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Goose Island Imperial IPA

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
5854.01/5.04/5.0Winter9.2%97.2Snifter, Tulip
Commercial Description:
Traditionally, there are a lot of rules when it comes to brewing great beer. The fact that American craft brewers have broken those rules to produce some of the world’s finest beers is downright heroic. At Goose Island we live and die by hops, so breaking the rules meant pushing the hop limit to the extreme to create this monster Imperial IPA. We took three of our favorite hops, TETTNANG, SIMCOE, and CASCADE, and balanced their spiciness with tons of malt. Them we went back and dumped in MORE HOPS and more malt until this beer was exploding with flavor...strong enough to wake the dead and filled with more bitterness than a woman scorned. This Imperial IPA is absolutely gigantic, you’ll smell the hops from about a yard away. What will surprise you is how incredibly drinkable it is. Pair it up with the saltiest blue cheese you can find, and go nuts.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 franksnbeans (265), Columbus, Maryland, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 23, 2007  
Cheers. Pours a murkey copper with a cream head. Smells of big hops, grapefruit and sweet pineapple. Taste as it smells. Big and agressive in every way. Feels medium in the mouth with good carbonation. The big ABV is non existant. Sip and sip some more. A must try from the mid west.


mtjoseph (36), Murderapolis, Minnesota, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/104/516/20
Dec 23, 2007  
Bottle. A semi translucent amber-orangeish pour with a very small head which very quickly faded. A little bit of sediment floating around in the beer. A very nice aroma, although not quite like the description of "you can smell the hops from about a yard away". Upon tasting I was very suprised, not what I expected at all. Not just a BLAST of hops, but even more. Somewhat bitter, with many fruity overtones which create an extremely flavorful, full double ipa without a dry mouth feeling. The more I sips of it I take, the more I like it. Goes great with a winston after a meal.... Only if you understand that reference.


 pnista (1008), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Dec 21, 2007  
Pours a rather clear clean golden brown wih a dense white head, thinning over time. Big juicy and spicy hops! Rather surprising, the range of hop aromas. A decent bit of pale sweetness with a dash of caramel. Guava papaya, a bit of piny resin, and some alcohol peaks out. Full in the mouth, with a bit of creaminess and viscosity on it’s own. The sweetness is sweeter and perhaps a bit malty and toasty. (I don’t like toast in an IPA.) Big hops, more peppery here, though the tropical fruits stick out. Alcohol fights off both the sweetness and hops, cutting both well. A lingering fruity bitterness. This reminds me of a slightly more aggressive Dreadnaught. Not a bad beer at all.


 Tilley4 (218), Huron, Tennessee, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/514/20
Dec 19, 2007  
Had a bottle of 2006 and 2007 and I’m trying them side by side. The 2006 seems to be much hazier than the 2007 and smells a little maltier. Wow. Totally different tastes to these beers. The 2006 tastes like a malt bomb compared to the 2007. Absolutely different characteristics all the way around. Honestly, and I hate to say this, the 2006 was drain pour after 2 sips. No hop presence to speak of at all. Way too malty. The 2007 on the other hand holds its own with the best of them. Nice citrus taste, tastes just like a grapefruit with a malty base that is fairly well balanced. This followed the Stone IPA and while the Stone was a bit hoppier, this is still one quality brew. I can’t get this in Tn so I have drive up to Kentucky to get this and I will definitely pick this up again.


 beerbill (1939), Laurel, New York, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Dec 14, 2007    Updated: Jun 25, 2008
2007. 12 oz bottle rated 6/24/2008 courtesy of a trade with Sephiroth. Pours a cloudy orange gold with a moderate-thin linen white head that faded to a dense film by mid-glass and left a layer of lace with each sip. Very pleasant aroma of citrus with both orange and grapefruit present along with some pine notes. The flavor is again citrus and pine, however, there is a stronger pine influence in the 2007 than there was in the 2006. And while there is also caramel present, the caramel flavor was stronger in the 2006 as well. Moderate bitterness at the finish that lingers for a bit beyond the swallow. While this is still a very good beer, I have to say at this point, I enjoyed the 2006 better than the 2007.

2006. 12 oz. bottle rated 12/17/2007. Pours a cloudy orange with a thin, dense yellow/white head that faded to a thin film by about mid-glass. Lots of citrus in the aroma with both orange and grapefruit noted. The flavor was outstanding. Unlike most IIPA’s that seem overloaded with pine flavors, this beer had just a hint of pine. There was a ton of fresh citrus, with more orange than grapefruit. A strong caramel malt backbone supported the flavors nicely. There were notes of vanilla as well. Nice silky mouthfeel and not overly bitter. The alcohol was very well hidden with only some gentle warmth after the swallow. A bit pricey at $23/4 pack, but thoroughly enjoyable.


 BlackForestCO (820), Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/515/20
Dec 9, 2007    Updated: May 12, 2009
06 bottle thanks to pepsican. Poured a deep hazy orange color with a soapy white head that diminished to a ring. Nice citrus aroma with a hint of pine on the backside. Wow, this is nice. Semi-sweet malt entry leads into an explosion of citrus flavor from the hops, but it wasn’t very bitter (due to age I assume). Just the right thickness, somewhat slick mouthfeel. It is really nice as it is, but I can’t wait to try the 2007 that pepsi sent and see if it is more bitter and how that affects the flavor. If anyone has any of this laying around that they don’t want, feel free to send it to me. Big thanks pepsi. 06 Rating: 8-3-8-4-16=3.9

07 bottle, also thanks to pepsican. Pours a hazy orange-amber color with a moderate off-white head that left nice lacing. Aroma of hops, sweet citrus, and some pine resin. Oh yeah, baby...this is good stuff. Sweet, fruity entry leads into a earthy, hoppy hit that fades slowly into a strong citrus presence with undertones of pine on the finish. Smooth with just the right amount of carbonation. Awesome beer that I wish I could get anytime. 07 rating: 8-4-9-4-18=4.3


 wxman (585), O’Fallon, Illinois, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Dec 9, 2007  
Pours a pale amber with a thick orangish off-white head. Lots of fruit in the aroma, especially pink grapefruit, some pine cone as well. Sweet malt, caramel, and grapefruit taste. Well balanced with no hint of the ABV except a warmth after swallowing. Great effort!


 Taverner (837), San Ramon, California, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/515/20
Dec 7, 2007  
First taste is a sour but pleasant yeast flavor. Then the hops kick in with a piney, resiny flavor that dominates. Not a very complex IIPA - of course this is after having 3F Dreadnaught. Was told by Archer that this IIPA is peaking right now, and going down soon - so it could be in the nadir phase of it’s life. Again, not a bad IIPA - just strong and dominating.



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