Panic Attack - Gordash Brewing Company

Fairwin

Tennessee

1.93/5  rDev -42%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I was visiting Florida, so I thought I would try some local brews. This one jumped out at me because of the "Trippel and Saison Fusion" that is indicated on the bottle. Also... the "Belgian Style" reference and the ABV indicated on the bottle made me think "La Fin Du Monde", so I was excited to try this high-gravity local offering.
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden-brown, very little head and no lacing. Lackluster in appearance in the glass. The complete lack of lacing was concerning.
Smell: This was more what I was expecting. Clove, fruit, pepper, and orange peel were present along with the alcohol.
Taste: Most definitely the sweetest beer I have ever tasted. The molasses and cane sugar elements were so overbearing that it was almost hard to recognize the large quantity of alcohol that was also present. Very difficult to get through an entire glass.
Mouthfeel: Sticky-sweet.

Overall: Very disappointing... especially knowing so many great home-brewers who would probably be too embarrassed to share this disaster with their friends. Way too sweet and difficult to drink. I would not buy this again, and I would not recommend it to a friend.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 02:21:16 | More by Fairwin

WynnO

Florida

3.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

To my palette this is a Scotch Ale gone awry---not in a bad way, but as if it missed the mark enough for the brewer to thrown in some Belgian yeast and extra hops.

A-copper and cloudy. Short lived head.

S-Caramel & some floral notes.

T-Big. Overwhelming caramel. Dry back end. Tongue does not easily forget this beer.

M-Silky but every part of your mouth retains the caramel. Not a lot of other ingredients to combat this.

I get no Saison character. Maybe the brewer thought the style broad enough to tag the beer with it?? I don't know, but it's not there.

Overall, it's worthy of sharing. I doubt I would buy a six of it though.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 22:54:07 | More by WynnO

patre_tim

China

4/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Copper, filtered, no carbonation, little brownish white foam.

S: Banana, Belgian yeast, dark fruits like figs, glue.

T: Banana, dark fruits like figs, a bit of licorice, malt, no bitterness.

M: Medium, slightly syrupy body, low medium carbonation.

O: Not getting the saison combo it claims on the bottle, but tastes like a pleasant Belgian beer of some sort. Balanced, sweetness is there with the other flavours metioned. Worth a try, sort of cool bottle, love that its from Florida. Would go well with bbq fish.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 05:28:58 | More by patre_tim

Beejay

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A Tripel and Saison Fusion:

A: Orange brown in color, with a haze. Light tan frothy head.

S: Sugary sweet. There is a Syrup smell some light maple, and perhaps some raisins. Light Belgian character, with caramel dominating.

T: Caramel comes out first. Syrupy and sweet, some light spice notes. In the finish there is a little something that is odd, maybe tannins perhaps a little dark roast grain? The alcohol is in the finish, but is not overpowering.

M: Medium in body, good carbonation, slightly syrupy.

O: Overall I like it, although it is very sweet. It's slightly off the mark for a tripel, and I don't get the Saison at all. It's good, but if anything it is almost more like a slightly Belgian version of a Barley wine. Not great, but certainly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 02:27:12 | More by Beejay

PorterLambic

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +24%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orange with an off-white head. Decent retention. No lace.
Smell is malt, caramel, citrus and sweetness. Good balance.
Taste is malt, citrus, vanilla, caramel, sweet, alcohol, light banana, spices(clove, pepper & something else). Smooth and balanced nicely.
Smooth, rich, full bodied with light effervescence. Warming and very sippable.
DVery good, I want more please.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 00:04:17 | More by PorterLambic

Immortale25

Florida

3.54/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Dogfish signature snifter. Label says 2012.

A- Pours a dark amber color with a 3/4 inch off-white head showing long retention before touching down to an 1/8 inch of head in a solid sheet of foam. Thick, resilient lacing.

S- Sharp nose filled with pungent spices and herbs. Potpourri-like (as described on the label) and perfumey with a stiff shot of booze. Some cinnamon, clove and even some pumpkin.

T- The taste is a bit more controlled with the sweetness backing up the alcohol in a complimentary fashion. Has all the toasty caramel malt of a dubbel and the yeast quality of one. However, the supposed saison characteristics escape me. Has a slight liqueur quality as it warms.

M- Sharp and a bit hot. Medium carbonation and an ample body for the style.

O- Kind of overbearing but, if you like Belgians, you should be able to derive some pleasure out of it.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 02:39:56 | More by Immortale25

macrosmatic

Florida

3.05/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a CCB pint glass.

