A taste of Cask Republic

Despite the fact that I despise cities, I agreed to participate in a family outing in New Haven, CT.

The afternoon of entertainment started with Blue Man Group at the Shubert Theater and ended at Cask Republic.

The show was great fun and everyone had a good laugh, but Cask Republic was sensational. If you like beer like I like beer this place is a mecca.

They have an impressive variety of beer. There is a beer for every palate and mood.

The staff will help you make selections and pair the beer with food from the menu.  Our server, Ashley, was not only cute and funny but was knowledgeable about beer.

Cask Republic is an all around excellent beer drinking experience. And the food is good, too!






After a brief look at the beer menu, there was no doubt in my mind which beer I would start with.  Fuzzy Baby Ducks from New England Brewing Company is a beer I hear local beer enthusiasts raving about. Whenever it is released, people are willing to stand in long lines at the brewery to get their share. There was a huge build up in my mind about this beer, so I simply HAD to try it. Read the review here.

The Illinois (9% ABV) an Imperial IPA by Goose Island Beer. Served in a stemmed wine glass. It was an orangy amber with a smallish head; little lacing.  The aroma was malty, grainy, and a faint whiff of hops.  The taste was malty sweet with some piney hops.  I didn't overly like this beer, it was lacking flavor and character.  I thought it was rather light tasting considering the style. Overall: meh

Christmas & Happy New Year 2009 (5.5% ABV) a winter ale by Anchor Brewing Company. Served in a stemmed chalice. It was dense and dark with a halo of foam. The aroma and flavor were both reminiscent of rich dried fruits. A mildly sweet brew with deep spice notes. Low carbonation and smooth drinking. Luscious. Overall: very good










Timmermans Lambicus Blanche (4.5% ABV) a lambic by Brouwerij Timmermans. Served in a stemmed chalice. It was a pale gold with a small thin head; little lacing.  The aroma is citrus, yeast, spice. The taste is big on Belgian funk and lots of citrus. There's a nice earthy quality that mellows out the tartness. Smooth with gentle carbonation. Overall: good.

Cherish Kriek (5% ABV) a lambic by Brouwerij Van Steenberge. Served in stemmed wine glass.  It is reddish purple with a puff of pink fluffy foam on the top; spotty lacing.  The aroma fresh ripe cherries. The taste is all about the cherries. Sweet and tart at the same time. Some malt and lovely Belgian funk pull through to round out the flavor and add character. Light on the tongue with nice fizz. This is an outstanding brew, the best lambic I've ever tasted! Overall: excellent

Ryeghts Of Passage (7% ABV) a rye brown ale brewed specifically for Cask Republic by Captain Lawrence Brewing. Served in a fluted pint glass. It is a clear mahogany with an airy head that clings to the glass. The aroma is malty and grainy.  The taste is malty and somewhat bready. Rye is a major player but is not overpowering. This is a clean, refreshing brew; very drinkable. Overall: good.









Spice of Life: Nelson Sauvin (5.7% ABV) is an American IPA by Sixpoint Brewery. Served in a fluted pint glass. It is a hazy golden yellow with a dense head, nice lacing. The aroma is bright hops and juicy fruits.  The taste is a nice layer of hops over a solid malt backbone.  Citrus and resin dominate but a bready, sweet maltiness provides balance. Medium and crisp. Enjoyably quaffable. Overall: good.

Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean (5.9% ABV) by Stone Brewing. Served in a stemmed chalice. It is dark as night with a dense foam that leaves excellent lacing. The name says it all in aroma and flavor. Smokey with a solid vanilla presence. Mildly sweet, roasty. Flavorful and easy drinking. A good tasty porter. Overall: good.

A Tasting of Goose Island Brews

I was on a mission to find local winter beers in my favorite beer store - The Wine & Spirits Co.

I was eyes-forward, focused, and headed to the section were the Connecticut beers are normally racked. I was shoving my cart in front of me heading straight for my goal when I heard from behind me, "Would you like to sample some beer?"

{{brakes screeching}}

I put on the brakes and hung a U-turn.

In my head I thought, "Hell yeah!! Free beer!!"

But what I said was, "Yes, that would be lovely, thank you kindly." Or something sort of like that.

When I saw what the tasting was for I was mildly disappointed - Goose Island - but, hey, free beer is free beer.

I have pretty strong opinions and I'm not afraid to express them. I also try to have an open mind. After talking to the gentleman dispensing the samples (Gerard - Craft Beer Coordinator, Dichello Distributors) I did another U-turn.

