Goose Island Matilda

Pours with a massive amount of head- rapidly rising, and very hard to pour the full bottle without stopping. Head is creamy, and slowly dissipating. A nice amber orange color. nice, fruity, spicy aroma to it. A nice, balanced taste that really explodes in the aftertaste. They say it’s a tribute to Orval, and I can really see the similarities between the two. I like this beer a lot, but I think the other seasonal Goose Island’s are a little bit better.

Pours with an explosive foam. Head is light orange and takes a while to dissipate. Aroma is busy. Floral notes, tart hops, spice, and some stale milk. First taste tells me that this is one of those beers that have a lot going on. Lots of malt grabbed me at first but hop notes and then dark fruit popped up. That was all in the first sip. Next sip was bubblegum followed by cigar. How does it do that? This is a wonderful beer and is a delight to sample.

Pours dark orange with a mostly receding light tan head. Aroma of bacterial fermentation, tart, lightly acidic, with sour grapes, orange, and the funk. Taste is tart, white grape, funky yeast. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and lightly tart with lively carbonation. This is a nice Orval clone, very impressed with this effort by Goose Island.

Poured a deep translucent orange with a large, frothy, foamy slightly off white head. Aroma is crazy, spicy, yeasty, floral, with maybe a faint hint of ocean breeze in the back. Flavor is heavy on the yeast, banana, sweet candy and barnyard funk. Barnyard funk? Try this beer and you’ll learn the definition. The finish was a tad chalky, but flavors are clean. Very unique. I don’t typically like Belgian style ales, but this is as close to a true Belgian beer as you’ll find in America. All the others are imposters, this is an origional.

On tap at Goose Island Clybourne. This golden ale poured with a thin off-white head. There is a very nice combination of malt and hops that leaves a funky, but pleasant taste on your tongue. Carbonated and peppery mouthfeel.

Mc Chouffe trappist glass. Pours a massive lasting off-white head that sits atop a transluscent orange body. The aroma brings forth ripe fruity boquet citrus fruits, pear, and apple along with bready malts, barnyard funk and intoxicating, pungent yeast. The flavour has that charateristic yeatsy bubblegum taste, with grapefruit citrus, sweet grain, candy, peppery corriander spice and a velvety smooth mouthfeel. The finish is slightly alcoholic and warming with fruity, yeast esters. Job well done.

12 oz. bottle pours a dark amber, nice clarity and medium white head. Aroma is toffee like and fruity. faint pear and maybe bananas. Starts sweet with caramel, ripe summer fruit, bread, some peppery hop spice and a luscious mouthfeel. Steady flavor throughout ending the same way it starts with lingering belgian complexity.

Date: 06/03/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Roadtrip

clear amber, thin fin dirty white head, lots of lace, sweet funky horse blanket aroma, creamy body, big funky flavor withmore and more funk, touch of sweetness, bitterness by spices and yeasty funk

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4