Bryan Fitzmartin Reviews "Sour Monkey" from Victory Brewing

Ever wondered what a cross between jolly-rancher's candy and IPA would taste like? Me neither, but Victory Brewing company has made it a reality with “Sour Monkey,” a very “unique” tasting beer. I’ve probably tasted hundreds of beers over the years, but never one quite like this – it’s truly unique. The term “Sour Monkey” is presumably an extension of Victory’s go-to mainstay "Golden Monkey" offering. I saw a man carrying a six-pack of Golden Monkey the other day and pointed out how good a beer it was. The person I saw who was waiting for the bus agreed and we both mentioned that one of it’s best parts was how “spicy” it was in its flavor. “Sour Monkey” may have a similar name to it’s more popular cousin “Golden Monkey,” but is nothing at all like it. “Spicy” it is not, it has a flavor all its own. It’s worth sampling if you’re looking for something that is in fact very different from any other beer you’ve tried. In creating “Sour Monkey” (a beer that doesn’t really taste like any other), Victory brewing showed that they were truly amazing brewers. However, one argument against “Sour Monkey” as a whole also comes from the fact it’s so different. Some tasters will wonder why a beer like this was needed at all, as the demand for this type of flavor would not in fact be overwhelming (try it to see what I mean). Still, though the previous is probably true, there’s nothing wrong with its novel taste, even if I myself am not entirely sure what the point of Sour Monkey is. Feel free to give this selection a try if you want – see if you can figure “Sour Monkey” out.




















Review by Bryan Fitzmartin