I don't want to like Goose Island beer, I really don't.   A small craft brewery bought by macro-beer giant Anheuser-Busch is a big turn off for me.  The big guys making a play to push out the little guys by posing as craft brewers and taking away business from the true artisans.






Gerard opened my eyes to something. Although, it's true the Goose Island is now owned by the macro beer brewing gigantoramous not all of their beer is brewed by Anheuser-Busch. Some beers like Honker's Ale and 312 are, indeed, being brewed at Anheuser-Busch plants. Other beers are being brewed by the brewmasters at Goose Island.

When Anheuser-Busch bought them, Goose Island saw it as an opportunity to focus their attention on creating new distinctive craft styles and hand-off the production of their more popular brews to someone else. I also found out that hundreds of gallons of beer was dumped before Goose Island signed off on what Anheuser-Busch was bottling with their name on it.

So, I have gained new respect for Goose Island.

Matilda (7.0% ABV) is a Belgian Pale Ale from the vintage line of beers by Goose Island. It is a hazy amber with a thick foam over the top.  The aroma is fruity with a grainy presence. The taste is overall fairly sweet and fruity.  It is also very heavy on the rye. The mouthfeel was medium with lively carbonation.  The finish was dry with a subtle bitterness.  Overall: good.









Sofie (6.5% ABV) is a Belgian Farmhouse Ale. It is a clear pale gold. The aroma was grainy with some fruit notes. The taste had a strong bready grain profile accentuated by banana, citrus and clove.  The wine barrel aging imparted a distinctive crisp quality that was wine like.  The mouth feel was medium with lots of bubbly carbonation.  Overall: very good.


Pere Jacques (8% ABV) is a Belgian Dubbel. It is clear amber with a small, thin head.  The aroma is of dried fruits, caramel, and malt.  The taste has a distinctive Belgian yeast funk. Deep flavors of dried fruit and sweeter essences of caramel and vanilla come through.The alcohol can be detected in taste and sensation, but its not overwhelming. The mouth feel is smooth and creamy. Overall: very good.


Pepe Nero (6% ABV) is a Saison. Pours a dark mahogany brown with a big fluffy head. The aroma is distinctly Belgian with spices.  The taste has the clove, banana, and other flavors notable with this style. However, there is a mild bite of peppercorn that is quite nice.  Earthy hops round out the flavors. The finish is nicely bitter. The mouth feel is medium and crisp. Overall: good.

Christmas Ale

Winter beers are starting to pop up all over the place. So, there's no need to go on a wild goose chase to find one. (Do you see what I did there?) 

Goose Island Christmas Ale is a perennial favorite. It's been brewed seasonally every year to ring in the holidays. There recipe is never exactly the same. Every year it's a little different; however, a brown ale is the base of the recipe.

Christmas Ale (7.30% ABV), annus 2012, poured a dense reddish brown with a small quickly dissoving head.

The aroma is malts with brown sugar, caramel, and spices wafting about.

The taste is spices, bread, caramel, and other comforting flavors atop a solid malt backbone. There is some pleasant alcohol warming but there is little booziness to speak of. Combined with gentle seasonal spices, the finish is somewhat bitter and nicely offsets the overall sweetness of the brew.

The mouthfeel is mediumish and coating.

Christmas Ale is a tasty winter warmer. A good example of the style with a unique flavor profile.

Overall: good

Plan Bacon

Plan B is a great place to go for great beer, creative burgers, and fine bourbon. This week they've added another B and another reason to go there - BACON.

It's Bacon Week at Plan B!!! I know!! Can you stand it??

That's just way too much awesomeness to not share, so hubby and I met up with some friends to partake in the crispety, crunchety, salty goodness. Much bacon was consumed; several pigs' worth, at least. We have no regrets.

Friend and fellow beer enthusiast, Kyle, was also at Plan B with his very own merry hoard of bacon eaters. Remarkably, Kyle had just emerged from a five year hiatus of bacon abstinence. Can you believe that?? Who can go FIVE whole years without eating bacon? It doesn't seem possible. Well, welcome back to heaven, dude. He remarked that he likes his bacon firm and not flaccid. I can't say that I disagree with that. 'nuff said.

Our server, Jessica, was the best! She was attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and quite tolerant of our silliness!

When Plan B makes a menu for Bacon Week they don't mess around! Holy baconoly!









