Goose Island Bourbon Wheatmiser

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

On tap at Clybourn. Poured an orange amber with an off-white head. Aroma consisted of notes of fruits, sweet grain and bourbon. Started a bit grainy sweet and then the alcohol takes over leading to a finish of almost purely alcohol. Nice and thick on the tongue.

On tap at Clybourn. Pour is cloudy ruby red with a thick and creamy head. Aroma is bourbon, toffee, plums, dried fruits, vanilla, and faint coconut. Flavor is very creamy and smooth. Vanilla and toffee dominate at first. Then hints of fruity sweetness and more vanilla interject. Finish is lasting with notes of coconut, vanilla, bourbon, and slightly hoppy dryness. This beer was amazing as far as Im concerned. I do not know how many batches there have been, but what I just drank was ridiculous.

On tap and GI Clybourn. Dark brownish red with an egg shell head. Aroma of bourbon, candied fruit, caramel. Flavor is a sweet bourbon fruit explosion. Thick, chewy, mothfeel with light carbonation. Some alcohol in the finish. enjoyed sipping on this one for a while.

On tap at GI Clybourn, served in a snifter. Ruddy brown pour with some orange highlights and a thin head of lasting beige foam. Decent lace. The aroma had thick, heavily bourbonized caramel. Wow! Also some caramel-covered apples and light pear. The flavor had strong caramel and vanilla followed by fruit skins and a shot of bourbon. Really heavy on the caramel and vanilla, but not overly sweet. Mildly alcoholic. Full-bodied with minimal carbonation. Good stuff!

Draft @ clybourn 6/29. Orange amber hued to the dim light. Slow rising, thin weak head. Kind of one dimensional. Smells and tastes of vanilla, booze, wood, bourbon and caramel. Mouth is tad spirity with some wheatiness surviving in the finish. Comes off like a thin, cloying barleywine. Tylenol linger. Barrel very harsh, hot, and dominant. I have a soft spot for barrel-aged beer, but this pushes the envelope. Overpriced. Limbo.

On tap at Goose Island Clybourn. Pours brownish red with a small ring of tan lacing. Aroma is of caramel, wood, bourbon, vanilla, fruit, and wheat. Huge alcohol presence in the aroma. Taste starts off with lots of citrus, sugar, and wheat. There is also an overpowering fruity taste, than almost comes off like a wine. It was very medicinal, and harsh. I couldn’t seem to get past that, it really hurt the beer in my opinion. Each sip finishes with some wood, bourbon, and vanilla. Extremely warming booze bite. Mouthfeel is medium and very sticky. Finish is all alcohol. This beer did not work for me at all, and was just generally hard to put down. $10 for an 8oz snifter seems a might pricy as well.

FoBAB 2008. Poured a clear dark orange color with an off white head. Pleasant aromas of caramel, toffee, whiskey, fig, and orange liqueur. Medium to full bodied and sweet with a warming alcohol effect. Caramel, vanilla, bourbon, butter, and dark fruit flavors. Good stuff.

Draft at the brewpub. Pour is dark red-brown, dissipating head, no lacing. Nose is distinct for play-doh and mead/honey. As it warmed, honey was the predominating character, very sweet. Taste is rich and complex, slight bitterness and distinct bourbon character, though not boozy at all. well-hidden alcohol. Taste also has some marshmallows, a touch of salt and a ton of vanilla. Very slick and easy to drink. Very good and properly aged in a barrel.