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Goose Island Imperial IPA

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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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?  
 jstraw (755), Chicago, Illinois, USA
5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/510/105/520/20
Nov 3, 2007  
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.


 nearbeer (1834), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
4.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/510/105/519/20
Feb 6, 2008  
12 oz, 2006 vintage, bb March 31, 2007. Hazy orange-amber with a large, sticky head that gives great lace. Aroma is big earthy-spicy combo of chocolate, citrus, resin, toasted nuts, and more. Flavor is more of the same, leaning more to the citrus-resin hops, but still has a big malty flavor to balance, and a hint of warming alcohol on the finish. Medium body is smooth and oily, with just enough wateriness to finish clean. On principle, I just can’t give a perfect 5.0 rating to any beer until I reach Nirvana, but this is the closest I have come to it so far.


 xenthem0nk (101), Oregon, USA
4.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/510/105/519/20
Jul 6, 2007  
Wow, what a brew. Amazing balance. Pours a bit darker gold, tons of grapefruit and cream in the nose, tons of hops, had a strong aroma. Flavor is packed with hops, malt, slight floral, fruits peels. Mouthfeel was smooth and silky. Love this IPA.


 ford9719 (369), Vilseck, Germany
4.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/510/105/519/20
Dec 20, 2006  
Bottle. Thanks to friends. This IPA is very smooth with the hoppy aroma and tatse. Would come pair it to a Simcoe.


RDWHAHB (2), Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Goose Island Imperial IPA does not count
4.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/510/105/520/20
Feb 9, 2009  
Quite simply the best Imperial IPA I’ve ever had. My previous favorites were the offerings from Russian River (Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger). Just taking aroma into account, the Pliny’s have a slight edge, however when flavor/overall impression are thrown in the mix, this latest draught version of the GI Imperial IPA is much better!


ekarmst (35), Ames, Iowa, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/510/105/518/20
Jul 11, 2003  
A hopheads dream. Awesome in every way and worth every penny of the $60/case paid at the brewpub. Imperial IPA is now my new reference beer for all other hoppy beers.


kritterwood (2), Chicago, Illinois, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Goose Island Imperial IPA does not count
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/510/104/519/20
Jan 19, 2007  
When I poured this beer the smell of hops rushed my nose. I pours a nice orange colour with a white head. The taste of this IPA has mutiple hop tastes in your mouth at a time. This IPA is in my top 3!


Merrill (74), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/510/105/519/20
Jan 7, 2009  
When I get a chance, I’ll go back (I hope!) to the brewpub and try this again. I had a glass on tap during the Night of the Living Ales real ale fest held at GI in 2008. I was so amazed that this beer I got at the bar was as good as the beers that I rated highest inside the fest! I’ll give more detail when I get to have some more.



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