We started out with the bacon appetizer which was aptly named Bucket of Bacon. It was literally nothing more than a pile of crispy bacon served with a side of three dipping sauces. It was flippin' incredible.

And of course, a bacon cocktail was in order. Bacon Bourbon Apple Cider Fizz - bacon infused bourbon, apple cider, ginger, beer candied bacon, and an apple slice. Mmmm.

Everybody ordered a main course off the Bacon Week menu. They all looked so tempting, it was hard to choose. No, I take that back. For me, it was a no brainer. I got the Hog Tied Hamburger. The burger consisted of half beef, half apple juice brined ground bacon burger topped with maple syrup roasted pork belly, bourbon bacon butter country gravy, fresh arugula, and served on bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits.

How to describe how it tasted? Hmm . . . this scene from When Harry Met Sally pretty much gives a good idea. Except I wasn't faking it.

Of course we had beer. All of the selections were good. A couple were great. So, let's get to it!

Deviant Dale's (8% ABV) IPA by Oskar Blues

Served in a stemmed chalice. It was a clear pale amber color with the remnants of the thick head. This beer has remarkable lacing; impressive!  The aroma was an enticing mixture of resinous hops and caramel malt.  The taste mirrors the aroma with a a mouthwatering combination of pine, grapefruit and spicy pepper hops offset by caramel and biscuit malts. This brew is the best of both worlds with a nice sharp bite of bitter hops balanced by lovely sweet malt. The finish is dry and bitter. The mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.  Overall: very good.

Sofie (6.5% ABV) Belgian Farmhouse Ale by Goose Island

Served in a stemmed chalice. It was a clear pale gold.  The aroma was grainy with some fruit notes. The taste had a strong bready grain profile accentuated by banana, citrus and clove.  The wine barrel aging imparted a distinctive crisp quality that was, indeed, wine like.  The mouth feel was medium with lots of bubbly carbonation.  Overall: good.

Pranqster (7.5% ABV) Belgian Golden Ale by North Coast Brewing.

Served in a shaker pint. It was a hazy golden color with a skim of foam floating on top.  The aroma was typical of a Belgian style beer - banana, bubblegum, clove, juicy fruits, yeast. The taste was also very characteristic of the Belgian style.  Loads mouthwatering tart fruit flavors co-mingling with sweet juicy fruit flavors along with candy-like sweetness and spices. There is a strong grain presence, as well. The hops provide just the right amount of bittering to counteract the sweetness and create a good balance of flavors. The hops take over in the finish leaving a lingering bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium with loads of tingly effervescence. Overall: good

Brewer's Select Aries (8% ABV) an amazing combination of their Heathen Imperial Stout and Imperial Pumpkin Stout by Weyerbacher.

Served in a stemmed chalice. It was as dark as night with reddish orange highlights. This was an outstanding brew! All the characteristics of a good barrel aged stout combined with flavorful pumpkin ale. Malty, roasty, pumpkiny, gently sweet, spicy. All this with an incredibly creamy mouthfeel. So good! Overall: excellent!

Pale Ale (5.4% ABV) by Founders

Served in a shaker pint. It was a clear amber with the remains of a head intact that left behind nice lacing. The aroma is primarily grassy and citrus hops with some malty undertones. The taste was a fairly average and unremarkable pale ale. More hoppy than most with sweet malts to offset some of the bitterness. The mouthfeel is crisp and dry. It was good but nothing special. Overall: good.


Hard Pumpkin Cider (5% ABV) by Ace Cider

Served in a shaker pint. It is a bright, clear honey color. The aroma is promising with a mouthwatering combination of pumpkin and apples. The taste is somewhat disappointing. The flavors of pumpkin, tart apples, and pie spices come through but it's somewhat watery and lacking. It needs something - more oomph - and it just doesn't have it. Overall: meh.


It was a great evening of good good and drink shared with the best of friends. And bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. It just doesn't get much better than that!

Cheers!

Bourbon County Coffee Stout

I like stout, I like coffee, I like bourbon.  The flavors can complement and enhance each other. Unless it's over done.  In my opinion, it is way overdone in this beer to the point of being unenjoyable.

Bourbon County Coffee Stout (14.00% ABV) by Goose Island (Anheuser-Busch) pours as black as an oil slick with a thin swirl of foam.

The aroma is intensely boozy; big bourbon in the nose with a whisper of coffee and dark roasted malts.

