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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?  
 Jmichael (633), Asheville, North Carolina, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/104/514/20
Feb 25, 2009  
pours a clear solid copper with mild to full head. strong mellow aroma, definite hop bite in finish but hidden well.


 CapnCascade (116), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/515/20
Feb 23, 2009  
Pours hazy copper-orange, wispy white head and lancing, decent retention. Malty aroma with some residual hop spiciness, dry hint of leafy hops and ginger but not terribly complex. Flavor is dominated by sweet orange rind with a malty backbone, though the finish leaves a noticeable hop spiciness. Mouthfeel is on the light side, perhaps more than I’d expect from the style. Overall not as balanced as it could have been, particularly as mine had some age (over a year) on it already. Not a bad beer by any stretch, but could be better.


 esjaygee (1519), Oak Creek, Wisconsin, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Feb 22, 2009  
2006 vintage. Pours a thick looking orange to amber with a medium off-white head that sticks around. Aroma of citrus, pine, grapefruit and sweet malts. Taste pretty much mimics the nose as it’s a very hoppy and malty beer that comes across mostly balanced. Medium citrus bitter finish and the alcohol is hidden well.


 mgermani (864), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/57/104/515/20
Feb 22, 2009  
Pours a cloudy tangerine orange with a micron-thin but lasting layer of foam and some lacing. Aroma is sweet malt and oily orange & hop leaf. Taste is oddly watery, all things considered. There is sweet orange juice, coriander, oily bitter hops, lingering dry finish. Good carbonation and a creamy body. This beer leaves me wanting more, but I can’t quite imagine what it’s missing: the flavours themselves are quite distinct and strong, but they don’t tie together very well. Still, quite tasty, if not imminently quaffable. Thanks to Robin for the trade!


 jkwalking05 (1483), Arlington, Texas, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/516/20
Feb 17, 2009  
Copper in color with a small off-white head. Aroma is of caramel, brown sugar, bubble gum, and heavy in hops. Taste is moderately hoppy with some brown sugar and honey.


 IPAaLLtHEwAY (136), La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/515/20
Feb 15, 2009  
Holy schnitz’n giggles. This is a beautiful ipa.Pours a very hazy orange color with a small off-white head. Specks of lacing. The aroma is malty but with still an impressive amount of spicy hop notes. Taste is spicy and citrus hops with huge toffeish malt notes. Full bodied.


 jamvin23 (162), chicago, Illinois, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/105/518/20
Feb 15, 2009  
Draft. Orange/amber color, small white head. Aroma: Plenty of hops, some butter toffee, and malts. Slightly sweet start, touches of citrus, very nice dry hoppy finish. Solid IIPA!


 tmoreau (555), Lombard, Illinois, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Feb 13, 2009  
On tap at Lunar Brewing.,snifter served. Orange/amber hue with average, white head and lacing. Big nose of citrus- grapefruit and orange, followed by some pine and malt sweetness. All these proceed to flavor with a hint of caramel on the palate. The best balance of hops, malt, and alcohol in this year’s version. Very hop satisfying and drinkable.



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