Backyard Brew
Goose Island Beer Co.

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Goose Island Beer Co.
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
American Lager
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
2.55 | pDev: 16.86%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
8
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 18, 2016
Added:
Mar 01, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Contract "house brew" for Weber Grill in Chicago.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of dru37
Rated by dru37 from New Jersey

1.58/5  rDev -38%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.75
Not a good beer. Is it supposed to taste like smoked bbq? Well it does and that's not a good beer taste. Yuck!
Apr 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by ejk99 from Illinois

Sep 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by MSandahl23 from Indiana

Jul 25, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by cynical1027 from Ohio

Feb 22, 2012
 
Rated: 2.75 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of Florida9
Reviewed by Florida9 from Illinois

2.38/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
A Weber Grill exclusive.

A: Served in a pint glass. Comes with a good finger's worth of thick white head with great retention and copious amounts of lacing. Pale straw yellow in color with some chill haze. The color was so pale, I thought they gave me the wrong beer.

S: Biscuit malts. Pilsner-type malts. Cereal and some light European hop action.

T: Very lightly flavored. Biscuit and cereal. Water.

M: Thin with medium carbonation. Somewhat dry.

D: Damn, what a lousy disappointment this beer was. I figured since this a was a GI beer, it would have at least been decent, but this one is like a craft brewer's rendition of a American adjunct lager. Weak, watery, thin, and flavorless. While I can understand GI would contract brew this for Weber (hey, business is business), I'm surprised GI would actually want their name associated with this crappy beer. After all, it's not as if GI doesn't make some mass market beers that are at least respectable. And at $6 a pint, not only does this beer suck, but it leaves you feeling like you've been ripped off as well.
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of Wheelinb
Reviewed by Wheelinb from Missouri

2.8/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Had this at the Weber Grill. Very light yellow color and had a big yeasty smell when presented. It was very thin and light and that yeast flavor came through as well. It' light and good for hot weather but so is water. Not a lot going on here and once was enough.
Jun 23, 2009
Photo of tapman
Reviewed by tapman from Illinois

2.42/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
A little history: The Goose Island Backyard Brew is an exclusive beer made for the 'Weber Grill' restaurant chain, and can not be found in any retail store, or even at the G.I. brewpubs.

The body pours a thin, yellow color. Not to be explicit, but the color is the spitting image of a certain yellow liquid that can best be described as "undesirable". Head was non-existent as the serving glass was filled to the brim. No lacing is evident. Not very enticing.

The smell is that of your typical American Macro lager, though leaning more towards an MGD than a Bud or any of the other BMCers out there. moderate Pilsner malts are combined with a hint of pale malts and an Eastern European-like hops. Not as spicy or bready as Saaz, but it does balance the malts decently enough. However, it's so close to an MGD than one ay just want to save the $5.50 a pint and wait to spend $5 on a six pack of MGD. Very similar, the two.

The taste is quite similar to the nose: Saaz-like hops with pilsner and pale malts. That is about as far as the complexity goes, though at least there is a lack of corn or other common adjuncts. A plus is that metallic and gaseous flavors are absent, setting this one apart from the majority of American Golden BMCs.

Just about average, though still quite thin. The summer season would be favorable for this brew. A decent picnic brew for your non-beer advocate buddies; perhaps a fine starter beer for the amateur beer enthusiast.

Like I said, will go well with a mouth full of the Weber Grill's Baby Back Ribs, but as a stand alone beer for tasting, not so much. One can't blame Goose Island really, as we can all imagine how that meeting went. You can't blame the Weber Grill for playing it safe and its true you can't find this brew anywhere else. If you like MGD then you will LOVE this brew. If not, enjoy it once for what it doesn't have and don't worry about what it could have been.
Mar 01, 2008
Backyard Brew from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating: 2.55 out of 5 with 8 ratings