4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
On tap at Wrigleyville Goose Island. Poured a cloudy gold w/ an off-white head. Aroma was dominated by a mixture of hops with some underlying sweet notes. Flavor has a nice combination of hops that brings out a complex flavor. Great beer!
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
TAP: great IPA. Light caramel pour with a big frothy head. Loads of malt and hop aroma, and more yet on taste. It’s just a malt-hop-malt-hop crescendo that results in loads of flavor and no lingering bitterness. Spectacular.
4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap at the Wrigleyville brewpub before a Cubs game. Pours cloudy orange amber with a small, lingering off-white head. Nice aroma of citrus hops, grass, and pine. Taste is heavy on citrus, more orange than grapefruit, with a little bit of caramel. Medium bodied and crisp (maybe too much so for an IIPA) with a pleasant hoppy orange juice finish.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap at the Clybourne location. Pours a nice caramel shade with a trim white head. Smells basic but is loaded with malt, grapefruit, and brown sugar in the flavor. Much like BCS, this is way too drinkable for it’s posted ABV.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
This is awesome! I wish I could get it in bottles. On tap at the brewery. Tastes a lot like a high octane version of the regular IPA which I love. Notes of grapefruits, flowers, more citrus, and a dusty dry yet chewy malt that has hints of sunflower seeds. This also has the nice Goose island house yeast flavor as well. Unbelievably well balanced and scarily drinkable at 9.2%. Nice creamy head and an apricot colored pour. Spectacular.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
2005 Bottle, lets see how this holds up. Pours very hazy deep orange with a small white head. Aroma is english barleywine: heavy malt, lots of dried fruits, alcohol, and currants. less hops present in the nose than expected, a little at the beginning and a little at the end the end. Flavor is much less sweet than the nose indicated. There is some rock candy, some dried fruits and malt up front. The hops are most noticeable at then end and kind of mellow the whole thing out. I think they keep it from being cloying. Very little alcohol present in flavor. Very drinkable actually. I don’t remember being all that impressed by this beer the first time I had it, but that was 4 years and many drinks ago. I may like it more now. Very much like a less hoppy, well-balanced barleywine. Probably not the flavors the brewmaster intended, but not a bad beer.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
12 oz. bottle from 2007 (from notes). Pours a hazy golden amber color with a medium frothy off white head. The aroma is big orange citrus hops with a balance of caramel malt sweetness. Its amazing how well the hops hold up in this one. The flavor is a wonderful balance between sweet caramel malts and the citrus hops. There is also a nice fruitiness and floral qualty that attempts to work in as well. Is this 9.2%? Scary drinkable for what it is. I wish they still put this one in bottles. I have yet to try the draft version, I only hope it meets the standard that has been set.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
bottle from 2007 poured a orange brown color with little head. aroma has sweet caramel malt, bitter hops, and some light alcohol. flavor has chewy sweet malt, caramel sweetness, bitter hops, and alcohol. this has transformed into a strong ale or barley wine but it is quite enjoyable.
2.3 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 10/20
On tap @ the Map Room. Hugely disappointing. Poured deep copper, negligible soap-sud, clear head. Cloying sweetness to disguise the 9% abv, surprisingly boring hops profile and a palate that is simultaneously thin and sticky. Ok, resiny nose. Sigh...
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours a gorgeous amber-orange color with orangey-white, rocky head. Aroma of some great citrus hoppiness, tons of caramel and pale malt, and some slight earthy and biscuity notes. Flavor is really balanced, with a lot of caramel malt coming through due to the aging (its a 2007 vintage). Nice bits of floral and citrus throughout, but also a little bit of english-ipa style biscuity notes. Even a little bit of chocolate comes through. I need to try this one fresh to compare, but this is really fantastic and well balanced.
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