Goose Island Big John Imperial Stout

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company (AB-InBev)
Style: Imperial Stout
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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Dec 2012 bomber poured into snifter. Pours black with a small bubbly head that quickly fades. Decent aroma of light roast, chocolate milk, toffee, and sweet cream. Very sweet taste, lots of milk chocolate, toffee, and cream. The roast is overpowered by the sweetness. Warming finish with vanilla and soy sauce. Medium body and chalky mouthfeel. Overall, this is disappointing. Too sweet and the flavors don’t balance each out very well.

Bottle #1732, bottled 3/25/11, poured into a snifter. Familiar viscous black pour. One finger brown head recedes to a thin khaki ring almost immediately. I can smell chocolate liqueur as I pour this. In the snifter the aroma is semi sweet chocolate and a bitterness that comes either from hops or the cacao. Taste is dark cacao, anise, and booze. Not sure why I didn’t expect this to be so hot. I guess I figured that with two years of age and without barrel treatment, this would be a mellow cousin to BCBS. It’s hot and flavorful enough that you would think its bourbon barrel aged. It’s great now if you like boozy "barrel aged flavor" beers. I wish I had another to rest another 2-3 years. Edit: much more molasses flavors and less booze comes forward as the bottle opens up. Although I still wish I had another bottle to age, I am enjoying this a lot right now.

Poured 22oz bottle (Dec 2012) into a snifter a jet black with with a nice 2 inch mocha colored head. Aroma is great - roasted malt chocolate Mouth feel is thick and creamy without much carb Taste is chocolate and coffee with a little oak and molasses Finish is strong and boozy warms me up a bit. Overall I’m a big fan. Would def. pick up another bomber next year

651mL shared while camping with biggirlpanties. Pours clear, deep sepia looking ink black. Massive reverse cascade foam explodes out of the snifter and onto the floor, wasn’t expecting that. Nose is heavy hazelnut and rich melted chocolate. Moves to some dunkelweizen like esters, chocolate syrup, banana split. Taste is lightly metallic, chalky, dusty, not super silky or rich. Not as good as I expected. Should have listened to my friends and saved a $13 purchase.

Tap at Dexters. Deep brown-black, unfiltered. Beige head fades away pretty fast. Big, deep chocolate, burnt campfire smores aroma. Rich creamy chocolate tones, quite delicious. Very drinkable for the style, smooth and delicate. Vanilla mocha milkshake. World Class, not unlike a good Scandinavian Imperial Stout. Subdued hops add some balance, but the chocolate malt and cacao nibs really take center stage. Smoky warmth in the finish. Not unlike a big Southern Tier beer, but better balance, less sticky. Awesome.

Bottle. Pours deep rich opaque black, develops a small dark brown head after an aggressive pour. Creamy with good lacing. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, burned roasted malts, bit of anise. Flavor is about the same, medium sweet and medium bitter, chocolatey with anise and tobacco on the finish. Full bodied, creamy, warming. A pretty tasty beer.

Bottle. Pours black as black with nice tan head. Aroma is roasted malts, very sweet. Flavor is sweet cocoa, slightly boozy and some other big flavors. Very good.

Tap at the anchor, big beer, nice and dark with lots of sweet flavors, touch of chocolate and big syrupy low carb minimal head.

Pitch black pour, baby finger of head. Aroma of rich chocolate, slight roast coming through. More roast when im drinking this. The chocolate is there but does not overpower. Great balance. Some coffee bitterness, vanilla, dark fruit. Full bodied.

25-MAR-2013, bottle @Papsø tasting. Black with low brown head. Weak aroma with roast and chocolate. Taste is enormous with sweet roast, chocolate, prunes, cocoa, and vanilla. Some hops as well but masked by the many sweet malts. Soft carbonation, full body, sweet. This is fantastic.