Goose Island XOCOLATL

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company (Brewpubs)
Style: Barley Wine
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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Missed this rating at FoBaB 2012. Probably the favorite of the event. This pours out a dark murky brown with a thin tan head. Smells like chocolate, mole, oak, nutmeg and dark fruits. Taste is similar and quite smooth. Well balanced and enjoyable. Going to have to get this when it comes out (now).

Multiple pours at GABF. Brown pour. Wow. Chocolate, cinammon, tofee, bourbon, vanilla, toasted oak, light spice from the hops. Flavor is sweet and rich. So much delicious notes both from the base beer and barrels. Vanilla rich, toffee, oak, brown sugar, snickerdoodle cookies. Yes!

Sample at GABF 10/11/2012, thanks to Bluemeow76 for assistance with note-taking. Cloudy dark brown color with a medium khaki head and short strings of lace. Aroma of chocolate and bourbon. Medium to full body with flavors of bourbon, cocoa and malt. The finish is chocolatey with a mildly boozy aftertaste. Pretty good overall.

Had this at the 2012 Great American Beer Fest in Denver, Colorado. Nice toffee roast scents, taste is a bit of toffee and spice.

GABF. Probably had about five or six tastes during my two days. Pours a deep brown/black appearance with a smallish brown head. Huge aroma of thick, rich chocolate along with notes of coffee, caramel, toffee, and whiskey. Flavor is more of the same with a ton of rich, tasty chocolate, mild toffee, vanilla, and light wood. Very nice stuff!

Sampled at GABF 2012 with Andrew & Sofia. Pours a deep murky brown body with tan lacing. Aroma is super sweet chocolate, light bourbon, cocoa, spice, maple and toffee. Mouthfeel is creamy with notes of sweet chocolate, oak, vanilla, bourbon, caramel, maple, and cocoa. A great, BA barley wine.

FOBAB 2011. This is part of my discovery of old ratings. I guess I got a little behind over the years. Red brown in color with no head. Rich red caramels brown sugar sweet. Sweet medium body. Nice cocoa in with the barleywine. Sweet pretty solid. 8/3/8/3/15 I remember this won gold or silver. I don’t think it was that great, but good stuff.

FoBAB 11’- Was expecting to like this beer more than I did, that said, it’s solid, pours a dark black to brown, nose and taste are of spices, coco nibs, caramel. Very sweet and a touch spicy. A good beer but I had thought it was going to be special and I did not find this to be.

Draft on tap at the brewpub (Chicago, IL). Missed this at FoBAB, excited to see it on. Pours a fairly brownish pour, some lighter glowing essence, but largely opaque and darker. A decent frothy tannish head dies to a smaller ring, laces small. Aromas are tons of cocoa, a load of dark cocoa, bakers chocolate, and some sweeter milk chocolate. Toffee, biscuits, mellow oaky vanilla and spirit barrel. Touches of coconut, more oak, spirit, and vanilla. Initial is a rich flavors and medium bodied, offering healthy caramel and toffee, mixing with a deep dark cocoa regime, some milk chocolate, bakers cocoa. Sweet up front, dying out in the middle. Barrel offers Bourbon spirit, heat, a good dose of vanilla. Some gentle peppery spice moves into the fold in the backend. Chiles are mild, yet growing, synergy with the ABV element. Dry, inviting, with a lot of sweet heavier body ahead of it. Nice beer. Mellow spice, healthy tannins, heat from spirit and peppers. Lots of dark cocoa, mellow sweetness lingers. A good and interesting beer. Lovely barrel aged barleywine with some good elements to add complexity.

draft at fobab, pours amber with off white head nose ofmex choc spice mole flavors of mole choco spicy heat flat syrupy feel