Olde English 800 (April Fools Edition)

As the weather gets progressively warmer, I have been moving away from the darker beers towards lighter, crisper offerings. One of the best of these styles is the malt liquor category; many might overlook this style simply because the name suggests a high alcohol content, but the subtle taste profile and refreshing qualities make this style stand out above its peers. My personal favorite among the diverse offerings in this category is Olde English 800.

Olde English is one of America’s oldest malt liquor brands, having been introduced in 1964. By 1989 Olde English was owned by Pabst Brewing Company, who soon began offering it in 40 ounce bottles. This was a fortunate marketing decision for beer drinkers as a 12 ounce can, or even a 22 ounce bomber, can never supply enough of this wonderful beer. By the early 90’s beer judges had begun to recognize the quality of this brew, awarding it five gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, and the brand attracted the attention of one of the giants in the beer industry; SAB Miller now owns the brand. Few other breweries have the experience necessary to craft a beer of this quality in the vast quantities demanded by the general public, but fortunately SAB Miller is up to the task. Still, even with the massive capacity of Miller backing them, spring break put a heavy dent in the University City supply; the first three places I tried were all sold out.

Olde English 800 poured with 2 fingers of coarse, white, almost translucent head. This foam dissipates quickly, leaving no lacing behind as a clean, adjunct brewed beer should. The color is a nice, dead clear yellow, about the same as medium strength urine. The smell was the best part of this beer; nice and sweet, with some malt notes and a tinge of vomit, but no hop aroma to offend the nose. The carbonation was pretty low, as much of it probably came out of solution to form the head, but this only left room to enjoy the wonderful, medium thick body. The initial hit of the taste is slightly bitter, but this quickly dissipates into a sickly sweetness that lingers for quite some time. The finish for this beer is probably the most interesting I’ve found to date; on an exhale it was slightly dry and nutty, but cloyingly sweet on the inhale. I still have no idea how this finish was created, but it was fantastic.

Overall, this beer provides a wonderfully refreshing, beautifully brewed beverage, which just so happens to have a significant alcohol content. I highly recommend this beer, as I honestly can’t think of any beer that I would rather have taped to my hands on a Friday night.

Price: $1.39

Size: 16 oz

ABV:5.9%

Appearance: 5 /5

Aroma: 5/5

Flavor: 5/5

Mouthfeel: 5/5