La Vie D'une Oie
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

Review from notes taken on 4/23/10. I was hesitant about posting this review based on the amount of time that has lapsed since I wrote these notes but oh well, worse has been done I guess.

On tap at the Clybourn location this brew appears a dark amber brown color. Some reddish hues are seen when held to the light. Atop the brew sits a tan head that initially is more than a finger strength that recedes to a thin lacing and holds in spotty patterns. The aroma is quite sweet smelling with notes of dark fruits and some sherry quality. A bit of nutty character comes out as it warms up. The taste is dark and fruity with a very mild caramel malt flavor. The fruited quality tastes like apple skins and gets progressively pronounced as the brew warms with more alcohol coming out. This is a medium bodied brew with a light yet slightly prickly feel of carbonation. There is a faint touch of bittering hops across the back and a lasting taste if dark fruits remains. Not bad.

Served in a snifter glass at a recent visit to Clybourn for Sunday brunch. Not what I would normally order for brunch, but this would be my only visit this trip and wanted to try something unique and over the top.

A: Dark black with a light brown/tan head that produces some nice lacing.

S: Roasty malty aroma with coffee, sherry and alcohol notes.

T: Sweet malty flavor, with a little pleasant tartness. Some sherry and rum flavors give it some pleasant alcohol tastes.

M: Smooth, cream, light in the mouth. What you would expect from a cask.

D: Sipping beer, very smooth and delightful.

Served in a snifter at Goose Island-Clybourn 5/1/10.

A: Served a muddy cola brown color with a small and creamy light brown head. Lace was minimal.

S: Holy cocoa! Huge fresh cocoa aroma with help from caramel, vanilla, and some spices.

T: Almost exactly as above with the addition of some raisins, figs, and overripe plums as it approaches room temp.

M: Smooth with a hint of spicy dryness and peppery alcohol bite as the glass nears empty.

D: I loved the cocoa qualities of this. Very nice addition to the Chef Collaboration Series.

04/23/2010
On-tap poured into a snifter.
ABV: 9.0%

A: Poured a murky red-brown-black with half-finger caramel head with lots of carbonation pitting.

S: Dark fruits, cocoa, and some hints of red wine. Combination comes off as a pretty unique scent.

T: Figs and raisins dominate the front, followed by sweet malts and sherry. Haven't tried too many wheat wines, so the flavor is somewhat new to me.

M: Medium body with mild bitter aftertaste.

D: Glad I tried it but won't be seeking it out again. Definitely worth a try for something different but there are better offerings on the April 2010 menu.

A - Very dark brown, no light coming through on this one. Off white, almost tannish head rises a little bit then fades in with a little stick on the sides.

S - Lot going on here, strong cocoa scent that is not overly sweet, some vanilla notes and dark fruits, particularly figs and dates. There is an obvious sherry touch here that reminds me of Utopias.

T - Well, this definately reminds me more of Sam Adams Utopias than anything else I've ever drank. Cocoa and dark fruits with a very distinct sherry taste. Some maple notes as well.

M - Lighter than it looks with mild carbonation.

D - A touch too sweet to be highly drinkable, and the strength of some of the fruit and cocoa only add to making this more of a sipper than session beer.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours dark brown, almost black, and totally opaque; this is much, much darker than your average wheatwine but clearly not viscous enough to look anything like an imperial stout. Half a finger of quickly dissipating head leaving a few fine tracks of lace.

Aroma is all sherry with a background of chocolate and some nutty malts; some GI yeast notes as well. Flavor profile builds slowly with malts early building to big sherry notes in the finish; hops assert themselves but definitely take a backseat.

This a phenomenally balanced beer, maybe the best wheatwine I've ever had and drinkable as hell for 9%.

I had this on tap into a tasting glass at GI.

The beer is a medium very dirty looking brown, looks very oily. The head is light tan and rises only about a finger.

The aroma is super strong and complex. It starts off with tons of cocoa and is very strong throughout. The cocoa then gets mellowed by by some figs and vanilla, and it finishes with a hint of sherry.

The taste is super sweet, to sweet for me. Its dominated by the cocoa but the dark fruits come into play as well.

The feel is light and its not very drinkable to me because its just a one noter that is sweet. There are some good things going on here and if they tweak this it might be a good one.