Halia
Goose Island Beer Co.

Billolick from New York

4.19/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Large capped bottle, "12Jan17" printed on the rear label. "Develops in the bottle over 5 years". So the store aged this for me for just over 3 years and its got a few years to develop...hmm interesting stuff.

The pour here is fully hazed orange infused amber, no head, film or lacing left on the glass.

Subtle sniff with earthy and and yeasty qualities with lightly sour underlying and back note.

Super tasty wild/sour ale, with more earthiness, yeasty notes, yes the advertised peaches and apricots. More then a little bit sour/tart, but not at all over the top...delicious creation, soft, tasty, complex....highly worthy creation.....gotta pick up a for more (nicely aged) bottles next time...

May 12, 2020

VABA from Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A-Pours a nice golden color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has a generous peach and yeast hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a well balanced peach and yeast sour flavor
M-A light bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Belgian Saison

Feb 28, 2020

justintcoons from Pennsylvania

3.56/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2017.
12 oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Appearance
Lightly yeasty and hazy pale-blonde. Head fizzles out immediately. Lively carbonation.

Nose
Lactic acid, peach, Sweet Tarts, and lemon juice.

Taste
Moderate to heavy lactic sourness. Lemon juice, Sweet Tarts, and peach puree. Slight white wine and oak.

Mouthfeel
Medium-light bodied, sour, and off-dry.

Overall
Peach, white wine, sour. That's all you need to know.

Dec 03, 2019

MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle. Stamped on label is bottled on date of '14JAN17'. Label terms this to be a "Belgian Style Wild Ale".
Sediment heavy, pale gold colored body. Brief fizzy white head disappears almost immediately after the pour. No lacing.
Aroma is redolent with saucy peach, along with funk leather and tobacco, with lemon tartness, and rich oak barrel.
Taste is tart and dry, with peach, lemon, oak barrel, earthy leather funk, and Brett.
Medium mouth feel, with very good carbonation.
Tasty, dry, white wine like brew with a bright peach flavor and smell. Refreshing and a pleasant sparkle in the mouth. Lots of sediment in the glass detracts from the appearance.

Sep 08, 2019

Lucular from Maryland

3.96/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

There are a lot of great aspects to this beer: fruity peach flavor, depth of flavor with oak, white wine, leather/funkiness, Belgian yeast esters, and a restrained sourness. However, it is also too sweet for my liking, lowering the scores a bit.

Aug 14, 2019

mikeg67 from New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml 2016 bottle. Pours golden with tall, long-lasting, foamy off-white head. Nose is of funky yeast, vinegar , bready malt and ripe fruit. Body is full and tangy. Taste is similar to aroma. Finish is long and sour. Nice brew.

Jun 24, 2019

Foyle from North Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into tulip glass. Hazy gold with plenty of sediment. Aroma is sour, floral, and peaches. Flavor tart, peach, yeast roll. Overall very good.

Mar 17, 2019

mschrei from Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Great example of the style. Bottled 2/3/16. Slight hazy pale yellow, no foam, some particulates. Smell is tart and funky, as is the taste with a slightly salty background. Very dry. Everything I expect from a saison/farmhouse.

Jan 01, 2019

rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Fundamentally, there seems to be a psychological issue of $20+ for a barrel aged saison. And I get it, I have it too. But once, just once, i decided to take the expensive path with this beer. And then it sat in the cellar. But then, after 5 years, it found its literal spot in the sunshine this summer, as we broke it out for a day around the pool.

Pours golden and light amber, surprisingly good carbonation still on this beer, easily put forth a 1/2" white head. Aroma was a delicious bouquet of hay, wood and peaches, with a tart light rain and a subsequent nice sunny day.

Taste was a lot more sourness than you get with saisons, so this is kind of one of those saison wild ales essentially, but its still delicious however you categorize it. The peach was subtle all the way through, but still firmly present. The brett amount was sizeable and contributed to further dryness and levity to the beer in the mouthfeel.

These are quite the treat.

Dec 28, 2018

Nismo15 from Ohio

4.9/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A very good sour. Almost reminds me to Hansen’s experimental ale which is a fantastic lambic.... would recommend to anyone with taste. It’s a fine wine in a beer bottle.

