Aug

19

Beer Review: Golden Monkey (aka The Nectar of the Gods)

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Golden Monkey BeerI don’t know about the rest of you, but I have a hard time listening to wine snobs tell me about beer. It makes me think of when it was fashionable for a ballplayer to try his hand at two pro-sports at once. Sure, you could pull a Deion and hit a homerun and score a touchdown in the same week, but lets face it. You should stick to the sport that best strokes your ego. So no offense vinojoe, but I’ll take it from here. See, I roam the streets of Philly. A beer town. We love beer so much we’ve turned the shelled-out breweries of yesteryear into unnervingly stylish living spaces, our yeast lust throwing down any monetary amount for such a living as well. Our deli’s serve up over 360 different varieties. Our gastropubs create menus around the decadence that is … beer.

So here’s how we kick this off, Giacometti’s Rules to Neverfail (when ordering a beer). Rule #38: If there’s a “monkey” in the title, odds are you’ll enjoy it. Exception: unless living off the land for survival, I think you may want to avoid Monkey Piss

Case in point. Victory Brewery’s Golden Monkey. Victory has seen an incredible amount of success in recent years. Established in 1996 in Downingtown, PA (woot) this little micro-brewery/restaurant-that-could has busted out on the national scene. Now most of their (over 15) ales served are pure delight, but with summer here, and my local watering holes putting Golden Monkey on tap, it’s become my drink of choice till probably sometime in October.

Technically the Monk is classified as an Abbey Tripel, and after a single 8-oz. serving you will know why. I suppose I should have put a warning on this one of, “be sure to order some nosh before divulging in the blessed juice”. If you partake in this on an empty stomach, I dare say you will learn why there’s a monkey in the title, as you will be sitting at the bar delicately rummaging through you stoolmate’s hair looking for fleas. But I digress … Being this an Abbey classification you’d expect a darker, heavier Belgium strong, but as the title suggests it really isn’t so. No, Victory, while keeping the Belgium at heart, gave it a smooth light touch making it (too) easy to go down, and a beautiful golden color.

For all you ladies out there hoping to out-muscle your man, but not man enough to tackle the rough-hewn waters of Euro-beers, this one’s for you. Not so hoppy and heavy, but rather smooth and silky, especially on a hot sumer night. It has an ever so slight fruit air to it. Not Hooegarden-ish lemon down your throat, but rather a light, simple (apple?) nod.

Summation: If you find it, drink it. If it’s in a store at only $4 bucks a bottle, get a case. Giacometti full approves.

May

26

Beer Review: Ommegang Abbey Ale

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Ommegang Abbey Ale beerPoured into glass, this beer is opaque and has a dark orange color - if you remember your Crayola Crayon set, you’d know it as “burnt sienna”. It’s topped by a thick, foamy head that takes about 15 minutes to settle.

The label describes it as “a Belgian-style Abbey Ale — top fermented and bottle conditioned, yielding a rich, fruity, aromatic, burgundian brew.”

Nice wordage there, unfortunately I’ve never had a “burgundian brew” so therefore not sure if the tasting notes are appropriate. I have had Burgundian wines — white and red — and I can assure you that this wine tastes neither like Pinot Noir nor Chardonnay. Also interesting that a Belgian beer would taste “burgundian”. Anyway …

It does have a nice aroma - somewhat fruity and fragrant, with hints of wheat. The taste is much more interesting: rich mocha, malt, and a bit of earthy peat. It finishes somewhat sweet, with a molasses flavor accented by a tiny touch of dark honey and something fruity — though I can’t put my finger on what fruit. Texture is creamy.

Overall an enjoyable brew, with surprising sweetness considering its thick color and ample weight.

Brewed in Cooperstown, NY by Brewery Ommegang.

Mar

31

Beer Review: Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen

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widmer hefeweizen4.9% Alcohol
30 IBU

This is a handcrafted wheat beer, so it has a cloudy look to it, though there wasn’t any settlement of sediment at the bottom of the bottle nor the glass.

It has a nice, fruity aroma with a hint of sweet peat. Not much head, but it does have a thick, frothy texture once in the mouth. Flavor is mild, almost lager-like, with a touch of bitter hoppiness in the finish. A pleasant, easygoing beer that is enjoyable alone, and also would be nice with a plate of wursts. The Widmer website says it has a bitterness of 30 IBU, but I’m still trying to figure out what that means to my palate.

You might be inclined to brighten the flavor a bit by topping it with a thin lemon slice.

Widmer Brothers Website