Goose Island Imperial IPA

Rerate of a fresh 07. This thing packs a hop punch. Poured teh same, more head. Cascade hops heavy in the nose. Tasted huge. Lots of hops, malts were there but they don’t stand a chance. Finished very bitter. An aged version is interesting but doesn’t compare. first rating - My bottle "expired" 6 months ago. Pours a thick pumpkin orange with a small head that ran away quickly. Kind of a muddled aroma, the only thing I could really pick out was the grapefruit and a bit of hops. I get more sweet than anything. It does have enough hoppy flavor to offset the sweet though. I couldn’t taste the alcohol a bit and this went down far too easy. Very drinkable and packs a punch.

I am slowly being swayed to the IPA’s. This is to my opinion the bar for the IPA.

Orange copper with big, foamy tan head / Big, herbasceous, hoppy nose / Medium body with some malt and sharp, fresh hops, with long finish / Flavors of grass, weed, orange, grapefruit, apricots, and pine, with sharp, fresh hop finish / Perfection.

’07 bottle from Sam’s Lincoln Park, Chicago. Clear dark red amber with large, creamy white head. Aroma is all cascade and American pine. Really intense pine bitterness is the front that subsides to bubblegum hops, caramel and malt backbone. Medium body with creamy carb. Overall it’s a hop monster but the malt stands up to it. This is actually the first time I’ve tried this beer and don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just another hopped up double without the body and too much bubblegum.

Very fragrant--strong tangerine and apricot; hazy orange-peach color; a mouthful of really heavy, malty fruit; leaves warming alcohol and residual fruit. I guess if I have to criticize I’d say it’s a bit heavy, but still a beautiful heavy at that, and it well hides the 9.2abv. I’m a fan.

Bottle, courtesy of bu11zeye. Pours a cloudy peachy color with a thin white head. Solid aroma of floral, citrusy hops and caramel malt. Superb flavor of floral, citrusy hops with caramel malt and a dry, bitter finish. The body is medium while the texture is liquorous and the carbonation moderate.

Pours an opaque rust and light caramel color with zero head. The commercial description says you smell the hops from a yard away, I don’t know about a yard, but hops certainly dominate the nose even from a distance. Up close the aroma offers even more than just lemons and grapefruits, biscuit aromas are evident, slightl yeast, touches of malt and candy are also lurking. Flavor was amazingly balanced for what is obviously a heavily hopped brew. Flavor is heavy on the sugar, toffee and malt at first. Pine, flowers, and biscuits are also flavors that emerge. It’s very rare you get a hint of a beers finish right off the bat, but the moment it hits your tongue you can just feel a syrupy, sugary, thickness that is more milkshake than beer. Lasting sweetness, some bitterness and a slight alcohol burn on the end. This is very unique for an Imperial IPA and definitely worth checking out.

Bottle from ? 2006, best before March 31st, 2007. Bah! Today is 9/11/07. Twisted off the cap with a small, faint hiss. Pours with no head, though I do see a few bubbles fighting their way to the surface of the murky amber lake. Hops are aged/gone from the aroma, leaving behind sweet malt, and slightest hint of oxidation. Perfect amount of oxidation. Most say IPAs are best fresh, and I agree when I do side by sides. But when tasted alone, wonderful aged IPAs, such as this one, make me think differently. It’s sooo good. Malty, sweet, guiey caramels in a thicker body. A initial zing of carbonation and hop bitterness finishing with indescribable sweetened hops. Does it really deserve a 4.6? Yes, and possible a little more. I’m sure part of the reason is this rogue bottle that’s over a year old. Part of it is just because it’s a great beer!! Please try an aged one for yourself. The only sad part was seeing the empty glass. I think even the glass was unhappy.