A: Very hazy, deep copper in color, with a one finger white head that doesn't much last. Minimal visible carbonation.

S: Caramel malts and fruity belgian yeast...weird, but not bad.

T: Follows the nose in principle, but the caramel aspect becomes candy sweet. Then comes some belgian esters flavor, and some strange fruitiness. This is all over the place, and gets worse as it warms up a bit.

M: Medium weight, with a sticky sweet mouthfeel. Alcohol presence is minimal (especially impressive with the listed ABV) with a low-ish amount of carbonation.

O: I thought the combination of styles listed on the label (trippel & saison) sounded really interesting. This fell short of that label claim entirely. It's a sticky, sweet, caramelly mess. It really isn't very good, though it's not flat-out awful and didn't get drain-poured. I won't be drinking another.

EDIT: So, I was looking at this bottle, and I see now that it was contract-brewed at Thomas Creek in Greenville, SC. The only other beer I've had from Thomas Creek was their Up The Creek, which I also disliked & thought had an overly sweet caramel flavor. Coincidence?

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 19:38:25 | More by macrosmatic

KyleVick4

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +30.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz poured in a pint glass

A: Pours a light copper, almost orange with thick head. Leaves very sparse lacing down the sides.

S: Strong orange peel here. Also some spices and yeasties. Smells sugary. Not bad smell, but the orange is a bit overpowering.

T: Delicious beer. Not well balanced (no hop presence) but this is a unique hybrid style. Orange is a bit too strong, with spices and bready undertones. Not one hint of the 10% abv.

M: Thick, syrupy with very little carbonation. Just the way i like em

O: This is a great beer. Went a smidge to much on the orangey tastes. But hey, I like oranges. I wish there was a hop presence. With a smashing 10% abv I dont taste a drop of it. The spiceyness is perfectly done and I like the yeast undertones. Mouthfeel is syrupy but retains enough CO2 to get it down. Good job Gordash.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 22:38:40 | More by KyleVick4

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

2.13/5  rDev -36%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

My last Holy Mackerel beer in the fridge.

Panic Attack. 'A Trippel and Saison Fusion'. 10%. Hold onto your jets, folks.

Poured with very little head. None now. Murky orange river water color. No lacing. 2.5

Smells like a shandy. Some sweet orange and lemonade along with a colorful yeast character. A little heavy syrup and peach-in-a-can. Spices like white pepper and coriander, but subdued compared to the fruitiness. 2.5

Flavor is OFF. Cheap, sugary lemonade with from-concentrate orange juice and ground pepper. Coriander, stone fruits, treacle syrup or honey. This beer is all over the place and wacky. The syrupy sweetness is cloying. There is honestly nothing more I can say about this beer. No hop presence, not much of a malt. 2.0

The mouthfeel is hugely thick. Thick and cloyingly sweet. Not much carbonation traceable. Hard to get down. Only impressive fact is that it's not carrying the booze that I would expect from such a high gravity offering. Sticks to the lips. I don't know what to think. 2.0

This beer is pretty awful. It's not a tripel. It's not a saison, by any means. Excuse my language, but this beer is just a fuck-up. The 10% just means I can't so easily end the night with a good beer because I wasted enough tolerance on this one. 2.0

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 05:15:58 | More by thecheapies

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a local offering in Florida. It is very easy to find down there. I liked the idea of trying the blended Tripel and Saison. I was looking forward to this.

I poured this into a pint glass, and the coloring was very bright orange with one and a half fingers of foam.

Off the top I picked up orange, belgian spice, some sour, and wine-like smell from the saison. The flavor had a ton of saison in it. There really wasn't great balance to it. I also picked up some weird venous taste.

This is a very interesting expreience that could be tweaked into becoming an amazing beer.

The after-taste definitely hits the tripel part of the beer. There was almost a sticky feeling. It leaves a warming in my throat and chest after sipping this brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 02:17:25 | More by ummswimmin

katan

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz - into a goblet

A - Pours a deep amber with a little bit of orange highlights. Head formation is light, just a little off white.

S - A strong fruity and spicy nose. A bit peppery, funky, and then more orange blows it all away.

T - Starts off lightly sweet, no super defined malts present. The yeast and the hops take over, giving that strong citrus flavor. Acidic, and tangy. Finishes very clean, with just a little bit of sweetness.

M - A full bodied but lightly carbonated. Would have thought more would be present with a saison/tripel hybrid. Alcohol is very well hidden.

