Goose Island Honkers Ale

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

Serve in English pint

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UPDATED: APR 5, 2005 It seems Goose Island beers fall a little short, as compared to say, New Holland Brewing. Finishes with a grapefruit-like citrus hop flavor.

Bright, slightly hazed amber color. Sparkling with light sticky almond head. A light hoppy nose with citrus and grapefruit . Just a touch of sweet malt in the aroma trying desperately to get through. Sweet malt behing the scenes. Spritzy with a solid hop bitterness that fades in moderate time. Straightforward and somewhat boring.

Bottle, Chicago airport. Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, fully diminishing. Body is light amber. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain), moderately hoppy (grapefruit, orange). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. A rather uninspiring pale ale.

Weak aroma and head, but decent taste. I’m not a fan of pale ales, but this is probably one of the better ones I’ve had. Appears a nice cloudy golden brown. Has about the right amount of carbonation. Hops are a little strong, even for this style. I don’t recommend more than one or two at a sitting, you might get hopped out. Aside from the hops and malt though, there’s really nothing else to this beer, or it would score higher.

This isn’t one of my favorite Goose Island brews. Honestly, the Honker’s Ale tastes a bit like it has geese in it.

Bottle. Pours a foggy copper body with a small creamy white head. The aroma is somewhat nutty with vague maltiness and generally lacking in substantive hop profile. Watery palate with some faint spicy hops and lots of bread. Not really what I’m going for when it comes to APA’s - I almost found this to be more of a Brown or something to that effect. Purchased at World Market in Ann Arbor during the month of July in 2006.

Pours copper with a small short lasted white head. Mild citrus hop aroma, with biscuity toffee malts behind it. Medium-thin feel, a little watery. Rather bland in flavour. Sweet start, bland sweet finish. Not much hop flavour either. Boring!

UPDATED: FEB 3, 2007 Best buy 11/01/04 (oops, I just bought it today!). 12oz bottle. Pint glass. 53 degrees. Reddish orange color, off white head, some lacing. Sweet hoppy aroma. The taste is either balanced or not very hoppy. Some malt sweetness, some piney/floral hops flavor, but just kind of bland. Finish is abrupt, no hop tingle, no lasting flavors, just, not much at all. Maybe it would have been better fresher? If this really was the true flavor, then it would be an easy intro into pale ale’s. This is my first time out of the bottle and my first time rating it and I am suprised by the lack of flavor because I have had this before at Chicago events (parties/taste of chicago) and it was pretty good for a beer that you would get at an event like that. I will re-rate this one. RERATE: No need for a re-rate. This is very much an English pale ale. Malty, moderate bitterness from earthy hops, and easy to drink. It is what it is, but not really my kind of beer.

Alefest ’05 - Standard issue. Grainy flavor in an otherwise melancholy blandness.

ON TAP - Maybe the keg was old, but this was a big disappointment. Not very "hoppy" and certainly not very "English-Style", it tasted like a regular macro despite being marketed and priced like a premium.