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Goose Island Imperial IPA

Goose Island Imperial IPA

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 Percentile 
99
overall
An Imperial/Double IPA brewed by
Goose Island Beer Company

Chicago, Illinois USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
5134.04/5.04.03/5.0Winter9.2%95.1 Snifter, Tulip P  Stats

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 RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 MrChopin (118), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/105/516/20

May 9, 2008  
Amber color with near-white head, huge vibrant, chewy body. Hop/malt balance in citrus and caramel ruling the nose and flavor. Very enjoyable.

Pawola22 (36), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
4.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/510/105/519/20
Jul 12, 2008  
12 oz bottle. Aroma: Very stong hoppiness. Not as powerful as Bell’s Three Hearted, but its making me want it badly. Lots of citrus and fruit. Lemon and grapefruit. Appearance: Very cloudy auburn. Small white head that lingers. A lot of carbonation action. Flavor: Citrusy. Almost pineapple or orange, differing a little from the smell of lemon and grapefruits. Slight malt and alcohol. Hops! Palate: BIG taste. Complex taste and decent carbonation. Really coats the mouth well. Overall: Amazing balance. Great citrus hop aftertaste. Barely taste the alcohol. TONS of flavor. This is the dogfish head 120 minute IPA done right.


 Beerman6686 (538), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Jul 2, 2008  
Poured a hazy orange color with a small off white head. Aroma is hopped up and citrusy, not much pine. Flavor is also very citrusy hops but balanced very well with malt, not the hop bomb i expected.


johntreeter (69), Greenwood, Indiana, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/59/104/518/20
Jul 1, 2008  
12oz. 07 bottle at Table Rock. Pours a cloudy orange copper with a thin but lasting off white head that laced very well. Strong citrus in the aroma with with notes of peach, apple cider, sweet malt, and some alcohol. Wonderful flavor with a sweet malt and grain begining fallowed by the fruity hops then the melody of sweet to bitter, sweet to bitter, sweet to bitter untill the long hoppy finish. Medium chewy body, mild syrupy texture, light carbonation, and long dry finishing feel. An excellent and complex big beer that is remarkably easy to drink I bought this one off the top shelf under improper lighting and it was still very very good. I can’t wait to try the 08 fresh and a year later out of my stash when they become available.


 patrick767 (1386), fort wayne, Indiana, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/517/20
Jun 30, 2008  
2007 bottle - Pours cloudy orange with a superb hop aroma accented with both citrus and pine. The flavor leads with some big, sweet malts that are soon overcome by huge, citrus tinged hops. There’s some earthiness to the malt that I’m not sure is my favorite thing, but it doesn’t really detract either. This beer is big and still quite drinkable. Enjoy the long, bitter finish.


 ChainGangGuy (1457), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/516/20
Jun 22, 2008  
Appearance: Pours an amber body that’s not so hazy as there’s a fine powder-like substance dispersed throughout. Smallish, though creamy, white head. Smell: Hoppy aroma of citrus, pine, and spice with subtler caramel malts underneath. Taste: Biscuity malts with a slight caramel sweetness. Orange and grapefruit rinds. Some pine resin. Constant spiciness. Full, earthy bitterness. Touch of alcohol warmth. Bittersweet finish with a lingering spice on the tongue. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A rather good brew and one I certainly enjoyed, though it most likely displays more malt and balance than hopheads would desire.




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