Goose Island 20th Anniversary Ale

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Chicago, Illinois USA

Nice. It poured a hazy copper body with a lofty off-white head that coated the glass heavily with lace. It had a floral, earthy nose along with some caramel and toast. That caramel turns a bit dusty in the flavor, perhaps because of the increase in the hoppy bitterness, still floral but accompanied by a sharp citric bite. The finish is a moderate, prolonged bitterness. Good stuff.
Happy 20th Anniversary, GI-Cly! I wish you could be with us another score of years.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Island - Clybourn, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>

Cask Conditioned at the GTMW 2008: I was lucky to have a few samples of this before the crowds came in... The beer has a slight coppery haze with a lush frothy white head which left very nice lace upon my glass. The aroma is classic British bittering hops but with some PNW fruity acidity too. Biscuity pale malts and a hint of ripened pear esters, I really didn’t any woody or barrel influence. The taste is right what I expected and honestly wanted. Moderate even handed bitterness balanced by pale and sweet malts. Some fruit and even a touch of pepper upon the finish. The mouth feel is velvety smooth and creamy, soft carbonation made this very drinkable. YUMMY STUFF, MIKEY LIKEY!!!

Sampled from 750 ml bottle during Dark Lord Day ’09, at table 4. Pours a semi-clear dark orange/brown colored brew with a thin off-white head that has some nice retention and spotty lacing that stays with the glass. Aroma of roasted caramel malt, a good balance of flowery and citrus zest hops, a touch of dark berry character. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with a extra mild bitterness along with flavors of multi-grain biscuit malt, floral and citrus zest with a hint of pine. Finish has a dry bitterness with some caramel malt and citrus aftertaste.

On tap at Goose – Clybourn. Poured slightly hazy apricot with a creamy cap of beige head. The aroma picked up soft floral and almost meaty notes.. medium-skinned fruits as well.. not bad, but didn’t draw me in. Sweeter fruity and toffee notes in the flavor with dry medium fruit skin bitterness surrounding.. fruity and oaky notes on the finish.. tasty. About medium-bodied on the palate and quite dry with a spicy back-end.. this grew on me as I drank more.

Draft at Clybourn. Pours a copper amber with yellow hues. Aroma is caramel, some bitter hoppiness. Drinks like a weak malty ipa. Nothing special here.

20th rating of this beer, 750ml with silver wax from Chicagodori, shared with dalekliz. Pours orange with a 2 finger puffy tan head. Nose is sweet and quite nice. Taste is sweet and citrussy, and slightly bitter, overall a damn tasty beer. I like it.

on cask at GI-Cly. pours hazy amber with white head. caramel and toasted biscuit aroma. flavors of caramel, toasted biscuit, and a cookie finish. a bit sweet but very clean and smooth. dangerously sessionable at 6.9%abv.3.7.

5/20/08, on draft sample and this is fruit punch hop notes are far more pronounced. this actually comes off as an ASA and similar to GI Debbies little helper whereas on cask this thing was a solid very drinkable more standard ESB. good stuff but better on cask. 3.3.

Cask: pour is hazed coppery amber with a thin tight bubbled off white head...smell is toasty and sweet at first with a citric bitterness coming out...taste is toasty at first with a chewy lingering bitterness 7 3 7 3 16
Draft: pour is coppery amber but not as ruby as the casek and a thin off white head...smell is much sweeter with some caramelized sugar and has less of a hop presence...taste is very sweet with lots of toastyness and caramel and a faint metallic citric bitterness...not as hop forward as the cask...the draft will be my actual rating, as I think it will be around longer than the cask...