Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale
This Golden Ale is Belgian-Style, yet with a Florida twist! Handcrafted in small batches using the finest all natural ingredients, including German Plisner malt and Czech Saaz hops. Quite a refreshing, yet complex beer… that will only mature if cellared for 2-3 years. -Ideal serving temperature 45f.
3.2
334 reviews
Pompano Beach, United States
Community reviews
Bottle--golden color with a medium, fizzy, white head and lots of carbonation. Light buttery dough aroma. Taste was sweet, perhaps pineapple would be the closest flavor. A touch thick and very sweet on the finish. Produce place.
Bottle to snifter (shared with the Mrs; thanks burg326). Looks solid; a cloudy orange with thin off-white lacing. Smells of Belgian yeast, dough, and light hops with a bit of skunkiness from the pilsner malt. Tastes like it smells with a fairly sweet backbone. Average on the palate. Not bad.
From bottle. Pours a hazy yellow with a decent white head. Citrus fruits and yeasty with bread. Taste follows, a good balalnced Belgium ale.
nice golden color and Belgian style done well it is powerful enough in beer spice and easy on the alcohol since it has a nice juicy red fruit flavor near the finish. flavors layered nicely. some sweetness.
Full bodied feel on the lips, with substantial carbonation. Floral and hoppy, yet very nicely balanced. I was completely pleasantly shocked by how good this brew was. The Abv was nicely masked and new flavors were presented as it warmed. I chose to drink this one in a wine glass for some reason, and purely by chance I found it deserved to be savored in said glass.
Pours orange gold with a thick white head. Aroma of citrus, peaches and Belgian yeast. Taste is sweet, peaches, citrus, pineapple, Belgian yeast with alcohol on the finish. Sweet and syrupy, not easy to drink.
Sweet malty aromas. Sweet white fruit flavors with a little Rumcake. Overall a pretty good golden.
2012 version at Fultons crab house in Disney world. Clear gold, small white head. Aroma of orange, yeast, bubblegum. Very sweet and a little boozy. Not very good. Way too sweet and kind of syrupy.
This is a 2011 version and not good. Smells funky/sour and taste is much the same. Not a fan.
Bottle. Slightly hazy rich orange pour with a clingy white head. Aroma of Belgian yeast and slight sour cherry. Nice taste and mouthfeel. Pretty good!
Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale (reviewed a 2008 bottle) has a thin, cream-colored head and a very opaque, apricot-orange appearance. One can see quite a bit of bubbles streaming up the sides of the glass. The aroma is of sweet, candy-like filling, caramel, butter, dough, and other things I can not identify. The flavor is of nut shell, sweet dough, candy-caramel filling, fruit-cake, orange peel, and other unknown items. There is no bitterness present here, nor is alcohol detected in the aroma or flavor. Mouthfeel is medium, and Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale finishes wet, mild, sweet, mellow, and shockingly drinkable. This is unique, interesting, and good. I rate it at least excellent. RJT
Bottle. The pour was a hazy golden amber with a small (less than 1 finger) white creamy head that reduced quickly down to a thin puddle and a small collar with good sheets of lacing.
The aroma was of a light bread malt and a sweaty Belgian yeast with notes of citrus (lemon), banana, apple, pears, cherry, honey and a slight alcohol tinge.
The taste was mildly sweet and a tad acidic with hints of banana, honey and apple early on with the finish being yeasty, spicy and a bit sour with a mild citrus presence and a moderate fruity ester towards the end. The flavor lasted an average time following the swallow with the mildly tart fruity alcohol taste left to fade away slowly.
Mouthfeel was a few steps above light in body with a watery texture and a lively carbonation.
Overall a nice fruity Belgian Ale with a huge alcohol presence at the finish...
Golden pour with thick creamy head. Nose has some pepper and typical Belgian smells. Taste is the same with a little sweetness as well. Different take on the style.
pour is transparent golden yellow with a white ring. The nose has strong lemon, a touch sweet but an assertive spice to it. Zesty, peppery, peppercorn. The taste is even sweeter and the spicy balance is much less. Notes of honey and candied sugars mix with the lemon. The finish is extremely carbonated and muddled, the body is a touch syrupy and crisp and clean
Bottle: strong ale, a mix of a pilsner & belgian ale. Interesting. Food Piaring: Strong Hard Cheese.
