Good Old Potosi
Potosi Brewing Company

Good Old PotosiGood Old Potosi
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From:
Potosi Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
Ranked #255
ABV:
5%
Score:
81
Ranked #27,337
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 16.1%
Reviews:
37
Ratings:
115
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 19, 2023
Added:
Jan 05, 2009
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  15
SCORE
81
Good
Good Old PotosiGood Old Potosi
Notes: None
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.79 by fflopps from Iowa

Feb 19, 2023
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Reviewed by TheOccasionalBeer from Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A generous two-finger head of slightly off-white foam slowly sinks in to light transparent apple-juice colored liquid. A light hops scent arises from the glass more noticeably than from the bottle. An unexpected hint of sweet roundness is present with just of astringency left on the front of the tongue. It's a hot night with spicy food, and I wish I had some more of this.
Jul 21, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by imperialking from Illinois

Apr 19, 2022
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Rated by LukeGude from Iowa

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
From Woodman’s in Madison. Straight from the bottle at Blue Mounds AirBnB. Dinner prep easy drinker.
Feb 22, 2022
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Reviewed by DrMullet from Florida

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a slightly hazy golden with minimal head resolving to thin lacing.
Smell is sweet honey malt.
Taste is grassy and a little earthy. Followed by a faint citrus flavor and some light caramel.
May 02, 2021
 
Rated: 3.21 by BD3 from Wisconsin

Sep 14, 2020
 
Rated: 2.75 by wildman69 from New York

Aug 30, 2020
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Reviewed by HopHippie from Wisconsin

3.62/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Got from a build your own sampler pack
L: Light gold color with thick white rocky head that dissipated within a minute.
S: Sweet grain smell, little creamy.
T: Not as sweet as initial smell but its a nice blend of sweet and bitter with an aftertaste of sweet grains.
F: Really refreshing, a lot of carbonation.
O: A nice lighter beer with not a whole not of complexities, easy drinking.
Jun 15, 2020
 
Rated: 3.87 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Aug 30, 2019
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Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

3.47/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I got a bottle of this off the single shelf from a beer store in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It poured a clear golden with no head and no lace. The scent had faint grain notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with subtle malt base and hop finish. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a decent beer.
Jul 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.86 by mngermanshepherd from Minnesota

Feb 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by Dovers from Wisconsin

Oct 06, 2018
 
Rated: 3.62 by evolution26x from Iowa

Mar 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by scaliasux from Wisconsin

Dec 31, 2017
 
Rated: 3.54 by jakea from Wisconsin

Oct 08, 2017
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Reviewed by Spacebrew from Iowa

4.77/5  rDev +34.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
This is my favorite beer hands down. I am a big fan of amber/darker beers, and although this isn't either, it's definitely my favorite. I'm lucky enough to live close to the brewery so most stores carry this around here.
Sep 01, 2017
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Reviewed by marcobrau from Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75
Came across better in the taproom. Picked up this six-pack at a gas station outside of town. Maybe should've not been lazy and picked up some when I was at the brewery the day before. The difference that I noticed was sort of creamed corn flavor and aroma, but it's still pretty drinkable.
Aug 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.28 by heerboth from Pennsylvania

Aug 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.36 by jmh21 from Minnesota

Jul 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.4 by Kahlerbock from Kansas

Jul 18, 2017
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Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

3.19/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75
Bottle:
Pours just on the dark side of golden, quite clear, with a barely controlled white head. Head lasts, but there's not really any lacing.

Nose is malty sweet, maybe a bit of creamed corn. Sweet like a cream ale or AAL, but not listed here as such. There's a vegetal note, maybe grassy, that counters this sweetness with little success.

Taste isn't quite as sweet as the nose indicates. It's still a malty beer, but the grassy bitterness that counters it to a degree.

A light beer, probably easy drinking to many, but a tad too corn-like sweet for me. Even if this were a cream ale, it'd be a tad sweet to me. And I don't know that there is any corn in this, it just seems it.
Jul 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.88 by BarrelAgedG from California

Dec 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.1 by lilsmizzul1225 from Indiana

Sep 06, 2016
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Reviewed by Chaz from Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
L: Pours a classic 'dirty blonde' in color. A hazy off-straw, and not clear like a Pils or other beer with very good to excellent clarity. Thin cap of white foam rest atop the glass and fades rather quickly.

S: Big, yeasty and even (somewhat) fusel, vegetal character on the nose. Reminds me of a classic American Cream Ale -- you know, a corn adjunct lager brewed a little bit warm, and "underlagered"? Yeah. Wheat malt? That might explain the lack of clarity, as would rough or coarse filtering. So which is it? There definitely seems to be wheat malt in the nose, and none of the above is a judgement or pronouncement that this is a "cheap, adjunct beer" -- more on that in the Overall notes.