The taste is overpoweringly boozy, unpleasantly so.  The bourbon is huge, coffee and dark malts are hinted at but drowned out. The alcohol is so front and center that it overpowers and minimizes all the other flavor characteristics.

The mouthfeel is full and thick with little carbonation.

I really wanted to like Bourbon County Coffee Stout   I'm no stranger to big beers; I generally enjoy them.  But this one is too intense, too massive and too much of a good thing.

American Craft Beer Week at Plan B

One of the best places I can think of to celebrate American Craft Beer Week is Plan B Burger Bar.  The "B" in Plan B stands for more than just burger - and their burgers kick ass - they have a fantastic bourbon menu and an amazing selection of craft beer.  

They're wait staff is also great, too.  We were served by Damien and his trainee side-kick Emily.  Damien was amusing, attentive and knowledgeable and Emily was doing her darndest to keep up with him and learn the ropes.

Since it is also Connecticut Beer Week I decided to start out with a local brew.






Hop Meadow IPA (6.4% ABV) by Hooker Beer.  Served in a shaker pint, it was a hazy amber with the remnants of a thick head.  The lacing on this brew is incredible! Layer after layer clings to the glass to the very last sip.  The mildly hoppy aroma belies the bigger hop presence.  There is a decent amount of malt to balance out the bitterness, but the sharpness of the hops pull through to the finish leaving a lingering bitterness.  A hop lovers beer, for sure.  The mouth feel is creamy with very little carbonation.   Over all: very good.






Matilda (7.0% ABV) is from the vintage line of beers by Goose Island and can be aged up to 5 years.  Served in a shaker pint, it was a hazy amber with a thick foam over the top that left behind moderate lacing.  The aroma is fruity with a grainy presence. The taste is overall fairly sweet and fruity.  It is also very heavy on the rye. The mouthfeel was medium with lively carbonation.  The finish was dry with a subtle bitterness.  Overall: good.






Lest you think we were drinking on an empty stomach we had an order of hot wings to carry us over to our burgers.  Plan B's wings are big, meaty and very tasty. Personally, I think they could be hotter, but that's me.









Midas Touch (9.00% ABV) is from the line of ancient ales by Dogfish Head.  This was my favorite beer of the evening.  It was served in a pint bottle with an accompanying weissen style glass.  It is a clear pale gold with a thin head and loads of bubbles.  The aroma is fruity, sweet, and a little spicy.  It is described as both sweet and dry, I can totally go along with that.  There is the sweetness of honey and grapes and also the crispness of a chardonney.  Very tasty.  I am totally buying a six-pack of these bad boys!  Overall: very good.

Old Yankee Ale (5.00% ABV) is an old ale by Cottrell Brewing - also a Connecticut brewery.  Served in a shaker pint, is a hazy reddish gold with a big poof of white foam.  The aroma? Decidedly odd.  I thought it smelled like lettuce, I kid you not. The taste was better than the smell although somewhat light in flavor.  Juicy fruits and malt prevail with an underlying grapefruit and resinous hops to balance out the sweetness.  The finish is sweet but mildly bitter.  The mouth feel was light with good carbonation.  A good beer but nothing special.  Overall: good.








For dinner I got burger special - Hawaiian Crush: Beef patty with grilled pineapple, sesame aioli, ham streak, fried egg, teriyaki honey glaze & jack cheese.  I was somewhat dubious about this burger but it was intriguing enough to try.  It was awesome! I was pleasantly surprised at how well all the components worked together. A very tasty burger!  Hubby got the pretzel burger; his favorite. 

Censored (6.75% ABV) is a copper ale by Lagunitas.  You cannot go wrong with a Lagunatas beer.   It was served in a pint bottle with an accompanying weissen style glass.  It pours a deep copper color with a bubbly head.  The aroma is sweet, malty and spicy.  Enticing! The flavor is malty with the tang of cloves and other spices.  There's a nice bite of hops that brings everything together nicely.  The finish is smooth.  A very nice drinkable ale, not too sweet and not too hoppy, just right.  Overall: very good.






Bigfoot (9.6% ABV) by Sierra Nevada well deserves it name.  This beer is categorized as a barleywine, which is why I saved it for last.  Served in a chalice it is a deep copper color. I expected something rich, sweet and malty.  The aroma is huge, malty and hoppy; very much like an imperial IPA.  The taste?  Like a really big big imperial IPA.  Grapefruity hops, very bitter.  Some caramel malt but very understated. The alcohol can be tasted as well as felt, but that's not unexpected.   This is unlike any barlerywine I've ever had and I have a hard time classifying it as such.  I thought it was odd for a barleywine but great as a double IPA.  It's meant to be aged so I plan to get a couple bottles and aged them and see how the brew changes with time.  Over: very good.





