Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale

Brewed by Florida Beer Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Melbourne, Florida USA

Pours orange/yellow with a fine white head. Sweet and mildly alcoholic. Flavor is rather alcoholic with a strong apple quality. Some citrus qualities.

I am very proud to be a native Floridian and a Vero Beach, FL native. I’m all about beaches, wind, sand, surf, and a good tiki bar, or just bar. About a year ago, I was asked about Florida’s craft scene, and thus a new beer hunt was sparked. Since then, I have come across native beers that ranged from OK to OMG! A mystical revelation of deliciousness in a glass!
Holy Mackerel is the love child of Gordash of Gordash Brewing Company out of Fort Lauderdale, FL. that’s local enough for me.
At 8.5% ABV, this is no Ale to snub your nose at, but like any true Belgian gold, strength is a byproduct of the flavor which is achieved through careful brewing and fermentation. Holy Mackerel pours a bright golden orange, with a fine two-finger head foam floating on top like heavenly clouds. From the bottle and on draft, Holy Mackerel produced a beautiful head. Soft, airy, bursting in my mouth like a warm sunrise. Strong sour yeasts and slightly sweet orange flavors dance around my taste buds. Chewy, bready body, but not too heavy. Some nuts in the aftertaste as hops linger on the tongue and sides of my mouth. As she settles more into room temperature, more of the sourdough yeastiness and orange hoppy zing slakes my thirst. The ABV doesn’t faze me, though it does definitely make Holy Mackerel a strong beer compared to what the average drinker is used to. As I finish my Holy Mackerel, I am left completely satisfied and wanting another.
A damn fine craft beer in the Belgium golden ale style out of Gordash Brewing. A Florida beer for a native Floridian which transports me to a far away country where I have loft desires to visit and drink my way through. While I enjoy my Holy Mackerel with tiki torches glowing and flip-flops dangling, I get to partake of a little bit of Belgium, Florida style.

Bottle. Bright golden pour with lovely white head. A lot of Saaz on the nose, similar on the tongue; doughy and almost unbearably sweet. Heavy on the palate. Cloying.

Bottle courtsey of Daknole. Pours a slightly hazy orange colour with no real head. Aroma is dusty grain and rock sugar. Flavour is very sweet and a pretty big hit of lemon citrus too; a little spice and yeast hiding back there. Hint of alcohol in the finish. Certainly drinkable but weird for a strong ale.

very citrusy. the hops taste is mostly driven out by it. not much smell. i like fruity beers but i don’t think i could stomach more than one of these at a time.

12 oz, 2008 vintage. Clear burnt orange with a small, lasting head that leaves some delicate lace. Aroma is hard grape candy, lemon oil, funk, slight plastic and bubblegum. Tastes of scorched sugar, hard grape candy, musty apples, white wine, citrus oil and dried grass. Wheat-bubblegum aftertaste. Light-medium body has medium carbonation and finishes dry.

Poured a really weak yellow color with a white head. Aroma is hard to pick out, very week, a bit of spices and some yeast. Flavor was also pretty bland, a lot of sickening candy sugar sweetness with some metallic notes in there. Blah.

7-9-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to Ibrew2or3
Clear tea amber color - that looks like watered down tea with head. Smell is sweet funky yeast. I like it - it is an interesting mix but just a little too light and subtle. Flavor - not too drinkable or yummy. Funky flavor and finish.