Goose Island Barbary Blue

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

Draught at the brewpub, Wrigleyville location, as Cubby Blueberry Ale, 4.8% ABV
Hazy copper color. A very ordinary Ale, light sweetness, with a very light (luckily) fruity flavor.

Blueberries are perhaps my least favorite fruit, in or out of beer, so each time I try a brew with said berry in it, I worry that I’ll have to fight back a reflexive gag reaction. Not so with this beer, perhaps because rather than having some ungodly syrup poured into it, it’s a golden ale aged on blueberries. It pours a golden body with a touch of brown in it topped by a respectable white head. The aroma is sweet with malt covered by a soft blueberrfy tartness. The berries are a minor player in the flavor, adding a touch of fruitiness along with the tartness, but the sweet grainy malts carry the load. Drinkable, something I hadn’t expected.

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

Tap at GI Clybourn: Stopped by for a growler and finally broke down and rated this... I am not getting to wordy here expect to say I like Blueberry beers that have a fresh fruit taste. This is not one of those beers, the Blueberry flavor tastes artificial and syrupy. Additionally there is a grainy and corny aftertaste that makes this close to undrinkable. Lucky that Goose still had plenty of Dunkelweizenbock for me to enjoy.

On tap at GI Clybourn. Poured clear reddish-amber with a short-medium cap of white head. The aroma picked up sweet and tart blueberry skins and a pinch of lemon.. mostly driven by the berries, lighter, and pleasant. The flavor had tarter blueberries throughout with dry berries and wheaty notes at the finish.. overall very tasty and a great use of the fruit. Lighter-bodied on the palate and drier on the back-end.. refreshing and enjoyable.

Draft at GI Clybourn. Poured a slightly hazy light pink color. Head was bubbly and white. Tasted and smelled like berries (blueberries and raspberries) with light biscuity malt. A bit sweet for me, but the subtle berry was nice.

Tap @ Clybourn. Had to ask for it as it wasn’t on the board. The beer pours to a clean brassy body with a thin creamy white head. The aroma is fairly light. Pretty light with cakey blueberry muffins. Doesn’t smell bad, simply too light. The flavor is extremely fresh blueberries, cakey muffin mix. Light refreshing palate.

Pour is golden yellow with pinkish highlights and a white and pinkish head...smell is pungent blueberry....sweet blueberry juice flavor...sweet and cloying...

on tap at gi cly. listed as "blueberry ale". pours cloudy amber with sm white head. aroma of blueberry skins. flavor is pretty much blueberries, which over takes the malts, sweet blueberry skin finish. this could work with a big dark beer.