Goose Island Christmas Ale

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Shaker

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Vintage 2011. Had my eye on it for a while, finally tried it. Unfiltered, Murky Orange Brown, Small Head, Lots Of Lacing. Sweet Smell. Sweet Toasted Caramel, Molasses and Raisins. Pleasant sweet and creamy aftertaste. Absolutely loved this one. Thank God for Christmas in July, gives me an extra opportunity to savor it and enjoy twice a year. Niiiice. Recommended.

Goose Island Christmas Ale 2009, aged 3 years 7 months in my beer cellar, 5.7% ABV, and poured into a Goose Island MBA Tulip glass. Appearance: Poured amber brown with a deep thick head and a lacing that refuses to recede from its initial pour line. Smell: A nice Holiday scent of dried fruit and nutmeg that is not overpowering. Taste: The buttered toast and caramel malts lead to a lingering cinnamon-like bitter finish. As the beer warms, the flavor of black licorice emerges. Mouth feel: Medium body and good carbonation, with a balanced sweet and bitter finish. Overall: This American-style Brown Christmas Ale has aged very well. If any one flavor was originally dominant, that is not longer true. The Holiday spices have married well with the caramelized malt to make it very easy to enjoy more than one glass full. This beer may very well have reached its peak age, but I will continue to test as I still have three bottles in my cellar. Serving type: 22 oz. bottle

Bottle2012. Nose is brown sugar and vanilla, slight toffee. Taste is burn toast, lots of molassus, dark fruits, figs, leading to a warm toffee finish. Slight notes of coco and licorice. Medium mouthfeel. Lots of depth to the flavour and enjoyable, maybe a touch to bitter in the finish for my liking, given the sweeter tones of the beer.

Bottle from Wegman’s Williamsport. 2012 vintage. Pours brown with a half inch of brown foam. A bit of nuttiness on the nose mixed in with a dash of Christmas spice. The hops tend to overpower on the tongue. Eh!

Bottle at JF’s, from BOE, 20/04/13. Presume 2012 vintage - bottle states 7.3% ABV. Opaque chestnut brown with a thin beige film that retains well. Nose carries dark fruit notes, caramel malt, sugars, hops bringing up the rear. Taste comprises brown sugars, light spice, dark fruits, caramel, hint of booze. Medium bodied with bite, fine carbonation, dry in the finish. Really good stuff!

Bitter, sour, over-hopped, .. No true christmas flavor. One word verdict: pass ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle as part of a build your own six pack. This beer is a good holiday brew due to the spices. 2012 vintage

Bottle. Pours a reddish brown with a thin tan head. Aroma of caramel, dark fruit, brown sugar and some nuts. Flavor was sweet and malty with caramel, dark fruit, mild spices a bit of toffee and some nuttiness.

Pour is hazy orange/brown with a large tan head. Aroma is of sweet caramel malts, cinnamon, vanilla, and just a touch of bitter hops. Flavor leans towards the sweet side at first (vanilla, dark fruit sugar, caramel), and transitions into a slightly bitter and spicy finish. Decent winter warmer, a tad thin in the body.

From notes: 2012 version. Poured hazy orange-brown with a 1-finger bone-colored head. Light aroma of candied fruit and maybe a touch of caramel. Body is medium-to-full, with a very slight thickness. Flavors of orange, spices and some honey, with citrus peel in the finish.