Goose Island Imperial IPA

Bottle shared with and courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours hazy with an orange middle and yellow on the outside and a small diminishing off-white head -- looks pretty cool. Fantastic aroma with a variety of hops: citrus, pine, resin, UK barn-like funky ones and more, I loved it. Flavour’s equally hoppy and nicely balanced with some sweet malt, it’s delicious and very easy to drink. Alcohol’s extremely well hidden. Nice full body. This is pretty much a perfect IIPA -- this hophead is in love!

Bottle. The nice balance of hops and malts that begins on the nose of this brew continues to the last drop. Pours a darker golden with some citrus scents. Very nicely balanced, sweet, bitter, thick, and creamy. Great brew. Thanks to Beervana for the bottle.

That is one awful pretty pour. Sticky honey sunshine with a rocky, retentive white head. Big grapefruit and pine hops balanced wonderfully by Goose Island’s regular malt flavor. You know that malt--it’s a little too earthy to be caramely and normally it doesn’t work that well. Here it works great, balancing out tons of hops. Starts off with a big rush of powerful hops, citrus, earth and butter. Then it moves into the earthen caramel malt, rushing into a dull sour sweetness like a fresh rye bread, ending with a lingering dry hop bitterness. Not as hoppy as most x2 IPAs, but damn near perfectly balanced. These hard to find, expensive Goose Islands sure are tasty. I guess I can’t fault them for putting so much goodness into their reglar offerings, they are trying to run a business, all. At least these get released every once in a while.

Bottle (12oz). Shared with blankboy, my bottle. Hazy orange, smallish white head. Hoppy, yes - juicy ctirus, resin, and that odd really funky-earthy UK/East Coast hops, some malt - juicy and funky. Taste is basically hop-medley - they’re all here, long mixed bitter finish, really damned fine - even some tea character in the finish. Solid body, astringent and decently lively mouthfeel - really solid I2PA, quite bitter, long linger and finish.

Jimmack "06. Pour was a brown/golden with tight off white head. Lots of fruit-citrus nose here. Grapefruit. Real nicew hop. Full body here. I loved this. Sticky hoppy wonderfulness.

Clear amber. Large, dense, frothy, tan head. Flavor and aroma of full spectrum hops (spicy, flowery, citrus, pine, earth, soap, poison), and enough malt for support. Full/medium, balanced body is very drinkable. Excellent.

Aroma is northwest hops, very piney. Hint of bubblegum. Taste is very pleasant and light. Pliny The Elder Jr? Very Nice.

Light amber with a gold head, hoppy aroma, malty hop flavor with a nice hoppy bitter aftertaste.