Goose Island 1800 Demolition Ale (Strong Golden)

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Chicago, Illinois USA

Something mysterious always gets me about this brew. I really don’t know what it is...not the orange color, for sure. Not the honeyish, pineapple, sour fruit aroma...or the taste of wheat grass, lemons and macha green tea, heavily earthy and tea-leaf flowery. Must be the spicy kick of those Saaz hops that lend a lovely balance to this brew and temper its fragrant meadow tendencies.

Bottled 22 June 2005, sampled 13 January 2007. Hazy light orange body, thin off-white head. Bready, biscuity nose with caramel and butterscotch, estery. Herbal, medicinal body with abundant breads and burnt caramel. Sweet with warming alcohol. The hops are tired and stale, as expected. It’s been awhile since I’ve purchased Goose Island, and this beer reminds me why that is. This joins their Honker’s Ale, 312 Urban Wheat, and Summer Ale in its cardboardy staleness.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy, dark golden amber color with a huge off white head, that lingers, nice lacing. Aroma is malt, sugar, yeast, citrus. Flavor is sweet, malt, citrus notes, yeast, some alcohol. Palate is medium, highly carbonated, fruity, slightly warm finish. Great.

Bottle (courtesy of Monger): Poured a deep yellow color ale with a medium foamy pure white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of sweet malt and candi sugar with some nice floral hops (saaz?). Taste is well balance between sweet malt and candi sugar with a slightly bitter and floral hoppy finish. Carbonation is great and alcohol is well hidden. Another well-done beer from this great brewery.

04/20/06 bottling. Head is initially small, fizzy/frothy, white, mostly diminishing. Body is medium to dark yellow. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, cookie), lightly to moderately hoppy (herbs, flowers), with notes of candied pineapple. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Nice, if a bit plain.

Bottled. 04/20/06. 1503. Beer is clear, light orange. Head is initially small, beige, frothy. Diminishes rapidly into a mist on the surface.<P> The aroma is malty sweet with light notes of toasted grain, cookie, moderate sweet caramel; Hoppy with a light-to-moderate note of resin/pine, light herb; Yeasty with a trace of dough, light basement; Miscellaney includes light notes of tropical fruit, tangerine, alcohol.<P> The flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic and moderately bitter with a long, lightly acidic and sweet finish.<P> The body is medium, the texture is watery-to-syrupy and the carbonation is lively.<P> Nice bright, warm citrus fruity notes.

Bottle from Paul (blankboy) Thanks. I do remember that paul sent this, because I know who did NOT send me this, (sean). FU. Pours out an orange / golden color without much of a head. Smell is sweet, with some caramel notes. Not really much on the smell, it was pretty hard to pick up on. Taste is sweet and perhaps a little thin. All in all, this was rather disappointing for Goose Island. I will note that I tried it way too cold the first time, and let it sit about 30 minutes and it tasted some what better. This was a forgetful, rather bland beer. Not something I want to drink again.

Pours hazy bronze-gold with minimal head. Slightly hoppy apricot citrus aroma. Malty flavor with a dry alcohol finish.