A delicious spice highlights the unique golden ale. Specially brewed in beautiful south FLORIDA, this beer went great with an imperial tilapia I enjoyed at the Bonefish Grill
Has the typical belgian blonde yeasty taste. The alcohol is a bit too apparant, and the flavor lacks much umphh.
Originally reviewed: 3/14/09. Pours a murky deep gold with a very small head on top. No retention, no lacing. Smells of banana’s, pineapple, cherry, and yeasty bread. Mouthfeel is crisp and bubbly. Carbonation level is med-high. Flavor is fruity right off the bat with pineapple and some plum. But this mellows to a warm breadiness. I’m not huge into Belgians, which is maybe why this tamed down version one sits well with me. Not bad.
From bottle. Slight citrus smell. Rocky head with cloudy orange color. Heavy bitter flavor, slightly sour. Medium body, oily texture with bitter long finish. Not much to it. Lacks character.
Bottle from the gorgeous, stunning, sexy, perfect Andrea Whaley...pours a hazy golden/amber with a medium white head...good lacing! Aroma is lightly fruity with apricot and orange...slightly sweet...light yeasty/spicy notes. Flavor adds more spicy notes...some saison-like flavor...and still nice fruitiness that works well here. Mouthfeel is light/medium and silky with a fruity/yeasty finish.
pour is transparent golden yellow with a white ring. The nose has strong lemon, a touch sweet but an assertive spice to it. Zesty, peppery, peppercorn. The taste is even sweeter and the spicy balance is much less. Notes of honey and candied sugars mix with the lemon. The finish is extremely carbonated and muddled, the body is a touch syrupy and crisp. Overly sweet and singular beer.
Bottle from Liz. Pours light golden amber with a slight creamy white head. Nose is light spice/grass. Med body. Light carb. There’s a good kandi/caramel component. There’s a lot of yeast/spice and some grass. Finishes less than dry. Something in it is very tasty, but hard to put a name to. I don’t think anyone would regret having this.
(Bottle) Pours golden. The aroma is honey sweet, medium fruity, spicy and yeasty with undertones of floral and grassy hops. Notes of banana, apples, white pepper, mild nutmeg and canned pears. Light toasted malt. The flavour is light to medium sweet, light fruity and light spicy. Noble and aromatic hops tones of spices, grass and flowers in the background. Tiny acidic and light bitter/tart. The mouthfeel is clean but a bit too sticky. Toasted malt and yeast on the finish. Bit dry in the end. Medium bodied.
Bottled. Pours a clear orange with a small head. Alcohol present in the nose, along with spices and yeast. Very sweet flavor, thick bodied, a bit tough to drink...could have used some of the spices present in the aroma to provide some balance.
Bottle from stem and stein. Pours yellow with an apricot tinge and half an inch in khaki foam. Slight citrus on the nose. Bready on the tongue. A bit watery on the finish. It hides it’s alcohol well. Decent for style.
Pours very cloudy orange/gold with some white head that quickly dissipates. Aromas of pineapple, grape some yeasty sourness as it warms. It actually reminds more of champagne than beer. Crisp carbonation w/ a smooth medium body mouth. Fairly dry finish. Flavors are mostly fruit - citrus and tropical, with some spice and a peppery bite towards the end. Interesting brew and pretty enjoyable.
Light orange with a lot of suspension and not much carbonation. Smell of citrus fruit and not quite-Belgian yeast. Tastes sweet at first and even a little sour at finish. Maybe a hint of salt. Creamy viscous body sticks around for awhile between sips. Not an orthodox Belgian, but wouldn’t fall neatly into any other style. Brewed spring 2010.
Bottle shared by nuplastikk...thanks Greg! - Pours clear light amber with a thin off-white head. Nose is light tropical fruit, syrupy with a sweet maltiness, grassy hops, and a bit of alcohol bite. Taste is pretty smooth--a bit of sugary sweetness, bready malt, and an apricot fruity sweetness. Thicker and more syrupy than what I expected--actually works pretty well here. Pretty nice brew.
12oz bottle split at Madison tasting. Dulled yellow-tan. Thin, non head. A beer like this really has trouble shining among the other all star beers sampled with it. Unimpressive dulled alcohol tinged brewhouse aroma Has some nice Belgian yeast tones and a faint, true to style noble hopping. Thin and quite drinkable for the style, while remaining relatively true to style. ..
full bottle rerate..Saaz really stand out, bigtime US style.
12 ounce bottle that pours a cloudy orange with aromas of pepper, peach, clove and a touch of honey. Flavors of light fruit with some spicy/bready yeast.