Small Batch #04: Applewood Wheatwine
Goose Island Beer Co.
- From:
- Goose Island Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- Wheatwine
- ABV:
- 15%
- Score:
- +3 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.4 | pDev: 2.05%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 10, 2025
- Added:
- May 26, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
With Small Batch #4 we continue to explore the unique expressions of our barrel aged wheatwine. After aging in Wild Turkey barrels for two years we let this beer rest on toasted applewood honeycombs to impart the nuanced flavors of an additional wood. This process created something truly complex yet well balanced. A slight caramel sweetness, with a lingering chocolate aroma gives way to a nutty and raisin filled wheatwine with a warming, medium-bodied mouthfeel.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by DIM:
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania
4.47/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.47/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
this is intensely, immensely flavorful, nothing subtle here. Massive sweetness up front in the form of toffee and whiskey primarily with hints of vanilla, raisin, plus cooked apples and pears. Maybe a little chocolate and bananas foster as well?? The finish dries out just a bit with deep oak and a lighter, brighter earthy bitterness. At 15% the alcohol is unsurprisingly not shy, but it is really well incorporated and maybe helps keep the sweetness in check. GI has a great thing going here with these wheatwines, they are just amazing.
Oct 22, 2022More User Ratings:
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.45/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
500 ml bottle into a snifter. Drink by 3/7/24, had 3/29/24.
Pours a fairly clear copper amber color, with a brief head and minimal lacing. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, fig, wood, malt, raisins, some chocolate, light brown sugar, light char. The flavors are somewhat similar: bourbon, caramel, fig, wood, raisins, some brown sugar, light vanilla and chocolate. Smooth, a solid medium body, appropriately carbonated.
Really enjoyed this one, it’s delicious. The Wild Turkey barrels are excellent, and there’s a great balance between them and the base beer. An array of enticing aromas and flavors, too. Really solid from top to bottom.
May 08, 2024Pours a fairly clear copper amber color, with a brief head and minimal lacing. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, fig, wood, malt, raisins, some chocolate, light brown sugar, light char. The flavors are somewhat similar: bourbon, caramel, fig, wood, raisins, some brown sugar, light vanilla and chocolate. Smooth, a solid medium body, appropriately carbonated.
Really enjoyed this one, it’s delicious. The Wild Turkey barrels are excellent, and there’s a great balance between them and the base beer. An array of enticing aromas and flavors, too. Really solid from top to bottom.
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut
4.53/5 rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.53/5 rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Sampling a cellar temp 500 ml bottle poured into my snifter. Drink by March 07 2024 on the label. consumed 9-10-2022.
The beer pours a clear yet dark mahogany color with some rich garnet highlights when I hold my glass to a light source. A dense, yet short lived khaki colored head of 1 cm foams up. This foam is a sturdy edge layer soon after the pour, with one large spinning island in the center of the glass.
Aroma is rich, malty and robust. I get toffee and caramel, brown sugar and bourbon soaked fruit, raisins and pears to my nose. I do get some dry wooden toothpicky type notes on the aroma as well. Generally pretty boozy nose, with a little bit of fusol note mixed in with the other complex mix.
First sip reveals a medium body with sticky texture and fine, tingly carbonation. The beer definitely coats my lips and palate with each sip.
Flavor is robust also and complex, with malt driven notes. I get brown sugar and toffee and dark fruit. Here are raisins and again pears, with a good hit of bourbon and some sweeter vanilla notes. There is a little bit of dry wooden note in the background. I never detect any hop character and the booze flavor is present, but no warmth or heat. Could be dangerous based on lack of boozy warmth.
Very nice sweet sticky wheatwine. Glad to have tried this one!
Sep 11, 2022The beer pours a clear yet dark mahogany color with some rich garnet highlights when I hold my glass to a light source. A dense, yet short lived khaki colored head of 1 cm foams up. This foam is a sturdy edge layer soon after the pour, with one large spinning island in the center of the glass.
Aroma is rich, malty and robust. I get toffee and caramel, brown sugar and bourbon soaked fruit, raisins and pears to my nose. I do get some dry wooden toothpicky type notes on the aroma as well. Generally pretty boozy nose, with a little bit of fusol note mixed in with the other complex mix.
First sip reveals a medium body with sticky texture and fine, tingly carbonation. The beer definitely coats my lips and palate with each sip.
Flavor is robust also and complex, with malt driven notes. I get brown sugar and toffee and dark fruit. Here are raisins and again pears, with a good hit of bourbon and some sweeter vanilla notes. There is a little bit of dry wooden note in the background. I never detect any hop character and the booze flavor is present, but no warmth or heat. Could be dangerous based on lack of boozy warmth.
Very nice sweet sticky wheatwine. Glad to have tried this one!
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.25/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
"Drank by 3/7/24"; drank 5/25/22 @ the Yarchives.
Opaque dark brown appearance.
An even pour yielded a small, noisy tan head which quickly dissipated; no lace.
Fresh wood, caramel, mild bourbon heat & faint apple notes in the nose.
Thick, sticky mouthfeel. Caramel, wood, mild apple & mild bourbon heat here.
I know no actual apples were used here, but there was an accent...the power of suggestion? Anyway, I found this to be an interesting, tasty brew. I'd have another.
May 26, 2022Opaque dark brown appearance.
An even pour yielded a small, noisy tan head which quickly dissipated; no lace.
Fresh wood, caramel, mild bourbon heat & faint apple notes in the nose.
Thick, sticky mouthfeel. Caramel, wood, mild apple & mild bourbon heat here.
I know no actual apples were used here, but there was an accent...the power of suggestion? Anyway, I found this to be an interesting, tasty brew. I'd have another.
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