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Imperial IPA
Goose Island Beer Co.
- From:
- Goose Island Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
- ABV:
- 9%
- Score:
- 93
- Avg:
- 4.18 | pDev: 9.81%
- Reviews:
- 330
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 06, 2021
- Added:
- Nov 24, 2003
- Wants:
- 127
- Gots:
- 20
Draft only as of 2008.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by merlin48:
Reviewed by merlin48 from Kentucky
4.2/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.2/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
I've sampled 3 bottles of this one over the past 10 days and my notes consistently bear out the conclusion that this is a "hop monster" of a double ipa. Pours a slightly hazed, apricot body with a small, almond hued head that leaves some attractive waves of lacing.
Aroma is assertive and brash, with a powerful note of fresh spruce pine, backed by grapefruit and a kiss of tangerine. A hint of sweet caramel lurks underneath and barely comes through.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with appropiate active carbonation and a resinous hops sting. Nice feel to this one.
Taste features a bigtime grapefruit hops bitterness, accented by the aromatic spruce pine resins. Fresh hops are brisk and dominant, and seem to permeate all your senses with leafy goodness. A bit of caramel malt sweetness is hidden away underneath and never becomes a significant player. The big alcohol isn't apparent, being swept away by all the fresh, leafy hoppiness. Finishes with a pine cone bitterness with a hint of citrusy grapefruit that follows into the aftertaste.
Excellent double IPA, but a bit too brash for my senses. Very dry and bitter, and reminds me of something between a Stone Ruination and a Victory Hopdevil. I wish the tangerine notes were more prominent here. Amazing, how the big alcohol is so well masked in this one. This is an enjoyable challenge for me, as the hops are very bitter, yet fresh and leafy. Can't wait to try this one in a few months.
Dec 06, 2005Aroma is assertive and brash, with a powerful note of fresh spruce pine, backed by grapefruit and a kiss of tangerine. A hint of sweet caramel lurks underneath and barely comes through.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with appropiate active carbonation and a resinous hops sting. Nice feel to this one.
Taste features a bigtime grapefruit hops bitterness, accented by the aromatic spruce pine resins. Fresh hops are brisk and dominant, and seem to permeate all your senses with leafy goodness. A bit of caramel malt sweetness is hidden away underneath and never becomes a significant player. The big alcohol isn't apparent, being swept away by all the fresh, leafy hoppiness. Finishes with a pine cone bitterness with a hint of citrusy grapefruit that follows into the aftertaste.
Excellent double IPA, but a bit too brash for my senses. Very dry and bitter, and reminds me of something between a Stone Ruination and a Victory Hopdevil. I wish the tangerine notes were more prominent here. Amazing, how the big alcohol is so well masked in this one. This is an enjoyable challenge for me, as the hops are very bitter, yet fresh and leafy. Can't wait to try this one in a few months.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.59/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.59/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
(From some old notes; drank in Omaha, NE circa 2012-13. Drank on draft.)
Perhaps the best beer I've ever tasted, certainly the best Imperial IPA, bar none.
Orange and mango explosion in the nose.
Murky yet bright orange color. Great lacing through the glass.
More orange and mango in the taste, undercurrent of strawberry. Almost no bitterness, almost no alcohol present. Hint of smoke?!
Words fail me; a must-try.
Apr 15, 2019Perhaps the best beer I've ever tasted, certainly the best Imperial IPA, bar none.
Orange and mango explosion in the nose.
Murky yet bright orange color. Great lacing through the glass.
More orange and mango in the taste, undercurrent of strawberry. Almost no bitterness, almost no alcohol present. Hint of smoke?!
Words fail me; a must-try.
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut
4.04/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Im sampling a 2006 bottle that has been cellared since purchase. On the eve of my 40th Birthday and for my 1600th review I figured I would dig something out of the archives to commemorate the occasions!
Pouring at cellar temp into a snifter the beer pours a rich mahogany with ruby highlights and frothy fleeting khaki colored head. The aroma is evident immediately after the cap is popped with deep malt notes of toffee and brown sugar, I get prunes, plums, raisins, lots of dark fruit. AS expected no hops and only the a little boozey red wine character. Strong english ale nose if I had to guess blindfolded on this one.
First sip reveals a smooth textured beer with very fine and fairly soft and spacious carbonation. Coating my palate with some sticky malt syrupy feature after each sip.
The flavor is sweet and malty with caramel and brown sugar, loads of dark fruit again, with raisins and plums. No hops on the flavor profile that I can pick up, which is also expected for a 10 year old bottle. I do get a little black peppery bite on the finish, which I attribute to the 9% ABV and not hops. While not warm in my mouth I do get just a little bit of warming in my belly after each swallow. A bit of sipping beer, but very enjoyable and certainly has held up well over the past decade, unless you were looking for hops, cause they are gone.
Im glad I opened this bottle and am enjoying the beer, even though the carbonation characters are soft, I am getting a lot of burps from the beer. Glad this one didnt die in my cellar.
May 15, 2016Pouring at cellar temp into a snifter the beer pours a rich mahogany with ruby highlights and frothy fleeting khaki colored head. The aroma is evident immediately after the cap is popped with deep malt notes of toffee and brown sugar, I get prunes, plums, raisins, lots of dark fruit. AS expected no hops and only the a little boozey red wine character. Strong english ale nose if I had to guess blindfolded on this one.
First sip reveals a smooth textured beer with very fine and fairly soft and spacious carbonation. Coating my palate with some sticky malt syrupy feature after each sip.
The flavor is sweet and malty with caramel and brown sugar, loads of dark fruit again, with raisins and plums. No hops on the flavor profile that I can pick up, which is also expected for a 10 year old bottle. I do get a little black peppery bite on the finish, which I attribute to the 9% ABV and not hops. While not warm in my mouth I do get just a little bit of warming in my belly after each swallow. A bit of sipping beer, but very enjoyable and certainly has held up well over the past decade, unless you were looking for hops, cause they are gone.
Im glad I opened this bottle and am enjoying the beer, even though the carbonation characters are soft, I am getting a lot of burps from the beer. Glad this one didnt die in my cellar.
Imperial IPA from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating:
93 out of
100 with
525 ratings
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