Nov 25, 2018

Beginner2 from Illinois

4.01/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Ridiculously expensive. Interestingly good.
I put off Halia forever. My plan was to return to GI's taproom and have Halia on the cheap. Worried that I might not be able to ride my bike out of there, I deferred on Halia. Procrastination only raises the price. I paid $25 for her in a weak moment.

Worth it? Well, not enough to do it twice. But, my first time was almost worth the price. First of all, Halia is a masterful (and probably groundbreaking) use of the techniques we, today, commonly taste in the saison style. The flat carbonation, the winey aromas, the tart fruit.... they are all here put together as one offering.

Now... that doesn't mean that I like this trend (me being a fuddy-duddy.) But more than most styles, the saison lends itself to the experimentation of the individual farmhouse. Sometimes we get close to a masterpiece like Halia... more times, we get a failed experiment. I personally would have liked to have Halia for the price of the failed experiment.

Nov 01, 2018

IKR from California

3.96/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear straw yellow color with a small white head that quickly faded.

Smell: Moderate barnyard funk with some moderate grassy/hay notes. I also get some mild fruity notes.

Taste: Moderate barnyard funk, sweetish peach notes, faint tart citrus notes along with some grassy hay notes. The nose and taste profile scream Wild Ale rather than a Saison but regardless the taste profile is tasty and has a light dry finish that works well for the beer.

Mouth-feel: Fairly light-bodied with a modest level of carbonation. Thicker than most Saison's I've had but not bad.

Overall: Not sure if i'd classify this as a Saison but that doesn't matter. It's a tasty easy drinking beer that would be perfect on a hot day.

Apr 21, 2018

JayQue from Virginia

3.99/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass from a 750 ml bottle. Beautiful clear, dark golden color with a small bubbly white head that fades fast. No lacing on the glass. Aroma is Brett/wild yeast and peaches. No hoppy aspect to speak of. Malty by default. Strong, pleasant aroma. Taste is more of an Amer. Wild Ale than a Saison. None of the funk, lemon zest, barnyard/horseblanket aspects of a Saison. Tartness and fruit are the main aromas and tastes. Still an outstanding drink though. Mouthfeel is tart, fruity and fairly light but still crisp. Very enjoyable beer but nowhere near a classic saison.

Apr 01, 2018

Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.12/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On draught at Gaslight Social Club.

Pours a brilliantly clear light gold, small and quickly disappearing head of foam, no lacing.

Strong peachy smell but it gives it up for the intense aromas of Brett. Can't say that it smells sour.

The taste continues with the Brett where the smell left off. Light sour notes of umm peaches, tough to positively identify the fruit as such, whatever, it's pitted but not dark fruit.

Fairly light bodied with adequate carbonation.

Very good for 1 glass. ;)

Mar 28, 2018

Ciocanelu from Romania

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Almost clear yellow color with just a bit of white head. Aroma has floral notes like elderflower and linden with some light citrus tartness. Taste has mellow fruit notes like peach, mirabelle plum, melon, apricot, ripe pear with a light acidity. Medium body with medium minus carbonation. Really well integrated fruit flavors with some nice floral notes.

Mar 05, 2018

zeff80 from Missouri

4.21/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle. Poured out a hazy, straw yellow color with a small, white head of foam. It smelled of peach, funky brett and some white grapes. Very funky with a sweet peach taste.

Mar 04, 2018

gatornation from Minnesota

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2013 Vintage Pours a light yellow/golden hue with a fluffy white head. Smell and taste were white fruit and peach mixed with white wine and slight sour fruity esters. Mouth sweet and fruity with mild funk peach not as prominent as i would like. A wine and champagne saison to me very easy to drink.

Feb 11, 2018

NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Goose Island Beer Co. "Halia"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, "BOTTLED ON: 14JAN2017 0822 7.7% ALC/VOL"
$8.49 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Nice label, nice bottle - Goose Island's packaging has certainly improved. It's poured for me a surprisingly short head of bright white that faded almost immediately. The body is hazy and golden. The aroma smells of Brettanomyces (mustiness, light mineral, some sharpness, light wet straw), oak, and soft golden fruit. The flavor affirms that with a bright tartness, soft chalky minerals, fruitiness (a hint of lemon, apple, and peach), drying oak, and a moderately grainy-sweet golden maltiness. It finishes dry, fruity, and lightly grassy and spicy. It's light bodied, maybe light-medium, and gently crisp more due to its acidity than its moderate carbonation. Although it's not that bold it remains fairly complex, and quite refreshing and enjoyable.

