Imperial IPA
Goose Island Beer Co.

Imperial IPAImperial IPA
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From:
Goose Island Beer Co.
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 9.81%
Reviews:
330
Ratings:
525
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 warriorsoul:
Photo of warriorsoul
Reviewed by warriorsoul from Pennsylvania

4.32/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this gem on tap at the Barcade Friday night...
Arrived in a goblet a golden copper color with a full finger of bright white head...disappears fairly quickly with a fine layer remaining.
Producing some decent lacing...
The aroma was very inviting...a citrus hop punch with plenty of malt to back it up.
Taste was fantastic...a boatload of grapefruit in the flavor with just enough malt to balance it out. Alcohol was very well hidden and the finish was very clean...no lingering flavors.
Mouthfeel was nice...not thin and by no means cloying.
Carbonation was perfect for the style and highly quaffable for a double...I belive the menu stated 10% for the abv, but you would not know it from drinking it...very dangerous.
Dec 18, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by edthehead from Maryland

Nov 06, 2021
Photo of GuyFawkes
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
(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, 2019
 
Rated: 3.71 by rsquared59 from Indiana

Apr 22, 2017
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

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, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by Dirtinabottle from New York

Apr 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.97 by Pens1967 from Louisiana

Apr 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.46 by dday from Texas

Mar 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by duceswild from Heard & McDonald Islands

Dec 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.74 by Bferber from New York

Nov 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.81 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Nov 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.12 by HipHopsHooray from California

Oct 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.79 by kmanjohnson from California

Sep 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Hohnbaum from Kansas

Sep 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.17 by maz from Illinois

Jul 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by jrob21 from North Carolina

Jul 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.97 by BIll_Currie from Wyoming

Jun 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.82 by CroatianTrain15 from Maryland

May 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.32 by ArkyPalmer from Washington

May 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by misternebbie from Pennsylvania

Feb 03, 2015
Imperial IPA from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 525 ratings