 desurfer (1030), Pinellas Park, Florida, USA
May 30, 2008
Light golden body, small beige head. Aroma of bready, candy sweetness. Flavor is cloyingly sweet with loads of banana and alcohol. Finishes sour. It doesn’t really come together. Forget the cellaring; it could use a recipe overhaul. With a lighter malt bill, this could be a nice beer.
jjpm74 (2878), Connecticut, USA
Aug 20, 2008 Bottle courtesy of juiceisloose. Pours gold with a thin white head. Smells of caramel ,citrus, light spice, some fruity hints. Tastes spicy and yeasty with some orange hints on the finish.
MaltDawg (287), Richmond, Virginia, USA
Aug 15, 2008 2008 Special Golden. 12 oz bottle courtesy of Butters. Rich pale malt sweetness with some spicy Belgian yeast character. Clear golden with small white head. Nice spice and fruit from the yeast, with honey and nutty flavors and candy sugar. Medium body with fairly high carbonation. Sweet finish with some very spicy hop notes.
Cobra (1029), In the snake pit, Maryland, USA
Aug 11, 2008 12 oz. brown longneck bottle. 2008 on front label. Poured out a dark golden color, with no head at all. Aromas are of apple skins, catty hops, Belgian yeast. Flavors are mostly apple skins, slightly astringent as well. Some funky yeast & catty hops make up the bulk of the flavors.
Medium mouthfeel, funky aroma.
OK to try once. And only once.
Optigon (546), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Aug 11, 2008 Pours orange/yellow with a fine white head. Sweet and mildly alcoholic. Flavor is rather alcoholic with a strong apple quality. Some citrus qualities.
otakuden (54), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Aug 9, 2008 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.
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