Dec 03, 2017

SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from 2013

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip to a light gold topped by a dense two finger white head that fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of light sourness, fruity esters with some orchard fruit notes and some nice peach aroma.
T: Taste is some light acidity with some nice horseblanket and barnyard notes with a hint of baind aids. Still some nice peach flavor as well. Swallow is more light sourness with some lingering peach flavor.
M: The beer has a moderate amount of heft on the palate. The level of carbonation is a little prickly and the beer is very effervescent. The beer also finishes on the dry side due to the acidity.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer with some good flavors and complexity. It has held up well over time and could probably have gone a little bit longer. Very enjoyable and worth a try if you can stomach the price.

Sep 14, 2017

DaverCS from Arizona

4.02/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a light golden color, almost akin to a chardonnay in color. Fine, soda-like carbonation with no head retention.

Aroma is incredibly funk-forward. The beer doesn’t exude sourness, but some lactic notes are present. Lots of wine-barrel character, some melon, citrus peel, and some baking soda.

Taste is incredibly meaty; an umami bomb. Very funky beer that is dominated by beef jerky, hoarse blanket, and general barnyard characters. A more tame lactic character comes forth near mid-sip, which does break up the funk nicely. Out of all the sister beers tasted, this is the least sour and most funky. White wine barrel and perhaps a bit of green grape character are introduced near the conclusion of the sip. A buttery note finishes the sip. While there is not an overabundance of peach, actually it is quite lost, I do get more of a fermented peach skin.

Overall, this is a unique beer. I have tried all of the sister beers in the past, but I didn’t formally review them. I am re-trying them now that they are in the smaller format and more easily accessible on tap. From my memory a few years ago, this was my favorite variant. Years ago, I hated sours, now I love them. Perhaps, I enjoyed the beer most, as it is the least sour. Regardless, I am glad I re-reviewed this beer. I am not impressed, especially at the price point. Strange combination of flavors that don’t meld all that well. The beer needs more tartness and more peach character. I see it pairing well with a pan seared trout with grapefruit salad and roasted green beans. It gets a 81/100.

Jun 19, 2017

vainosuomi from Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Look: light golden color, minimal head, light sediment
Smell: Very fruity and sour—green apple, peach. Oak and boozy notes.
Taste: Follows nose. Dominated by tart fruits, slight sweetness and earthy hop notes.
Feel: medium body, heavy carbonation

Overall pretty good. Very well done. If you like sours or champagne-like beers go for it.

Apr 22, 2017

Tsar_Riga from Indiana

4.44/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lovely. A nice pale orange body, white head. Nose hits with acidity along with the expected peach notes, and some grape and woody hints. The taste emphasizes the wine element, and the peach is largely in the background, but I have no reservations about that, because the result is a delicious, tart, deeply satisfying experience.

Apr 04, 2017

anteatr23 from Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours golden hazy mimosa orange with a small head. Noticeable carbonation. Smells of citrus and brett, sour. Taste is sharply sour and bitter, moving into a funky brett with a good deal sour/sweet peaches. Creamy mouthfeel, little bit of acid burn. Really nice and approachable.

Apr 02, 2017

vette2006c5r from Minnesota

3.94/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Halia pours a hazy golden color with no head. Very rich and tart aroma. Taste is also creamy and tart, with hints of sour fruit and subtle earthy tones. Good body and feel. Overall, it is a bit more sour and tart, but a very fine beer to sip.

Feb 16, 2017

puboflyons from New Hampshire

4.11/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

From the 750 ml. bottle. 2016 batch. Sampled on January 20, 2017. This was my 3,000th review for Beer Advocate.

It looks pretty decent I'll give it that with its soft yellow-olive color. The head builds up and fades away immediately.

The aroma has a kind of white grape, white bread, toasted bread, spicy, and tart sensation. It smells like a sour should smell.

The body is interesting. It is soft and medium but also quite bubbly and/or carbonated.

The sour, tart characters are evident in the taste along with a grapefruit and spicy hoppiness that penetrates the finish. I will not argue that this was a nice Belgian Farmhouse Ale but I have had others that are just as good for half the price. This one cost me $22.

Jan 21, 2017