Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Review: Goose Island Christmas Ale

Goose Island beers have long beer part of my beer repertoire. The beers are solidly build, generally toward the lower end of the cost scale, and readily available. In fact, I always look forward to ordering a Honker's Ale at the local art house theater. So why it's taken me so long to review their beers is beyond me (although AC did a guest post on the Wrigleyville brewpub recently).

Brewery: Goose Island Brewery
Brewery Location: Chicago (Northeastern Illinois)
Beer:
Christmas Ale
BJCP Style:
21B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer
Serving:
Bottle

Appearance: Moderate to low head on pour. Creamy, light tan color; the beer itself has a deep ruby hue.

Smell: Chocolate and roasted malts, slight cola in the nose, moderate to low hops.

Taste: Chocolate and roast flavors upfront, with some astringency from the roasted malts; medium hops blend with the roast to produce a moderate bitterness, while vanilla and chocolate flavors round out the experience.

Mouthfeel: Some powdery tartness, mostly from the roasted and dark malts.

Drinkability: GI's website claims this beer is similar to a brown ale, but to me, it seems more like a hopped up porter, with it's roasty and chocolate flavors. A great nose that previews the flavors that follow. Some winter beers are so overpowering that I have to switch to something else after the first one. Not so with this beer. I could (and did) have several in one night. The brewery claims this beer can be stored for up to five years, but the relatively low ABV (5.4%) suggests otherwise. The folks over at BeerAdvocate give it generally high marks.

1 comment:

Jay said...

This is a great beer. All of the Goose Island beers are quality. I especially like the Kilgubbin Irish Ale (seasonal) and, of course, Honkers Ale.