Victory is one of those Pennsylvania breweries that’s been around long enough to feel like a given, but the lineup is a lot more varied than people expect if all they know is one bottle from a fridge run years ago. We carry Victory across bottles, cans, and kegs, and there’s a real range worth knowing beyond just “the one with the monkey on it” — from a 9.5% Belgian tripel to a 4.7% cherry gose that barely resembles it.
Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Victory Brewing Company was founded there in February 1996 by Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet, two childhood friends who met on a school bus in 1973 and reconnected years later over a shared love of brewing. They set up shop in a former Pepperidge Farm factory, and the brewery has been a fixture of the state’s craft scene ever since.
Splitting its identity between traditional European brewing and modern American hop character, rather than picking one lane the way most breweries do. Both founders trained in Germany — Barchet at the Technical University of Munich, Covaleski at the Doemens Institute — before coming home to build a brewery that blends European ingredients and technique with American creativity. That background is exactly why Victory’s lineup includes both a proper Belgian-style tripel and a hop-forward American IPA without either one feeling like an afterthought.
Between the originals and the ones we’ve actually carried on our shelves, these are the popular Victory beer flavors worth knowing by name.
A Belgian-style tripel at 9.5% ABV, and the beer the whole “Monkey” family is built around. Belgian yeast gives it banana and clove on the nose, backed by fruity sweetness, honey-like malt, and a dry finish. It’s meant to be sipped slowly rather than session-drunk — the ABV alone makes that decision for you.
A citrus wheat ale, also 9.5% ABV, that plays like a Belgian witbier — sweet orange nose, coriander spice, orange peel flavor, and a lively wheat effervescence underneath it all. We’ve restocked this one multiple times, including in 12-can packs, which tells you it moves.
Golden Monkey’s tart sibling, same 9.5% ABV, same Belgian yeast and malt base, but soured with Brettanomyces for a tangy, almost margarita-like edge — tart citrus, green apple, and a touch of saltiness alongside the funk. It’s a good pick if you like sours but want something with more backbone than a typical fruited kettle sour.
A clean, crisp American IPA at 6.0% ABV, built on Simcoe and Centennial hops for pine and citrus character with a balanced bitterness and smooth finish. This is one of Victory’s steadiest year-round sellers, and one of ours too — it’s the easiest entry point on this list if the Monkey family’s ABV scares you off.
A lighter anniversary ale at 4.8% ABV, brewed as a collaboration between Victory and Visit Philadelphia to mark both organizations hitting milestone anniversaries. It’s crisp and easy-drinking, with light hoppy bitterness and hints of tropical fruit — less bruiser, more everyday-easy compared to the Monkey lineup.
A German-style gose at 4.7% ABV, brewed with wheat malt, Saaz hops, and real cherry juice for a tart, refreshing beer with a sour-forward cherry flavor and just a touch of salinity. It leans light-bodied and sessionable, closer to a summer patio beer than anything else on this list.
If you want to understand what Victory is actually about, start with Golden Monkey — it’s the beer the brewery is best known for and the clearest example of the German-technique-meets-Belgian-style approach that defines them. If big Belgian ales aren’t your thing, Royale IPA is the more familiar, easier on-ramp, and Kirsch Gose is the move if you want something light enough for a hot afternoon.
Pour the Monkey family into a tulip or wide-mouthed glass rather than a straight pint glass — the wider bowl lets the Belgian yeast aromatics (banana, clove, orange peel) actually reach your nose, which is half the point of drinking a tripel in the first place. Serve them slightly warmer than you would a lager, somewhere around 45-50°F, since too cold mutes the fruity yeast character these beers are built around. On the food side, Golden Monkey and Witty Monkey both hold up well against rich or spiced dishes — think roasted pork, aged cheese, or anything with warm spice in it — while Sour Monkey and Kirsch Gose pair better with lighter fare like grilled fish or a simple salad, where their tartness can cut through instead of compete.
Bound Beverages in Warrington — and unlike a lot of what we carry, Victory isn’t just bottles and cans here. We also bring it in by the keg, so if you’re planning something bigger than a six-pack, it’s worth checking our current keg list for what’s available.
Golden Monkey, Witty Monkey, and Sour Monkey all sit at 9.5% ABV, noticeably stronger than Victory’s IPAs and session beers — worth pacing yourself if you’re new to the Monkey family.
Yes — we carry Victory in keg format alongside bottles and cans, though exact availability rotates, so it’s worth checking our current keg list before planning an event around a specific one.
The range — most breweries lean into one lane, but Victory splits its identity between bold Belgian-style ales (the Monkey family) and clean, hop-forward American IPAs, a wider stylistic spread than most of its PA contemporaries attempt, rooted in the founders’ formal German brewing training.
Our beer store in Warrington carries a rotating selection of popular Victory beer flavors across bottles, cans, and kegs.
Stop by Bound Beverages in Warrington to see what’s currently in stock.