O/D - A very smooth and easy drinking beer. It defies definition enough that its hard to say it or isn't better than the norm. Alcohol is well hidden. Just lightly hidden.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 05:40:06 | More by katan

kylehay2004

Florida

2.85/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

1.5 finger head with nice lacing and retention on a hazy crimson and golden body. Aroma is very boozy. Mild fruit and very sweet. Almost has a vinegar note. Very syrupy in the flavor with dark fruit and very boozy. Mouthfeel is thick with moderate carbonation. Overall way too boozy and a poor member of theY genre.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2012 03:06:07 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A - poured with one finger of white foam on a slightly hazy, orange amber body. The had settles slowly and leaves leaves light lace.

S - lightly sweet malt, some clove and a hint of licorice.

T - sweet malt up front with some toffee and tart caramel. Clove and a hint of cherry in the middle. Finishes with more clove and lingering sour caramel.

M - medium thick body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - not well made. Way too sweet and lacking in complexity for the style. Not much of a belgian, as expected from this brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2012 03:01:44 | More by nickfl

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.28/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

My friend bought one of these the other day and liked it, so I thought I would do the same.

A: Pretty serious looking stuff....: Cloudy, brown/caramel in appearance and with a measly head that didn't add up to much.... maybe a mere white pepper formation.

S: Straight up stomach acid actually, with a bit of apricot, honey, and ginger throw in to the kettle as well. Faint, but still present.

T: This reminded me right away of an ultra, ultra, ultra, ultra, ultra, ultra sweet version of DFH's "Sahtea." Lots of ginger, honey, nutmeg, and others that gave this sort of a holiday flair. However, all throughout the session I kept asking myself, "Where's the Belgian funk?"

M: Measly carbonated, which didn't really bother me, and not much lacing. The uber sweet, stomach acid quality REALLY grated on my taste buds!

O: I definitely wouldn't have this one again, but I don't think it was quite as gross as many others have mentioned here on BA.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 04:47:36 | More by Chaney

merc7186

New York

3.1/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this beer poured from a 12oz bottle into a tumbler glass.

A: Amber/Orangish Hue, Passes Lots of Light, Very Little Head, No Lacing

S: Belgian Sugar, Tropical Fruits

T: Nectarine, Papaya, Pineapple, Belgian Sugars

M: Mild Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Sweet, Cloying

Overall, for a triple/saison, it is way too sweet. This is a good beer for a fruit beer lover but very one dimensional.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 02:57:13 | More by merc7186

aorloski

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance - Pours a little darker than a BSPA, orange in hue with about a half finger tight white head.

Smell - God damn this is a damn sweet smelling beer. All candied fruits, almost like a quad. Big sugary presence, i do get some darker fruit which i was not expecting.

Taste - Again, this thing is way to sweet for its own good. Candied dark fruits for sure, heavy on the candied side. I do get a touch of cinnamon and clove however which is pleasant but incredibly subdued. This is like drinking a big thing of sugary thick alcohol.

Mouthfeel - Thick, sticks to your mouth.

Overall - Meh. This isn't anything special and really not anything good either, i am having a hard time getting through a glass of this it is so damn sweet, one dimensional, lacking any character. I only bought this stuff because it was on sale for 4 dollars a 4 pack at a local store for 2010 bottles. Was it worth it? I think so haha, but definitely not good.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 03:27:40 | More by aorloski

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a hazy light copper color with a light tan head and fair amount of lace. The nose is extremely sweet, candied sugars galore, notes of peppery spice, sweet caramel, strong notes of alcohol with some citric orange and dried fruits. The flavor is much of the same, overly candied sugars and dried plums making it too sweet with some nice citric notes behind. The spice is all but gone in the flavor but the alcohol is a bit more subdued. The body is full and heavy, lower carbonation, oily finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 22:40:46 | More by cpetrone84

angelogarcia3

New York

4/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this beer at Studio 84 in Davie, FL. It pours as a nice amber colored beer that is unfiltered (cloudy) with a thin creamy white head. Aromas of raisins, grapes, and sweetness. This syrupy beer has good flavors of raisins, plum, and hints of honey, vanilla, and sugar water. A very good beer that will sneak up on you and knock you off your stool.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2011 02:28:42 | More by angelogarcia3

Heatwave33

Florida

3.65/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle to a Dogfish Head Snifter.

Color: An orange-gold color with a whitehead.

Smell: Tart, hops, malts with a little sweetness.

