By Shannon Maria Jones

Golden Monkey fans have loved the all-seeing, all-knowing, mystically spirited primate since its introduction in 1997, and have since made it Victory Brewing Company’s No. 1 selling brand.

Golden Monkey loyalists love the crisp, Belgian Tripel-style ale for its flavor, as well as its unique mystique. To celebrate 20 years of the Monkey, Victory introduced the “Respect the Monkey” campaign earlier this summer.

The history of Golden Monkey traces back to a celebratory occasion when Ron Barchet, co-founder and brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company, and his wife were expecting their third child, and wanted a great beer to cheer the occasion. It seems only appropriate that Victory would rise to the occasion, and so, the now-legendary Golden Monkey was born.

As part of the excitement behind the “Respect the Monkey” campaign, Ron revealed some secrets behind the brew:

1. It had a name before it was born. Victory co-founder Bill Covaleski conjured up the Golden Monkey name long before it was brewed. Usually, it’s the other way around: Marry the name with the beer. “But Bill really cracks up when he sees monkeys, and somehow he came up with this clever and strange name — and it just fit,” Ron said.
2. Perfection had been pursued for 10 years. Ron tinkered with the recipe continuously for about 10 years for it to become the Monkey we know and love. During a trip to Belgium in 2004, Ron got his hands on one of his favorite brews, and that yeast became the inspiration for Golden Monkey. “That yeast worked so well to maintain flavor and make it a dryer, less sweet beer, just as I’d suspected,” Ron said. “We continued to work on it, and since around 2008, the formula’s been the same.”
3. The Monkey and the vine are just fine. Wine enthusiasts who claim to not like beer tend to enjoy Golden Monkey. Ron gives credit to one of their philosophies as brewers: drinkability. “We’re attenuating the beers so there’s not a lot of sweetness and carbs left,” he said. “Most have a final gravity on the low side because most of the sugars have been fermented out. That makes for an easy-drinking beer.”
4. It takes a really big tank to hold the Monkey. Golden Monkey is a potent beer, coming in at 9.5 percent ABV. Due to the vigorous way that it ferments the yeast, Victory had to purchase tanks to accommodate the 25-30 feet of foam. “That’s about 20 percent bigger than we need for other beers,” Ron said. “And that nets the same amount of beer. Completely worth it.”

Golden Monkey is available year-round in Victory’s 35-state distribution footprint.