A very hectic January that led to a lot of beer notes and not a lot of beer reviews posted. Here's a round-up of favorites from the month, with some review notes.
Smuttynose IPA, 6.9% ABV - bitter yet refreshing citrusy hop bomb. There's a hint of pine as well, and some fruity esters in this cloudy unfiltered IPA. Currently my favorite IPA from the east coast. There's a hint of booziness I don't think a regular IPA should have.
Smuttynose Porter, 5.7% ABV - Smooth and creamy, leaning sweet for my kind of porter. Big suggestion of roasted coffee beans and chocolate. Very stout-like, with a hefty full body and a darker fruitiness. Sometimes with a beer like this I wonder what's the point of stouts.
Goose Island Dominique, 8.5%ABV - For those into an accidental Matilda experiment, think belgian style pale ale, already fruity and spicy, aged in bourbon barrels, and soured! This is a fantastic, slightly fuller body and sour version of Matilda that I prefer to the original.
Arcadia Loch Down Scotch Ale, 8.0% ABV - Before this brand got renamed, I really dug it as a solid example of the style. I can't tell you if it really got better since it was 6 months between trying the old and the new, but it has a cool new label, and is still a delicious example of the Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy style. I'd add to that style description that there's often a hint of dark fruit flavor as well from the heavy level of dark caramel malts and dark roasted grains.
Bell's Hopslam, 10.0% ABV - one of the most outstanding Imperial IPAs of the year. I don't know how much the recipe changes per year, but the honey this year is just the right amount of sweet balance to a fantastic beer. I had this the same day I had an Imperial IPA that will get highlighted in Beervana #2 and the two combined blew my mind (quite literally). The Alstrom Bros review on Beer Advocate says it well, give us more.
Flossmoor: Rail Splitter IPA and Intercontinental Pale Lager
Showing posts with label Goose Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goose Island. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Goose Island Dominique
What happens when you accidentally add sour beer yeast to Goose Matilda? Good things friends, good things. I actually prefer it this way.
Now on tap in Chicago only...so far seen at:
Bar Deville
The Twisted spoke
Longman & Eagle
The Publican
Goose Island Dominique
What happens when you accidentally add sour beer yeast to Goose Matilda? Good things friends, good things. I actually prefer it this way.
Now on tap in Chicago only...so far seen at:
Bar Deville
The Twisted spoke
Longman & Eagle
The Publican
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