Taste: Slightly tart with malts, hops. Slightly sweet at the end. I believe it's honey.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, smooth with a slight dry finish

Overall: A nice tartness and sweetness to the flavor. Just not as well balanced as it should be though. A nice brew to sip. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 19:26:18 | More by Heatwave33

bramsdell

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from bottle into imperial pint glass.

A: A decent, cloudy golden color. A very full head that recedes after only a couple minutes down to a thin line. Very little lacing.

S: Actually, it smells a little like Natty Ice. So...

T: It tastes pretty average for a beer but pretty below par from a BSPA. On the first sip, there isn't much immediate flavor. First flavors are the saison influence. Sweet, maybe a little earthy. Then a bit of spiciness come through. This is the most pleasant part of the flavor. Then there is a sweetness that stays on the tongue. There is certainly a warming from the booze, but not too much boozy flavor.

M: About that flavor that stays on the tongue, it just leaves this sugary coating. It's not as full as I would like, but it isn't watery. The booze can definitely be felt, but only for an instant each sip.

O: This beer is ok. It doesn't really smell great and it's not really a saison or a BSPA. It should really choose what it wants to be and just try to be that.

EDIT: After reading some of the other reviews after I posted this one, it is possible my bottle was not good. The other reviewers seem to find many more fruity notes that mine ever indicated.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 23:42:05 | More by bramsdell

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #53 (June 2011):

Brewer’s intention is to merge a Tripel and a Saison. The head sticks around, with a hazed orange amber color underneath. Spicy, fruity nose of musk, lemon, honey, mango, wild herbs, rose water and a big hit of estery alcohol. Moderate-sized body. Very spicy and alcoholic, the honey-like sweetness and exotic fruit go hand-in-hand. Cinnamon and roses come to mind. Alcohol just doesn’t want to let go, very warming ... almost hot. Maltiness has a decent base but gives itself up for the fruit, alcohol and spice. No real balance here—an off-the-wall Belgian that struggles to be even somewhat drinkable. Still worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 21:23:06 | More by BeerAdvocate

OldIronLungs

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a 2010 bottle into a pint glass - a fluffy white head sticks on top of a medium honey gold.

Sweet candi, almost peachy nose.

A sip is prickly and sweet, with a little hop spice on the finish. Alcohol pretty present with a hint of Belgian yeast, but not offensive as other have said due to the prominent almost bubble gum sweetness that lingers on the finish.

Medium slick body, medium light carbonation.

It's too sweet - but other than that I think this was a fair example of that end of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 00:10:09 | More by OldIronLungs

DUBinMIA

Florida

2.88/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

poured into a goblet. opaque deep orange like brown color. minimal foam head. very low carbonation.

smells of floral herbs and spices, slight liquorice aroma. some yeast aroma as well... complex but ehh

taste smooth with little to no hop notes.. mostly malt and yeast characters. lots of residual sweetness and yeast flavor. has some apple juice like tart flavors without the zing...

medium to full bodied but lacks carbonation with is usually high for a Belgian ale...

kinda a disappointment on this one... i like the brewery but this beer just didn't sit well with me.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 00:25:17 | More by DUBinMIA

ktrillionaire

Florida

3.48/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky orange-amber hue and is topped with a short-lived khaki head that recedes to a faint encircling wisp. The nose is very strange, but nice, and reminds me of baked goods or petit fours. The taste is, for a lack of a better description, Christmas-y. There is a sort of chocolate mint flavor atop a sugar cookie or pretzel-y malt, and the booze is very well-hidden. The feel is pleasantly slick and softly carbonated; it works well. Overall it is a very unusual brew, but pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 00:25:44 | More by ktrillionaire

beals

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

[12oz bottle - 2010 edition]

A: poured yellow-orange with a 2-finger head. plenty of carbonation evident -- head retention seems really good, but lacing is pretty minimal.

S: peaches, banana, yeast. surprisingly not a boozy aroma, given the ABV (and the taste, see below).

T: whoa, alcohol. i read the 10% on the label, but this one hits you in the face with it. also quite a sweet beer -- helps to balance the alcohol. middle is banana, clove and distinctive bubble-gum flavor. finishes with a slowly fading warmth, which is what i'd expect from this style.

M: pleasantly smooth given the amount of carbonation -- slides around your tongue. explains the lack of stickiness in the head.

O: a solid beer, but i'd probably stick to one bottle. might benefit from more aging. there are certainly better American-made Belgian strongs out there, but this one is worth trying -- and a good effort from a small brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 23:01:22 | More by beals