Noël
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

Pours great, nice head. Nose is exceptional, deep and intricate like most Belgians. The problem is the taste. Disappoints more than stapple gas station knock offs. Lacking all complexities found in the nose, with a thin and carbonated mouth feel that falls flat before swallowing.

 

 

Pours a deep ruby red color with a decent sized tan head.

The smell is a fruity sweetness. There are hints of dried fruit like raisins, also cherry and banana.

The taste is similar to the smell, raisins and cherries, little candy sugar, finishes a bit hot with a lingering brown sugar flavor.

Pretty spicy on the tongue, but a little on the thin side for the style.

Compared to other US made Belgians I have had, this is one of the better ones. They did a nice job capturing the essence of the style, but compared to the best authentic ones from Belgium, it does fall a little short. The flavors are there, I Just think they could be a bit more intense. Still, it is a very well done take on the style, and a nice beer for the holidays.

2018 vintage. Bottled on 9/28/18. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a dark brown with mahogany hues; fluffy khaki head that falls leaving great retention and nice lacing. The aromas have some dark fruits along with some cherries. Hints of banana and bubblegum. Malts and yeasts are there. The flavors basically follow the nose. Some raisins, cherries, banana and bubblegum. Subtle hints of candied sugar. Malts and yeasts do their thing. Very nice malt backbone. Low bitterness. There's a touch of sweetness. Very mild warmth in the finish, so the alcohol is ultimately well hidden. Mouthfeel is nice. It's full-bodied with moderate carbonation. It's fluffy, slightly creamy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is a nice brew. It's more or less what you would expect from a "Belgian Strong Dark Ale". It's well crafted, enjoyable and fun to drink. I like it.

Taste: rich dark bread, malty, spicy, dark fruit notes, boozy finish. Same with the nose. Black with a reddish tint, mostly clear, some head no lace. Medium/full body. warms you up for winter.

 

 

 

From the 12 oz bottle poured into a snifter. This nice BSDA pours a
mahogany tinged dark cola color with a decent head of off white foam
that settles to a thick fine beaded ring with subtle lacing. Nose of
cinnamon, nutmeg, cola, vanilla, chocolate, and dark fruit notes.
Flavors nail the profile of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with fig and
prune notes, subtle yeasty breaded notes, light vanilla, subtle
cherry, hints of cocoa, and warming booze. Very nice mouth feel;
medium body, medium light carbonation, and a lightly dry and
moderately warming finish that is sweet and well balanced.

Cheers

**
12/10/2017

Holiday Beer Tasting at JPK's.

1. Bruery 10 Lords a Leaping
2. N'ice Chouffe
3. Goose Island Noel
4. Fegley's Rude Elf Reserve

LOOK: cola color and opacity; no head
AROMA: spice, cedar wood
TASTE: light fruit, hints of cinnamon
FEEL: thin and flat

**

 

Pours a dark brown color that has a reddish hue, perhaps maroon. The carbonation is visible as is what appears to be yeast floated. A fingernail length head soon dissipates and yields minimal lacing.
I’m liking the aroma as it offers lots of dark fruit such as raisin, plum and prune. I can also smell cinnamon, bubblegum and clove. There is even a light hint of chocolate and apricot midway.
Taste aligns with smell in that it features flavors of raisin, plum and prune seasoned with cinnamon and clove. Fruity but not too sweet, moderately spiced and hiding the high ABV quite well. A moderate bready malt backbone adds counterpoint yet never quite overtakes the dark fruit and vinous/grape quality.
Medium bodied yet with a sense of creamy fullness evoked by its fruity eaters and malty tones. The finish is chalky and slightly tart. Spicy phenols are relatively mild.
A decent American version of BSDA. I wouldn’t mind having again.

It pours dark maroon with very little head. The aroma is spicy, with cinnamon, dark fruits and some nice clove. The taste matches faithfully the nose but it finishes with a bit of an intense boozy kick

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 9/27/2017. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy dark reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big raisin, plum, prune, fig, cherry, date, apricot, apple, orange peel, ginger, pepper, clove, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread crust, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of banana, nuttiness, roast, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, prune, fig, cherry, date, apricot, apple, orange peel, ginger, pepper, clove, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread crust, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of banana, nuttiness, roast, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light peppery yeast spiciness and herbal/roast bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, apricot, apple, orange peel, ginger, pepper, clove, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread crust, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/roast, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.5%. Overall this is an excellent Belgian strong dark ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast and dark/bready malt flavors; extremely smooth and easy to drink for the big ABV. Perfectly balanced yeast and malt complexities, with adequate dryness. Never overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.