T: Initial sip tells me that this is a sweeter and somewhat full-bodied beer, with somewhat lighter carbonation. Full and sweet across the tongue and upper palate, coating and not-quite scrubbing carbonation.

Minimal bitterness, but appropriate for the style. Some nice (pale, biscuit-y) malt character lingers along with the hop bitterness, and the finish is drier than many in this style, but not quite truly "Dry." There are notes of higher ferment in the aromatics, along with the vegetal character from the nose. Yeast profile is unobtrusive and stuck somewhere in the middle of the malt and vegetal aspect, fairly neutral for the style. Wheat malt? It seems like it to me (this reminds me of a beer from a not well thought of brewery which I happen to love, which DOES have wheat malt), and as for corn, again, that's a guess. Maybe the wheat and corn character that I perceive are strictly aspects of the proprietary yeast strain, itself? In which case it's far more active than strictly neutral. : )

F: Not "full bodied" in the manner of a stout, but certainly -MORE- full bodied for a pale lager or Golden or Cream Ale, while still quite pleasing on the palate. Seems to be one that could be well suited to fatty, buttery food pairings.

O: For a Golden Ale this is not bad, and probably just below average. However!

I'm reminded of the adjunct character in the nose, which immediately reminded me of "Huber Original" (a brand which I loved but which is almost completely loathed) once I'd popped the crown and decanted this beer . . . and then I was reminded of the heritage of this beer.

Good Old Potosi was the flagship brand from Potosi Brewing Company, an "old line" brewery which closed in 1972.

The brand was brewed up until they closed, before being brewed by others, including Joseph Huber (Monroe), by which point the character and flavor profile would have changed. But the important thing to remember is this: The beer was as traditional as it came -- for the area. It was a pale lager brewed using portions of corn and wheat in the malt bill!

They likely didn't lager as long as they might have done with a Pils, and whether they brewed it with a hybrid yeast or a proprietary house yeast, I don't know. I certainly never tasted it, as it was unavailable in my home town (and I was just a toddler when the original brewery closed!)

When Potosi re-opened in 2008, they entered into a co-packaging contract with the ever-capable Point Brewing. That incarnation of Good Old Potosi, while certainly a good and drinkable beer, was still a far cry from the original, and not far from the type of clear ale / pale lager which Point excels at brewing; An American Golden Ale (Cream Ale) it was not.

NOW! What all of this half-remembered history and guesswork on my part boils down to is this: It's not a bad beer, and for what it is (assuming it's meant to be a western Wisconsin-regional Cream Ale) it's above average!

In the end, I'd highly recommend this one to anyone interested in trying a classic example of that style.
Aug 24, 2016
 
Rated: 2.74 by KnappStout from Wisconsin

Aug 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Aug 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.93 by DrAnnaNemis from Illinois

Jun 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.25 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

May 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by jgunther71 from Illinois

Apr 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by eldoctorador from Chile

Apr 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by KenProCo from Illinois

Mar 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.68 by Rollmeaway2loadout from Illinois

Mar 20, 2016
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Reviewed by Tone from Missouri

3.17/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Pours a clear, straw color. 1/5 inch head of a white color. Poor retention and poor lacing. Smells of pale malt, hint of wheat, and a hint of hops. Fits the style of an American Blonde Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of slight hops, strong pale malt, hint of wheat, and a hint of sweet malt. Overall, a session Blonde with simple flavors.
Dec 10, 2015
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Reviewed by GoBearsWalter34 from Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Another good, breathy malty blonde ale, with a slight fruity taste. When you make a blonde like this, you've got my attention. The nearby Galena brewery makes one like this, but a little better. This is a brewery I need to revisit.
Oct 02, 2015
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Reviewed by jzlyo from Iowa

3/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Rather simple and not complex, it had a little metallic edge mixed with smooth in the finish, not a lot to it going on really but easy to drink and not nasty.
Sep 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.44 by Chicagoslew from Illinois

Sep 10, 2015
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Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

3.68/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours hazed lightt golden with a thin head. Minimal lacing sticks.

The smell is of light bready malt.

The taste is of light bready malt. A hint of general fruitiness and floral notes balance it.

Creamy and refreshing, it's an easy-drinking, light, subtle brew.
Sep 03, 2015
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Rated by SF_Posse from Wisconsin

2.4/5  rDev -32.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5
Tastes a little skunky. Do not like this style much but this seems to be a bottom feeder.
Aug 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by thebigredone from Wisconsin

Jul 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jul 17, 2015
Good Old Potosi from Potosi Brewing Company
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 115 ratings