But wait!  There's more!  A visit to Plan B wouldn't be complete without a finger or three of bourbon.  And they have a mighty fine selection.  I asked for a finger of 14 year old vintage from Jefferson's; a small batch bourbon distiller in Kentucky, a craft distiller as it were.  Not so unfortunately, they were out of the 14 year old bourbon.  What they had was a 21 year old vintage - Jefferson's Presidential Select (47% ABV).  Not realizing it was $18 for that nip of bourbon, I went for it.  That may seem like a lot of money for so little, and it is, but considering an extremely limited edition bottle is $120 I guess that's not so bad.  This bourbon is nothing short of remarkable.  Smooth and flavorful.  The aroma is rich with notes of vanilla, caramel, toffee. The flavor is very much the same; very deep, rich, and nuanced.  If you like bourbon then you must try this if you can.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Goose Island . . . I don't want to be a fan, I really don't.   A small craft brewery bought by macro-beer giant Anheuser-Busch is a turn off.  The big guys making a play to push out the little guys by posing as craft brewers and taking away business from the true artisans.  But I must admit I like some of their beers.

In other words, it wouldn't be my first choice when selecting a beer.  That opinion aside . . . 

Hubby asked me to pick up some Goose Island Bourbon County stout because he likes stout beers and he'd heard good things about the Bourbon County brand.  The Bourbon County beers are aged in bourbon barrels.

That being said, he's not a big bourbon lover so I wasn't so sure he'd like this beer.  I, however, get the occasional hankerin' for a good bourbon so that was a plus in my book.

I grabbed a four pack of 12-ounce 2012 Bourbon County bottles.  

I poured a bottle into a snifter style glass.  It pours black as the darkest night with little to no head.  Based solely on the aroma, there is no doubt that this is a bourbon barrel aged beer.  The aroma of bourbon is clear and intense.

The first sip . . . WOW!  BOURBON!  Yeah, there's nothing subtle about this beer.  It is strong and powerfully flavored.  Coffee, dark chocolate and dark chocolate flavors all come through but in the end the bourbon is all encompassing.  And there is a definite alcohol burn.  The mouth feel is thin with very little carbonation.




This is a seriously big beer . . . if you are not a fan of bourbon, you'll want to skip this one.  At 15% ABV this is a sip and a single bottle should probably be shared.

Hubby and I are both big beer drinkers . . . big meaning we drink a lot of beer AND we like big beers . . . and neither one of us could finish a full bottle.  That's saying something, I assure you.

Overall, this is a great beer for a bourbon lover.  It was tasty but too overpowering for my liking.  I like to taste beer in my beer . . . maybe with a finger or two of good bourbon on the side.

Visit the Goose Island website for more information on this or their other offerings.  Be sure to check out their Facebook page, as well.

Beer Run . . . oh my

I got a plan . . . Plan B!

Connecticut has a small . . . but growing . . . chain of restaurants called Plan B.  The "B" stands for beef, burgers, bourbon and beer.  All of which they have in abundance . . . they have creative burgers, a diversity of bourbons and along with everyday run of the mill beers they have rotating taps of amazing micro-brews.

Hubby and I make the pilgrimage to this mecca of awesomeness every month or so.

On a recent visit we had a short wait for a table in which to ponder the beer menu.  There were so many choices . . . so many good choices . . . what to choose??

By the time our table was ready we had completed sufficient research  . . . gotta love free Wi-Fi access . . . to make our decisions on which beers to enjoy with our burgers.  We both chose a different selection; ones that we each preferred but also so that we could both taste as many different beers as possible.

We both chose three and these were our choices:

Prima Pils by Victory Brewing Company 

This beer as won many awards and, after tasting it, I can understand why.  This pilsner style beer was smooth and delicious.  However I was impressed . . . and a little surprised . . . with the unexpected bite of hops.   The hoppy bitterness and mellow maltiness balance out to create a very enjoyable beer.   The glass was left with an impressive amount of lacing.   (5.3% ABV)

312 Urban Wheat Ale by Goose Island

It's a very sessionable beer (4.2% ABV) that screams summer . . . or better yet . . . drink me its summer!  312 has a slightly sweet fruitiness that compliments  the wheat and hops; creating a flavor that is surprisingly well balanced.  It has a creamy mouth feel that goes down oh so easy.  This is an excellent go-to beer if you're looking for something light but are craving more flavor than your average mass produced light beer.










Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA by Clown Shoes Beer 

The name alone was enough to get me to try this beer . . . that and the lure of hoppy goodness.  The description of this beer is thus: "Like a stamp on a tramp, this brew is about not so subtle seduction."  Yeah, that about sums it up.

This was an amazing beer . . . seriously you MUST try this one.  I've never had a beer with such a complexity of flavors.  With all that this beer has going on it surprising how well it all pulled together to make . . . well, lets just say . . . it's like a party in your mouth . . . with clowns! 

How to describe the plethora of tastes . . . it was a little sweet and a little bitter. Just as the hoppiness is rolling off your tongue wheatiness washes in and then it finishes clean . . . ready for more.  There is nothing subtle about this beer including the alcohol content (7% ABV).  I was truly impressed and highly recommend this beer.

Mary’s Maple Porter by Brooklyn Brewery


Hubby ordered this one . . . I like porters and stouts, but I don't love them like he does and I'm not a huge Brooklyn Brewery fan so it wouldn't have been on my list in any case.

It was . . . to be perfectly blunt . . . meh.  All the Brooklyn beers I've tasted have a weird flavor to them that I've yet to nail down and this one has it, too.    It's a deep dark porter and you can definitely taste the maple syrup.  But again, it was just okay but I wouldn't jump at the opportunity for another one.  And even my stout/porter loving hubby agrees with that assessment, so take that for what it's worth.  (6.9%)

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. on Rye by Shmaltz Brewing Company

A strong (10% ABV) IPA brewed with rye malt and named for Lenny Bruce . . . okay, gotta try it.  Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of rye beers.  This beer was definitely strong, definitely hoppy and definitely yummy.  Bitter and sweet . . . coffee and caramel are pronounced but somehow balanced out with citrussy grapefruit and pine notes.  The rye in this beer wasn't an issue for me at all . . . it all just kind of worked out very nicely to make a very good and tasty beer.  Also, despite the high alcohol content, there was no overt boozy taste to throw off the enjoyment.  It's a big beer and a pretty intense flavor experience . . . and it's kosher . . . I say go for it!



Vermonster by Rock Art Brewery

An American barley wine  . . . a great BIG one and without a doubt falls into the category of an extreme beer.   It's strong, both in alcohol (10% ABV) and flavor.  Vermonster pretty much slaps your taste buds around with bitterness . . . clearly not for faint of heart nor for the novice beer drinker.  But it's not all bitter . . . a sip of this brew comes with essences of fruit, caramel, malt and pine.  Despite the huge flavor and richness it finishes surprisingly clean.  Very nice.  This is a sipper not a pounder . . . sit back and relax and enjoy as it warms in your glass and the flavors change subtly as it does so . . . making for an interesting drinking experience.  Yes, I said experience and I mean it.  This is a good one . . . 

Cheers!

Oh . . . we had more than just beer.  We had wings and burgers too . . . om nom nom nom.  If you haven't been to Plan B, I would say GO!

Goose Island IPA

The first IPA is Goose Island IPA . . . It's served on tap at our Wednesday wings-n-beer hangout and it's a good honkin' beer.  

This is my second Goose Island review (see other review).  Goose Island was once a little upstart company but is now Anheuser-Busch.  A downside in my book but I still like the brews.



Goose Island’s IPA is an English-style IPA. Although this is an English IPA it is brewed with Centennial and Cascade hops along with a pair of English style hops, four varieties total. It's the Centennial and Cascade hops that give Goose Island IPA a distinctly American flavor.  

The beer is a rich golden color with a white head that hugs the side of the glass leaving very nice lacing behind.   This is an earthy tasting beer with piney, floral, almost grassy flavor with a kind of citrussy pineapple finish.  


It's a pleasant beer to drink, it's perfectly carbonated, medium bodied and refreshing.  Goose Island has very good IPA taste with out being overpowering; not bitter and nicely balance.  


Overall, a good IPA and fits the bill when I'm looking for a little extra flavor.  5.9% ABV






Visit the Goose Island website for more information on this or their other offerings.  Be sure to check out their Facebook page, as well.