Goose Island Matilda

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

2008 Bottle:10/10/08 date: Didn’t chill and it gushed. Light amber. Large,fizzy head. Settles to a uniform,clingy,ring. Aroma of spicy/fruit,yeast,sweet malt giving off a brown sugar aroma,and muted earthy hops because of the age. Alcohol is also noticeable in the aroma. Medium,lightly fizzy texture. Very soft. Upfront light candied,fruit(pineapple,orange),with the spicy yeast,before the finish. The sweet malt and yeast begin to balance after opening up a bit and biscuit like malt flavors become a little more evident. Finish is sweet still holding a noticeable earthy/herbal hop presence making it somewhat dry. Lingering sweet/yeasty flavors in the mouth,which overpower the finish. Not too bad.

2008 bottle Poured into an Orval chalice in honor of the beautiful countess. Nice big fluffy white head that quickly turns into a medium sized head over top a hazy golden colored beer. Aroma is a little sweet spicy and fruity. Flavor is considerably less sweet and more complex than the aroma. Flavors start off with a little sweetness and some fruity flavors that predominantly feature pear. Slightly spicy and a little hoppy with a bit of alcohol. The hoppiness is slightly herbal and seems a little nicer than when this is totally fresh, I don’t exactly know why.

12 oz bottle. Pours golden amber with a white head. Aroma is very lemony, with some yeasty cloves. Flavor is cloves, biscuit, and a perfumy floral hop flavor. Honey finish. Quite a nice beer.

2008 bottle, shared @ Smithfield Hotel Manchester. Slightly hazy amber color, creamy head. Very sweet ,fruity and malty. Oranges, spices some yeast. interesting stuff.

Bottle. Nice head with medium duration. Color is amber. Aroma and taste are rich caramel, fruits, yeast and malt.

12oz bottle into a trappist glass. Definitely Belgian, but lacking flavor... flat in profile.

Bottle, 2008 vintage. Hazy orange with off white head. Yeast, fruit, grain and caramel in aroma. Sweet flavour with yeast, caramel, fruit and malt. Quite carbonated.

Draft pint from Cullen’s in Chicago. Pours cloudy amber with virtually no head. Aroma of fruit, sugar, spices, wheat, and yeast. Flavor is sweet, fruity (pears and dried fruit), and yeasty with some spices, wheat, and a little hops. I was honestly a bit disappointed with this one, having heard it hyped by some as perhaps Goose Island’s best offering. On my second try, at a Goose Island beer and cheese tasting at Teller’s in Cincinnati, this one improved and I underrated it before. Still not the best from GI, but I liked it more the second time around.