Victory Golden Monkey Tripel. also: a new 2nd or 3rd favorite mixed drink!

From BEER_webalbum

In the company of the various Belgian Tripels that have made their way across the Alantic, this beer seems average, but for an American go at the classic Belgian style, Golden Monkey is definitely one of the better, if not best.
I'm automatically wary of any Belgian style beer that comes in a six pack at "Huntington Wine & Spirits," a liquor/wine/beer store that feigns sophistication in order to rip off all the NEC students. That's not to say there are any better deals anywhere else in this city. Anyway, this was such a cold-one: six packed, domestic and cheesily labeled and titled. It was something like 10 or $11, but Laura owed me a beer anyway, so the price is less than relevant to me.
The nose is modest, but refreshing. It smells like white grapes and wheat and yeast, with a subtle citrus if you sniff hard enough. The alcohol is entirely covered, as it should be in a proper Tripel. They're obviously using many of the same ingredients as the 'trappist' and 'abbey' brewers. The flavor is somehow very weisse-y. This would be a good transition beer for those who haven't yet embraced Belgian beer - anyone who likes Hoegaarden, Blue Moon, even wheat beers in general (Harpoon UFO, Sweetwater Summer Hummer, etc.), should be able to appreciate this cold-one. The aftertaste is great, in that it leaves just the best aspects of the yeast.
Overall, the smooth, even and balanced nature of this beer, its year-round production, its only moderately outrageous price, and its close approximation of Belgian style make it quite a nice cold-one to add to your refrigerator.

The brewer's site:
http://www.victorybeer.com/golden_monkey.html

Beer Advocate:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/345/1003

RateBeer
http://ratebeer.com/Beer/victory-golden-monkey/630/

Lastly, I would like to make tribute to Dark and Stormy - the official drink of Bermuda. Gosling is amazing, and the combination with a good strong ginger beer is amazing and highly drunkifying. Almost meltphacing. Pictures.

From BEER_webalbum

From BEER_webalbum