Goose Island Matilda

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

Shared by Kinz at the Great Chelada Incident 2007. Bottle 2006. Clear copper body with a small fizzy off-white head. Sweet candi sugar, spice and light fruit aroma. Sugar and fruit flavor with some light tart hints.

22oz. Bottle: Sweet aroma of yeast, spices, pollen, fruit, spices, light citrus, and a hint of Brett. Poured orange/amber/gold in color with a small white head that disappeared quickly. Cloudy. Sparkling. Full of tiny, and a few large, particles throughout. Flavor is medium sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of yeast, fruit, Brett, pollen, light spices, hops, and pale malts. Medium body. Lightly chalky texture. Soft to average carbonation. Sweet, hop, pollen, and yeast finish is lightly chalky.

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

Bottle with 2006 on the neck label. Rich amber color with continuing lively white head, densely laced. The aroma has a malt backbone with substantial fruit notes, but in the tasting over time the caramel ale dimensions built, very dry and leaving a bit of a tacky finish, not unlike a few British ales I’ve had. Overall, then, it left a feeling of lacking dimensionality. Good carbonation, tingling, with a moderately oily mouthfeel. It just wasn’t my thing--perhaps greater fruitiness and a little less dry and it would have suited my tastes better.

2006 bottle from Pantanap; Nose was yeast, spices, and caramel maly; hazy copper with a big beige, light lacing, head, flavor was light fruitiness, pepperiness, spices, with a bit of hops in the finish. A good belgian.

Cloudy orange hue with moderate, but sticky lace - musty, tart, earthy aroma, with hints of lemon rind and pepper - herbal, spicy, saison-like - touches of banana, orange peel - pastry-like malt - spicy, peppery finish, with gentle hops - quite nice - if you told me this was made in belgium, I would believe you.

(Bottle, Monk’s Café, Stockholm, 28 Aug 2008) Amber colour with frothy, beige head. Malty, fruity nose with dried fruit, apricots and spicy hops. Fruity, malty taste with notes of dried fruit (apricots), orange peel and a decent spicy bitterness in the finish. Fairly sweet, but the sweetness is balanced by the spicy hops. Tasty and very nice beer.

Pours an orange golden with tan head. No lacing is left. Slight barnyard aroma. Tart acidic touch, musty hints, pear & apple like fruityness and a grahm pie crust hint. The flavor is solid, but a bit simple. Subtle sweet fruit suggestions. Somewhat Saison like. Syrupy fruit hints of pears, apple juice, farm house earthy notes, and a light nutmeg touch. There’s also a honey grahm cracker suggestion and a surprisingly herbal dry finish with a hint of skunk. Feels Belgian, but not all together standout.