Gordash Brewing Co.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Available: FL, GA, NC, PA, AL, MA
Head brewer Bob Gordash was a winner of the Samuel Adams Longshot homebrew competition for an ESB in 1996. Ten years later, he founded the eponymous brewing company that now produces the Holy Mackerel line of big beers.
ABV: 10.0
ABW: 8.0
Color: 7
Bitterness: 37
Original gravity: 1088
This is a big beer, a pale copper color, thick foam and a nose that has rich citrus/tangerine fruit, biscuity malt and a touch of honey. Tart fruit builds in the mouth, balancing spicy hop resins, rich honey and malt. Bitter hops bounce back in the finish but there are generous contributions from creamy malt, fruit and luscious sweet honey. This is a Belgian-style tripel with a twist of honey.
As the beer pours into the glass, a hazy honey-orange, I catch an aroma from the glass. Or, rather, 10 aromas. Cloves? Mint? Orange peel? The label lists no spices, but the beer smells like Worcestershire sauce and Angostura bitters. The palate opens up sweet, with a burst of cinnamon and striped candies, then dries into a long, slightly acidic alcoholic finish. The label says “Belgian-style,” but I’ve never had a Belgian beer anything like this. I’m not sure it all works, but some fresh goat cheese would pull all the raucous elements together.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
