Ellie's Celebration Ale
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

on tap at the Clybourn brewpub into a pint glass. pours a clear, caramel color with amber highlights and one finger of loose, offwhite head. moderate lacings and moderate retention.

atoma is malty, with caramel and toffee mainly, along with subtle bittering hops that take on a distant citrusy quality.

taste is malty as well, with the same caramel and toffee notes and a finish of mild citrusy hops, bitter in the aftertaste with a lightly sweet character overall.

mouthfeel is medium bodied with a smooth maltiness and a slick texture after finishing. reminiscent of a nut brown with enough hops to balance the malt and drown out the nutty base.

drinkability is good. this is a solid red ale that is malty with a solid backbone of caramel and bready malt. the finish of hoppy enough to balance the malt, though the hops are a bit overpowering when compared to the malt.

(Served in an American pint glass)

This now goes by the name Celebration Ale but gives homage to Ellie in the description. It also describes it as a Red Ale with 5.2%ABV.

A- This beer has a warm glowing orangish-red body with a thick creamy smooth head with not a bubble on it. It is a bit too hazy to see any carbonation but the glow of light through the body is nice.

S- The smell of sweet toasted malt balances with an orange citrus hop note that balances wonderfully. As it warms the hops become more green and bitter in the smell.

T- The sweet toasted malt has a soft spicy orange hop flavor with a nice grapefruit hop finish that has a bite. As it warms the sweet malt fades and the grapefruit hops become the dominant flavor and they even hang on the tongue after each sip with a nice hop bitterness.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a slight creamy texture.

D- This beer has good malt and hop flavors that work very well together and the hops flavor just keeps growing and growing with each sip.

Tried this beer on-tap at the Goose Island Clybourn restaurant. Poured a beautiful, cloudy reddish-brown color with a thick, off-white head. Very heavy lacing on the side of the glass. Aromas of warm spices and hops. Hints of honey in there, too. Taste begins with a touch of sweet spices and honey, then blooms into a mellow hoppiness. Medium carbonation that disappears quickly. Overall, defintely a beer I would reach for. The sweet spices add a nice depth, while the hops give it a very refreshing character.

Tried this on cask at Goose Island's Wrigleyville brewpub. This was a tasty, well-balanced cask-conditioned ale. It reminded me a little of the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in that it featured a good deal of bittering hops, but then again, it was darker and a bit more malty. The head retention wasn't incredible, but the deep amber-ish color was very appealing. Overall, a good beer to seek out before or after seeing the Cubs play!