Gold Strike in Old Hangtown
While prospecting for liquid gold, black gold and amber in the Sierra foothills I hit a vein in Placerville. I didn’t have to dig too deep to find this great brewpub fairly close to Hwy 50. The place appeared to be very busy as the upper and lower parking lots were full. The nearest parking is the Raley’s shopping center across the busy Placerville Drive with no crosswalks. Kinda felt like we were trying to cross a NASCAR track. Once we got inside there were only about 15 people in the restaurant and the outdoor beer garden. This is the only complaint I have. The food and service were good and the beer was respectable.
We ordered the taster to ensure we tried all the beer they offered on tap. They had nine available: Golden, Pale Ale, Copper, Platinum-Strong Blonde Ale, Boysenberry (Pale Ale Base), Black Gold IPA, Pumpkin Ale and Stout and Vanilla Stout.
Tasting notes:
Stand Out-Pale 6.4% abv
This pale was a nice golden color with a very aromatic nose of grapefruit and citrus. The flavor was malty and well balanced with refreshing hop bitterness that was balanced just right. The finish was dry and slightly bitter, but not too bitter.
Biggest Surprise-Vanilla Stout 6.5% abv
I love stout. I don’t care for vanilla. I don’t like my stout messed with…but, this was pretty good. The vanilla was present but only slightly in the nose. The Roasted malt and coffee notes were quite strong as they should be. The flavor nearly paralleled the aroma. The roasted barley and coffee flavors were first to strike the palate and then a subtle vanilla almost like oak tip toes on to the back of your tongue and then the coffee jumps back in. I described this to my wife as a fight over who will be the final sensation on your palate. Roasty, coffee prevailed. Very complex and enjoyable in a small dose.
Greatest Bummer-Boysenberry 6.4% abv
The boysenberry “flavor” is added to the very nice pale. I’m afraid it was overpowering and tasted artificial.
Strong Showing-Copper 7.8% abv
The red ale of the group. a Nice malty nose with some noticeable hop aroma. The flavor was a nice, clean caramel maltiness with a good balance of hop flavor and bitterness. The finish was malty that turned to a hop bittering dryness.
Worst Timing-Tangerine 5.5% abv
“OUT”
Beers on Tap
Good, But Not Memorable:
Stout 6.5% abv – Clean, roasty and well balanced. Nice dry roasted barley finish.
Black Gold IPA 7.2% abv – Good and clean. Not really what you would expect from an IPA in terms of malt, hop flavor or hop bitterness. Also a little thin. It was a good quaffing ale that I’d order again when in the mood for a small, colorful session IPA.
Pumpkin Ale 7.8% abv – Cinnabomb! Too much cinnamon! Spice was the dominate aroma, flavor and finish. I couldn’t detect any pumpkin and very few malt notes or hop character. I didn’t realize it was that big a beer until I checked the board and saw that it listed as 7.8% abv.
Golden 5.5% abv– The golden ale was very light with a sweet grainy maltiness that seemed a little too sweet. I think more bittering hops or a higher CO2 level would have helped balance this super light weight out a bit. It was clean and drinkable.
Strong Blonde 8% abv – A big blonde almost a trippel. Malty sweet with some hop bitterness and aroma. Clean and pretty balanced. I expected more of a dry grainy taste rather than malty.
Trina Pouring Liquid Gold
Thanks for your great service and attention. We had a blast! Cheers
