgian. Holidays, Belgians, 10% ABV, what could go wrong? The bottle says it contains all the staple holiday spices but all I taste is the normal flavors in the Belgians I’ve come to love. I am not picking up on the flavors it talks about. Maybe a slight hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, but that’s all. It actually tastes identical to Golden Monkey in my opinion, but then again, I’m not a pro. I would happily consume more of these and make sure I have a ride home from the bar, or restaurant or friends’ houses we can’t go to in 2020.
Side note, I was looking at some reviews and this one stuck out to me. I hope this beer guru is just being silly. “Taste: It has flavors of pear, cranberry, earthen element, grainy sweetness and floral. It also has a hint of perfume with apple and a very low level of pine.”
Heather: Yeeeesssss Victory. YES! I am a big fan of Belgian ales and a big fan of Victory Brewery, so this is my jingle-JAM. I taste the right amount of nutmeg to make it a holiday version of their signature labels. I could absolutely get myself into trouble with this one with the high ABV and superior drinkability. When we finally emerge out of the dark solitude of 2020 and can have parties again, I can see this being on the nice list for Decembers to come. Well done, Merry Monkey!!