Matilda
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Blonde / Pale / Amber Rotating|
Score
7.11
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Wild in character, a complex ale with dried fruit and clove aromas, and a satisfying dry finish. Inspired by great Trappist ales, our complex Belgian Style Pale Ale is fermented with the wild yeast Brettanomyces. Matilda pours a golden sunrise color with dried fruit and clove aromas, a spicy yeast flavor, and a satisfying dry finish.
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6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6.5
Texture 7
Overall 7
Another deep dive into my cellar. The first batches of the "Sisters" used what I call the "Dr. Bronner's" labels. Like this one.
Old-timey twist off top would not yield, so regular bottle opener applied. Pour is brassy and hazy under a thin head. Smell offers fruit of a Belgian ale ferment, some tartness, and funk suggesting a wild yeast in the blend. Taste offers more fruit, some spice from either yeast of malt. Pleasantly surprised that this had stayed good after 20 years.
Old-timey twist off top would not yield, so regular bottle opener applied. Pour is brassy and hazy under a thin head. Smell offers fruit of a Belgian ale ferment, some tartness, and funk suggesting a wild yeast in the blend. Taste offers more fruit, some spice from either yeast of malt. Pleasantly surprised that this had stayed good after 20 years.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Aug 2025
at 22:39
7.4/10
Bitter, fruity and smooth
Tried
from Draft
on 27 May 2025
at 21:57
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draft. Pours a coppery amberish wit a smallish head. Kind of sweet, not overhopped. Really good and really drinkable
Tried
from Draft
on 20 May 2025
at 00:46
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Dark amber with a long lasting head, nice lacing. Aroma is banana, caramel, dried fruit. Sweet upfront taste, caramel, toffee, dark sugar, dried fruit. Finish with a smooth and rich malt taste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Mar 2025
at 05:13
8.5/10
RB score 3.62
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Mar 2025
at 22:57
8.1/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
My original rating was for a 2007 vintage, but since I have up to a case of 2012 left, let's write about this. This bottle avoided gushing when I opened, that's a good sign. The small of pekoe tea and Belgian malt drifts up from my pour. Hazy, ruddy body with a thin ring of fizz. Taste has held up great after 13 years. Effervescence is prickly, Belgian light malt and maybe some candi sugar. Just a great example of Goose's originl "Belgian sisters."
Tried
from Bottle
at
Goose Island Brewpub
on 07 Mar 2025
at 04:33
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Unclear amber with a small head. White wine, brett and fermented hay, grapefruit zest, grain, nutmeg and clove, banana peel. Dry bitterness, some fruity sweetness. Medium bodied, oily texture, soft to lively carbonated, dry funky fruity bittersweet finish. Does not hit the spot for me. Tastes like a fake Orval.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Mar 2025
at 21:16
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Hazy golden pour. Aroma of pungent hops and some really nice light fruitiness like pineapples and peaches with some slight brown sugar and yeast. Crisp lightly bittr finish, and excellent well balanced ale.
Tried
on 28 Feb 2025
at 05:21
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle from Hopt. Bretty nose. Aroma is bretty and malty with ripe (stone) fruits, toasted grain, farmhouse funk, light spicy, some caramel. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter with a fairly dry finish. Body is medium. Bretty, dry and somewhat fruity, likeable brew.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Feb 2025
at 11:59
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Tried
on 31 Dec 2024
at 02:16