Goose Island Beer Company
Commercial Brewery
in Chicago,
Illinois,
United States 🇺🇸
Owned by
Anheuser-Busch InBev USA
Associated with 3 Venues
Established in 1988
in 2011, Goose Island Beer Company was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Since then, we’ve continued to brew beer that we’re proud of and now we get to share these beers with our friends both nationwide and internationally.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
12 oz. bottle, bottled 6/22/05, tasted 5/8/06 Well, I traded all my other bottles, so the re-rate had to wait until I found a loose one at Trader Joe’s. In a small Trappist glass, it’s deep gold and cloudy, with an unmistakable Belgian malt and sugar nose. A sip with my nose in the glass tames the malt smell, but tste is very sweet. This is nearly a year old, so the hops have faded out somewhat (though being German nobles, their good base bitterness remains). A bit citrussy, then dry. Lots of fizziness, then a touch of sourness. Obviously, something different in every sip… what you’d taste if Willy Wonka had made beer.
FOAM series bottle, at the brewery, 2/8/04: Well, served in a plastic cup, so I can’t tell too much about the color. But very hoppy and complex. But a big hoppy taste that belies its Belgian-ness. More I could not discern, but I took some more bottles home, so we will definitely revisit this one.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Bottled and Draft at the Brewery: The next beer in their specialty retail line (as soon as they get approval for the labels). Baseline example of an American wheat: pale yellow beer under a bubbly head that clings a little to the plastic glass. Not as fizzy as other wheats. Hop taste is more traditionally bitter, not fruity like 3F's Gumballhead, and very well balanced to the malt profile. Sampling from the bottle reveals a slightly fruitier profile.
Bottle, 8/17. Not much that'd make me change my rating. Pours into a .5l Weizen glass, it kicks up a fine, rocky wheat head. Light body, low carbonation, decent taste with little perceptible hop note. Well balanced summer refresher.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottled, unlabeled from the brewery, 8 Feb ’04 Hoppy, hoppy bo boppy... no, wait a minute. An amazing and massively hoppy brew. I don’t catch the citrus the others have noticed, but maybe I’ve been through too many beers already. Lighter brown color than normal for an IPA, but that doesn’t belie a big malt profile. That’s all I got from a wild night of tasting at the Goose’s Fulton St. brewery, but I got some bottles as a souvenir, so I can submit another rating later.
Draft at Goose Island, 6/28/04. A massive sock of Simcoe & Cascade hops grabs you by the throat for the entire glass. The 79 IBU’s seem to dedicated to nothing but bitterness. Enjoying this monster is a challenge, but one which I’ll gladly accept.
Clarkvv (16327) reviewed Christmas Ale from Goose Island Beer Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
2003 bottle. Seemed like a mix between an American Pale ale and and English Strong. Beautiful reddish-brown ruddy color, tons of tan creamy head. Smells of cherries, mild plums, cinnamon, candied apples, brown sugar and some hops. I was surprised that as the beer warmed I could taste some moderately bitter hops tones, but they would mix in with the creamy texture and get lost in the big caramel-brown sugar malt flavor. Medium to full body, tending more towards medium. Robust and even a touch of smoke at the beginning, I thought I tasted it at least. I just cant get in to these type of beers as much because my palate seems to want the huge complexities of the best English Strong Ales where you seem to be able to easily pick out many many different flavors. This one is more homogenous but still very well done and tasty.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Pours thick and oily. Black, no head. Total whiskey aroma. Alcohols rise out of the glass. Espresso, chocolate and vanilla flavors plus bourbon notes. Earthy aroma as well. Thick palate - coating. Bittersweet finish. Highly roasted. Acrid, challenging. Licorice comes through as well.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5
Grassy and citric hops dominate the nose. Lime, grapefruit rind. Fresh biscuits too. Very smooth, although it has a big prickly palate from all the resins, and slight stickiness from the malt. Grapefruit rind is a big factor here, along with a big long bitter finish. Malt flavors are fresh and clean, but are clearly gasping for their voice beneath the hops. On the whole an absolutely top-notch double IPA, with all the hops AND malt one could want. They’re not lying, it is very drinkable. Pale amber with a smallish head and medium lacing.
jgb9348 (11734) reviewed Christmas Ale from Goose Island Beer Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5
Dark brown colour with a nice thick light brown head...the way an old should look like! Hoppy aroma with the essence of 'wet feet'. A bit of fruit is noticed, but mostly hops and some malt. Medium-bodied; Flat taste with tobacco, smoke, mushrooms and a fair amount of hops noticeable in the taste. Aftertaste shows some prolonged musty qualities, but offers some subtle spiceyness. Overall, a decent beer...I was expecting a bit more from the appearance! Regardless, I was lucky to taste this twelve ounce bottle, acquired in a recent trade with BigBadBear63, sampled on 19-December-2003. Thanks again Mike!
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottled. Once in a while I gotta remember to have one of these as reminder of “how it all started” in this area. The Goose’s flagship beer is one of those that can start anybody on the road to good beer appreciation. An appealing orangey pour with a good head. Caramel roasty malts, and a floral/bitter hop character that only insinuates itself after a few sips. Toward the bottom of the glass, it even took on a bit of IPA character. Wonderful fruity ale taste.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
This Christmas concoction pours a dark ruby red-brown with a thin ring of off-white foam clinging to the glass. Nuts and caramel in the aroma. Flavor is rich and succulent; I detect wood, dark candied fruits, nuts, caramel, and floral hops. A rich and remarkable brew, perfect for the season.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5
Bottled. Ah, yes. The Goose was the first brewpub I ever knew of, and I enjoyed grabbing a couple of Gooses by the neck... and then this came along: the first beer that made me say, "Oh... my... freakin' God!" Now it's out in bottles though hard to find:
A deeper Imperial Stout-type nose. Big bourbon flavor, even powerful like a Hennessey. Beautiful black with red highlights. I saw the bourbon barrels they were aging this in at the brewery a few months back, and I'm pleased to say they've bottled it beautifully!
Brewery Stats
| Score | 7.09 |
| Beers | 308 |
| Ticks | 7788 |
Top Reviewers (Not including batches)
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Drake | 92 |
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McDermottDrink | 92 |
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mcberko | 89 |
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CLW | 88 |
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tiong | 71 |
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djd07 | 70 |
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superspak | 66 |
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Clarkvv | 65 |
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deyholla | 62 |
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Chalumeaux | 59 |