Resolutions
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

At Goose Island Clybourn, poured into a snifter glass. Coffee abounds in this beer and I'm thankful for that. It's an excellent offering and all senses are awakened in this coffee inspired stout due to the Intelligentsia house bean as advertised.

 

 

 

 

 

P: On tap at GI Clybourn. 10 fl oz poured in to a tulip.

A: SRM is dark brown. Head is tan, 1/2 in, recedes to edge of glass. Medium/heavy lacing. Medium/low carbonation.

S: HUGE notes of dark roast coffee, chocolate, drm, and light oats underneath.

T: Follows nose. Dark fruit additions noticeable after initial coffee hit comes off the palate. Aftertaste is mostly coffee.

M: Medium/light viscosity. Coffee adds so much to the body and feel of this beer. Semi wet finish.

O: I love coffee beers, and am highly critical of them as I am usually just disappointed by a lack of coffee presence. This beer knocked it out of the park. Easily in the top 3 coffee beers of all time. Could not stop smelling this beer; such beautiful coffee notes! Beer is a young Cthulhu with coffee added, so it has a great base to start. Only bad thing about this beer is that it was 11.0% abv and I would have been in very bad shape had I drank this all day long.

 

 

 

This brew was served from the tap at the Goose Island Brewpub in Chicago, IL. It arrived in a snifter, showing the darkest brown coloring, letting up flecks of ruby when held to light. It boasted a one and a half finger tall head of mocha colored bubbles, showing decent retention. This left intermittent wisps of lacing about the glass. Carbonation appeared surprisingly active for such a thick beer, while no haze or sediment was noted. The aroma gave a base malt of char roasted chocolate malts, sticky caramel, and molasses. Sweetness came from fusel booze, sticky dark chocolate nibs, and sassafras, while the balancing sourness came from big lactic acidity, jalapeño pepper heat, light herbal hoppiness, and raw, gritty herbal honey. That dark chocolate sweetness blossomed as it warmed. Our first impression was that the flavoring showed serious sweetness, but with a curiously hot spiciness to match. As we sipped, sweeter chocolate malts mixed with hugely roasted raw coffee bean, herb-infused honey, and cooling vanilla extract. The middle came to peak with thorough charred bitterness, chalked cocoa nibs, hot pepper oiliness, and a simultaneous smoothing wash of buttery diacetyls. The latter pulled us to the finish, where light but spicy medicinal phenols, warmed molasses, toffee, gingerbread, and drying unsweetened breakfast tea all but eliminated the last traces of coffee and chocolate char. The booze was more apparent in the aftertaste, along with sweet milk chocolate, liquid brown sugars, drying baker’s yeast, and mild green apple acetaldehyde that borders on authentic fruity sweetness. The body was full, and the carbonation was medium. Each sip gave nice slurp and smack, with a sticky pull on the back. There was initial cream and froth, but this calmed as the beer warmed, making it feel even more sticky. The mouth was coated and warmed, giving way to eventual tannic and chalky dryness. The abv was appropriate, and the beer was a definite sipper.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was the flavor. There was big chocolate maltiness to begin, with nicely soothing diacetyls and vanillas. These also helped to balance the massive coffee flavoring which grew into notes of soured lactate and metallic hot pepper burn. This was nice throughout the tasting, but as the beer warmed, the sweetness came out in full force, and to some, it would be surely overwhelming. Again, there was so much else going on in the way of spice, booze, sours, and fruitiness, that things were kept reasonably in check. The nose also showed a difference with warmth, as both the chocolate sweetness, as in the flavoring, and the big sourness enhanced. This helped to keep you guessing with each sip, trying to make sure you could keep up with where this guy was taking you.

Had on tap at Goose Island Clybourn. Served in a snifter.

A: Pours a dark black color with a thin mocha head forming on the pour. Solid retention as it slowly it slowly dissipates leaving soapy splotches of lace down the glass.

S: Nice dark chocolate bitterness with a little bit of espresso and some oat flakes. Not getting the coffee punch I was looking for and it seems rather bland.

T: Nice semi-bitter coffee bean with some sweet milk chocolate. Oat flakes with a roasted malt finish. The taste quickly leaves however leaving a dry, bland finish that turns slightly mineral-like as it warms.

M: Pretty easy drinking. The menu said 10% as opposed to the 8% listed here, but this drinks much more like 8% unless the booze is extremely well hidden. Medium bodied with a medium carbonation level.

O: The tastes were good up front, but the finish left much to be desired and really didn't draw me back in to try more. It was an OK beer, and while being far from bad I wouldn't want to revisit in the future.

 

 

 

Enjoyed this on tap at the Goose Island pub on Clybourn poured into a 10oz snifter.
Served far too cold. Waited until 10-12 degree warmer to start review.

A - Jet black. Light brown/mocha colored head (slight redness)- pencil thin. head dissipates quickly only remaining around rim. Doesn't have the 'Black Oil' look.

S - Roast, Roasted coffee, chocolate, fig and other dried fruits

T - Real mellow. Roasted coffee and chocolate start and spice brings up the rear. leaves a pleasant roasted coffee flavor to linger. 10 ABVs hidden nicely.

M - viscosity is medium. a touch thinner than i was expecting- equating to not as frothy.

O- Very nice coffee flavor. not as layered as some Imperial stouts tho.