Goose Island Pere Jacques

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company (AB-InBev)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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I saw a comparison of this beer to Chimay written in a local paper. The best I can do is compare this beer to the Chimay that I know; the Chimay of the past year and a half. Say, you Chimay nay-sayers, that Chimay were to deteriorate from it's previous state in a fashion that represents the recent demise of the beer. That is the best comparison I can make for this beer. Pours a nice amber, copper color with little head. The aroma is simply amazing. Sweet and delectable, the fruits dominate the nose. Simply a hint of what is to come. The flavor, however, does live up to the nose. Sharp to the point of being harsh, the flavor is unrefined. Strong apples and sweet candi sugar seem to dominate throughout. I think a little time would provide this beer the opportunity to mature and mellow and become really incredible. Darker fruits and a "ripeness" would let itself well to this concoction. Give it the opportunity and time will heal all wounds.

A Belgian strong ale of the sweeter variety, though not too heavy for my liking. It’s reminiscent of Abbaye des Rocs or Unibroue Trois Pistoles. Surprisingly little sediment - I wonder if they filter these. Aftertaste has some oaky bitterness and sugarcane type sweetness. Smell has plenty of alcohol and a trace of flowers. A good beer, all things considered. Well executed - I just hope InBev doesn’t start to screw with these lines. Bottle from Health food store in Lebanon, NH.

Bottle. Pours a deep, hazy copper with an off white head. Aroma is belgian spices, sweetness, and some dark fruits. Taste is very sweet and sticky. Lots of hard candi flavors mixing with a slight booze. Finishes more clean than you’d expect. Pretty easy to drink for its abv.

12 oz bottle. Dark ruby brown pour with a thin off white head. Aroma of plums, caramel and raisins. Thick, sticky mouthfeel that is almost like syrup, but in a good way. Even warming alcohol finish.

Pours to rapidly disappearing head; reddish color. Terrific smell - very floral with dark fruits and yeast. I could sniff this all night! Taste is sweet dark fruits - plum, raisin, and a little bit of orange fruit (tangerine mostly). Finishes malty, and then the ABV kicks in shortly after. Very good dubbel!

I’ve managed to corral enough beers to do a 3 year vertical tasting. 2012: Poured a translucent caramel brown with a decent, but quickly dissipating head. Very effervescent. Almost soda-like. Not as many esters as I expected. Aroma overall is subdued, in fact. Tastes of sharp caramel and toffee sweetness. Some cherry tartness, too. Not that many esters. Very bubbly at first but full, overwhelming sweetness at the end. I liked this better than expected. (6, 4, 8, 4, 15: 3.7) 2011 - Appearance is exactly the same. The aroma is drastically different. All hints of caramel is gone. In its place are strong phenolics. Mostly banana and clove. Leathery, too. Some breadiness and toffee flavors, but the banana and clove flavors are much more pronounced. Carbonation and caramel sweetness are much less pronounced. It’s amazing what an extra year will do to drastically change the character of a beer. (7, 4, 6, 3, 13: 3.3). 2010 - Let’s face facts, I’m a bit drunk now, so detailed reviews aren’t going to happen. Just know that the 2010 version finds a nice balance between the malty sugariness of the 2012 version and the strong phenolic character of the 2011 version. 2010 is spicier and some vanilla comes into play, too. (7, 4, 7, 4, 14: 3.6)

Bottle. Molasses, cherry, caramel malt aroma. Murky copper with a small beige head. Strong molasses, caramel malt, slight metallic, alcohol flavor with a spicy finish. Medium to full body, lively carbonation.

Dark amber almost copper with a foamy head. Aromas of light bread, banana, coriander, slight dark cherry, big caramel and toffee. Flavors of toffee, caramel, bread, slight alcohol, hints of banana, slight spice. Rich, sweet, and I like that bready thickness in this one.

A good beer but was expecting more. Part of a beer festival tasting so likely deserves another taste. It is a decent beer just didn’t pack enough flavour for dark belgian strong.

Poured from bottle. Aged 2 years. Pours amber gold with a medium thin white head...lots of lacing. Smells of cherries and ripe apple with some spice. Tastes malty sweet with chewy mouth feel and very light carbonation. You can tell the aging has tamed this down a bit. Great belgian, but I think I'll stick to it drinking a little more fresh next time. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

It pours mid-ruby brown with a strong nose of apple orchards, so much so that with your eyes closed it could be a cider. Its quite sweet with plenty of higher alcohols and a burnt sugar/ solvent finish. I’m not too keen.