Goose Island Matilda

Bottle from Wigan Beer Festival. Brown to amber colour with thin white head. Strong malt and yeast aroma, slightly sour, with a hint of fruit and some clove lurking in the background. Malt and yeast taste with hints of citrus. Incredibly long, dry finish. Creamy palate with lively carbonation. Superb.

2007 bottle. Pours bright orange with a large fluffy head. Aroma is of green leafs, lemon zest, and some orange. Flavor starts with strong yeast, clove and soft flowers, all riding a wave of pearly carbonation. Mid-palate is dry, with some mild ash and dried fruit (banana and apricot?). Flavors never really achieve sweetness, finishing with yeastiness, discernable alcohol, and mild fruitiness. This beer has some solid qualities, but never really reaches a crescendo with its assortment of flavors. Quite enjoyable overall, though.

2009 bottle version. Pours an orange-golden color with a thick white thick head that leaves great lacing on the glass as you drink it down. Aroma is strong of cloves, estery and light banana along with a strong yeast presence. Flavor begins with clove and moves into a sweet banana and orange combo with lots of esters and finishing with a smooth yeastiness typically found in a Belgian. Great body in this beer and hides the alcohol in a dangerous way. Overall this is a terrific beer of which I am tossing the remaining three bottles of this four pack down in my basement to age for a bit. I can’t wait to taste these after a little aging.

It was actually the reserve Matilda, that I tried at the Clybourn location. Belgian Ales are not my fave, but I appreciated the taste of this one.

Rather meaningless brew in my opinion. Very bready, metallic, dry, yeasty without any fun funk underneath. I’d drink a Orval over this any day.. Ok beer anyway but without mentionable complexity.

Bottled on 5/30/08. From the label I gather that it is an Orval clone. Pours with a massive (so large, one would think it was a gusher), creamy, off-white head. Good retention and foamy lace. Hazed golden-orange body underneath. Aroma of apricots, dry fruits, light bread, alcohol, chardonnay, coriander, spice, belgian yeast (and associated esters. Well hopped with a hint of apple. Taste is earthy and slightly metallic up front with an ultra fruity, nearly juicy middle with dried apricot, followed by a bitter hop finish. Light bubbles with a water like mouthfeel and a dry finish.

A golden ale with a thin creamy white head and floaties. In aroma, a pleasant floral perfumey malt with coriander and warming alcohol. In mouth, a nice devil’s blonde with orange peels, coriander and warming alcohol, with light bubble gum sweetness. Tasted at Mondiale 2007.

I like the story on the bottle. Pours medium orange amber with a half inch of off white head, very nice. Aroma is yeasty, roasty, cookie like, clove, and brett. Flavor has notes of malt sweetness, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and yeast. Mouthfeel is about normal. Overall, this is a very nice beer, very complex, though not quite an Orval clone.