Goose Island Christmas Ale

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

Serve in Dimpled mug

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Way too light and laid back for a big winter warmer. Next.

Serving: 12 oz. bottle from State Line Liquors. It pours a slightly hazy deep red color with a small head of small, off white bubbles. The nose is light but complex with notes of earth, caramel, and a little fruit. The flavor is malty with nice with dense caramel and light notes of dried fruit. There is nice bitterness on the back end to help even things just a bit. The body has lots of chewiness with a medium to full feel. Soft carbonation leads to a medium, malty finish. A delicious brown that certainly shouldn’t be relegated to just Christmas.

Slightly hazy deep amber pour with a lasting cream colored head. Aroma is caramel and nutty with some roasted notes and just a hint of pine. Taste doesn’t quite live up to the aroma. Slightly sweet but without the real nuttiness I was expecting from brown ale. It’s malt-forward, but the malt flavor is not real well-defined. Kind of a muted blend of caramel, biscuit and lightly bitter dark chocolate. Also seems to be some hints of spice in here as well. Probably not one I’d buy again.

12oz bottle dated 11/11/11 poured into tulip glass. Aroma: malt caramel vanilla dark fruits raisins cinnamon Appearance: reddish brown color, fairly clear. 1 finger tan head that faded quickly Taste: medium sweet. Mild sour. Mild bitter Palate: lively carbonation. Medium body and rich mouthfeel. Finish is slightly bitter and sour then follows with sweetness Overall: the aroma on this smells like a barley wine. The malt backbone on this is huge. Not the best flavor however. I have a 2009 bottle that I will compare it to to see how it has developed. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Dark amber/cider color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of toasted malt, caramel, spice, & some hops; Flavor of roasted malt, caramel, hops, nuts, and spice; Finish is slightly bitter; Overall, this was just ok for me.

2011 Poured into a Brugse Zot glass. Deep amber, almost cherry colored with a finger of head. Faint smelling: cinnamon... not much of anything. Kind of malty at first, gives way to harsh bitter (IPAish). Fairly carbonated but has a soft texture and is medium bodied. It looked nice, but not really a typical brown ale color. I was not picking up anything on the nose. The taste was not bad, just not really anything. It says it can cellar for five years (interesting at ABV 6.2%) so three more are waiting in the cellar for the next few years. Hopefully it gets better.

Aroma- Spices, Sweet chocolate, some caramel Appearance- Clear medium brown with a medium beige head. Flavor- Bitter hops- roasted malt, spicy chocolate

0.355l bottle from myBrewerytap. A clear deep ruby red pour under a nice big and lasting beige head. I sense some spices in this one. Not extreme, but some nice spicy nuances in here no doubt. Thin caramel and hints of both dark malts, buttery biscuits,quite clear nutmeg and something sweet - almost best describes as dusty chocolate - that makes up the aroma in this one. I quite like it. On the sweet side, yes, but not overwhelmingly. Lot’s of the same in the taste. The nutmeg pulls it’s neck out here, but also leaving room for a nice bitterness all the way. A bit sweet as well, and the flavors sticks around on your tongue long after that glass have hit the table. Chocolaty aftertaste indeed. Nice one that I would not mind drinking on the big day. 17.02.2012

201211: @ DØE Århus Syd tasting. Hazy red-brown color with small off white head. Sweet caramel aroma. Spicy hop taste with good caramel.

I have tried over 30 Christmas Ales. Most were dark nutty brown ales or over spiced. This beer has a perfect balance of the aroma and tasting notes I nutmeg spice cinnamon with that malty sweet burn to transport you to a Xmas feel with each sip. Still best Christmas beer for me. Way to go Cleveland. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Brown with a dense tan head and good retention. Nice malt aroma, roasted barley with a hint of smoke. Has some hop aroma there as well. Flavor is less impressive, smoky malt and slightly bitter. Finishes dry.