Goose Island Matilda

Bottle and first rating on the new computer after a lovely little hard drive crash pushed the last machine out of service. Thought maybe Matilda would be a good way to start (better than Mikkeller Black Hole or Weyerbacher Insanity.) Anyhow, Matilda is a lovely copper color... very transparent and highly carbonated, yet there is not much head forming. Smells like fruit and a bit of peppery hops... a bit of a sweetness to it. Flavor is familiar and nicely done. I get the feeling that I’ve had this beer a hundred times... Taste opens up with a sweet and fruity salvo that transitions to lovely candi sugar and cloves. All of this eventually fades to a bit of a pepper and banana/clove finish that reminds me a lot of yeast. Very nice.

[MJ Rare Beer Club, 07] Poured a clear dark gold color with a small, white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of noble hops, toast, light spice, faint horsey brett, and a bit of citrus. Taste of vanilla, toast, light citrus, spices, and a bit of a sourness in the finish.

this beer looks amazing in a goblet, it is a nice amber color. great spicy clove aroma and flavor. overall a great american made belgian-style brew.

Bottle on Date July 2005; Sampled March 2008
A careful pour produces a fat-two-finger thick, light tan colored head that sits on top of an orange tinged, light amber colored beer that shows an orangish gold color when held up to the light. The head leaves some wispy lacing on the sides of my glass and never fully disappears. The aroma is nicely funky with a typical barnyard note that is characteristic of Brett (butyric acid notes are quite noticeable); the funk reminds me of a mix of moldy leather, musty earth, phenolic soaked cotton-balls. There is some acidity here in the nose as well that provides a tart backdrop along with some subtle, bread-driven malt notes. There is some fruitiness here that is just noticed under the surface; it is mostly apple like, but the acidity seems to accents some lemon-like notes too. As my nose gets used to the funk some hop character begins to be noticed; mostly grassy notes, but it has an herbal edge to it. This is a very engaging, quite funky nose; quite enjoyable if you like that sort of thing.

Lightly sweet and it has a persistent carbonation that is not overly effervescent. Fruit flavors of apple, pear and perhaps a touch of plum eventually yield to a sharp, Brett-driven funkiness that lingers on the mouth in the finish. This is really hiding the oxidation well, this seems to be a characteristic of Brettanomyces beers, perhaps they scavenge all of the oxygen before it has a chance to degrade the malt character. This still even has some hop character to it, though it is fairly soft with notes of light fresh-cut herbs, a touch of hay and a light persistent bitterness that is noticeable from beginning to end.

Too quickly my 12oz serving of this beer is gone, I wish I had at least one more bottle so that I could continue to drink this brew. Much more funky than when I had this originally in October of 2005. This has developed into a really nice brew, though I wouldn’t say that it has quite reached the level of Orval. I am surprised how much fruitiness is still noticeable, it adds an interesting dimension, but I would probably prefer it a bit drier. Really though this is a fantastic brew that I can find little fault with.

Sampled October, 2005
Original Rating 3.7, 7/4/7/4/15
Pours a brilliantly clear copper color and is topped by a frothy, slightly rocky, pale tan colored head. The aroma is funky and earthy: with notes of musty earth, lemon grass, a soft fruitiness reminiscent of apples pears & citrus, and a hint of barnyard funk. I was not expecting the Brett note (though it is of course in the beer they were inspired by), but it is still fairly subtle at this point. The bottle does not look to be bottle conditioned, so I wonder if the Brett will continue to develop over time.

The taste has a certain fullness to it that is mouthcoating and slightly creamy in consistency. The beer is lightly sweet as well, which up-plays the fruity citrus character that is here. The hop character is not near as pronounced as I would have hoped for, but it is present with a bit of lingering bitterness in the finish and of course some spicy-citrusy hop notes up front. The beer is quite smooth, and the Brett character is still quite light in the finish. There is a hint of mustiness and a bit of dry cobweb-type thing that lingers in the finish, and a light dusting of funk in the rest of the beer. This is quite drinkable, but does not quite hit the complexity level of the original. We will have to see how this changes with time.

Purchased: Sam’s Wine & Spirits, Chicago, IL

A nice amber color with very little head. The smell was nothing special, really. Just smelled like hops and a vague underlying citrus. The taste was surprising, especially after the mediocre scent. The hops were present, as expected; but I was also met with a cacaphony of fruity flavors, citrus, pear, and floral spices. Perhaps a bit overly carbonated. Great after taste, but leaves the mouth a little dry. Very drinkable. Shit, if it didn’t cost $2.25 apiece, I’d probably share it with other people. For now though, screw ’em; this is all mine. Serving type: bottle

Does not smell like IPA, that’s what I expected from the label. It actually smells a bit high octane. Clear like very light iced tea in color. Taste is quite fruity yet beery. Has a lot of belgie attitude but I can tell it is a US imitation of a belgie. Certainly not as refined as the real stuff. To say this is in the same class as Orval or East End Session #9 - Grisette is a big mistake. However, this is probably better than Affligem Blonden or Lagunitas #10 (formerly #9) or at least on par with the aforementioned junk. One of the worst so called belgies, I’ve tasted, but in a good way, heheheheh.

Aroma is somewhat funky and a bit sour w/ a fair amount of dirty socks. Flavor is yeasty spice with a sweet malt background. Comes of a pretty chill clean funk.

Shared at the Port Lost Abbey release on Angel Share day. A very good Belgian ale that I really enjoyed.