Goose Island Matilda

Clear golden amber with a small white head. Sweet, yeasty aroma. Sweet and spicy flavors of vanilla, pine needles, and perfume. Medium bodied, enjoyable, but not a favorite.

12 oz bottle, from whom I don’t recall. Opens with an energetic pop, overflow quickly ensues. Pours a mostly clear gold body under a large fizzy off-white head that receded leaving lots of delicate lace. The nose on this is just so delicate and beautiful. Clearly bretty with light floral hoppiness and doughy maltiness. Suggestions of fluffy yeast and marshmallows. A nice level of brett on the flavor as well, light delicate pale bready malt with a slightly drying finish. Some spiciness that seems to come from the yeast. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with pleasant lively fizzy carbonation that keeps it from feeling sticky. Overall, a nice hommage to the king of beers, Orval. I love it, wish that I had access to this on a regular basis. I would like to see how this does with age as well.

Poured from a bottle (is this a screw-top?!?!) into a big-bottomed wine glass without a stem so as to experience the bouquet a bit better. Pours golden-orange-brown with a little head that disappears quickly. Lacing ain’t happening all that much. Smells of fruit, a little bit of alcohol (not as much as say, a La Fin Du Monde or Bell’s Sparkling Ale) and old Belgium basement/cellar and a bit like my old garage in downtown Wilmington, NC. Tastes pretty nice, due to, what’d that guy call it, "The Brett?" Whatever. Yeasty taste, pretty unique, but not far from some trippels I’ve tasted. VERY expensive, but pretty good for the style. I got three more that will wait until New Year’s 2008/9 to drink. We’ll see how it ages.

bottle complements of of toddbates: In the aroma the brett is the first thing that hits you, but then there are floral, and fruitiness that comes from the yeast. pours a dark shade of gold with an inch of head that sits on the beer as a film. Not nearly as beautiful as Orval. Flavor was spicy, with some brett, and dry, but no where as complex as Orval. palate wasn’t quite active enough. This was good, but fell short in my opinion

On tap at Harry Caray’s in Chicago, I found this Beligian-stle ale to be well crafted. I once had this cask-conditioned at the Brewhouse, but never rated it. It had a good fruity flavor and a ite and the end.

just wasn’t what I had hoped after all the hype I had heard about it... especially for the price

this is beer that i find satisfying even though i do not particularly enjoy belgian ales. matilda is different that is to say the spicing is different. i suppose comparable to a degree but clearly and interestingly different. the mouthfeel is moderate and lightish with typical belgian small bubbling. the brew pours an interesting taste with mild dark fruit in the backround. the sweetness is good but overdone. towards the middle of a glass the taste becomes annoying. after the beer settles the flavors and characers of the beer mingle and a light hoppiness springs to life. the beer is quite adequate if given a few minutes to breathe.

Pours a opaque/hazy honey gold with thick creamy white head. Aroma is sweet, of apples and yeast with a bit of spice. Flavor is of yeast hops and hints of apple. sweet and bitter very well balanced. There is definite hops but it is offset by the a bit of yeastiness. I really like this beer. It has been awhile since I had it and forgot how much I like it. Goose Island forever.