Goose Island Matilda

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Belgian Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Pours nice copper with big, lasting, pillowy off white head. Immediately the fruity aroma hits you, nice dried apricots and bananas, with a hint of spice and yeasty bread. The flavor is a very nice fruity flavor with a slightly hoppy bitter finish that the sweetness of the malts and the hint of pepper balance excellently. Very smooth body, overall a very nice ale.

2006 Bottle. It’s a gusher! Pours a hazy copper with a ton of rising carbonation and a loose, fluffy, lasting, off-white head that leaves behind thick lace. The nose is a nice blend of bretty funk, light fruit (sweet pear and faint key lime), dusty farmhouse and some light spice. Medium-bodied with expansive, soft carbonation, it finishes dry and moderately funky. Lightly fruity and funky up front, a solid bretty yeast note asserts itself as the profile transitions to a slightly tart and quite dry finish. This would pair quite well with mussels, ceviche and other "lighter" but assertive foods. I had this beer on tap over the weekend (at GI Clybourn), and it has developed into a completely different animal given time for the secondary fermentation to do its magic.

2007 Bottle. Pours a dark tan with an inch of foamy off white head. The head falls slowly and lasts a while. Smells of citrusy hops, and more hops. Taste is light fruit and hop bitterness, with a well-balanced bitter aftertaste.

[On tap at Wrigley] Reddish amber pour with lage bubble and a whispy white head. Toasty malt and Belgian yeast aroma. Rich sweet malt and Belgian yeast flavors with some fruit, cranberry, and spice. Creamy but well carbonated body. 6.4.8.4.16 2009 bottles much much better. Lots more brett. yummy.

Bottle @ Dr. Bills. Cloudy blonde with nice white cap. Sensual bouquet and matching flavors of citrus rind, melon rind, grapefruit. Great dryness.

On tap @ Radio Maria. This was at least 5x better on tap than bottled. Beautiful reddish copper in different layers, small head and nice lacing. The aroma was great with citrus fruits, bread, nutmeg, banana, and other tropical fruits. Taste was yeasty, fruity, and a bitter hoppy finish. Lots of spices, some carbonation, and good overall texture. Be sure to have this on tap if you’ve only had the bottle version.

Served from 12-oz bottle at Bistro 110 in downtown Chicago. Pours a semi-clear amber brew with an average off-white head that quickly dissipates to a fine film and white ring. Some nice lacing. Aroma of caramel and Munich malts, some white pepper, cloves, a touch of coriander and fruit bread. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with flavors of biscuits, light yeast, some cloves and light fruit. Finish has a mild bitterness with some white pepper and bready malt aftertaste.

Pours a clearish amber with a white head. Quite sweet with a romas of cereals. Dry and quite yeasty. High carbonation. Spicy, a bit like a wit. Slightly oily mouthfeel. Long dry, yeasty finish.