Goose Island Bourbon Imperial Brown Goose (Draft)

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

On tap at Groveland Tap in St. Paul. Wife sitting next to me immediately commented on the whiskey aroma. Creamy and somewhat sweet with lots of brown sugar and a bit of malt balancing out the bourbon. Not overly complex but just tasty.

Draft at wrigleyville pours clear brown with little head. Aroma is straight up bourbon and vanilla. Not as sweet as I was expecting and the bourbon is well balanced on the tongue. Some dry earthiness on the finish. A little hot but an otherwise incredible beer.

Growler. Holy mother. This is beer? It smells and tastes like whiskey. Full-strength whiskey. Though I’m not a whiskey drinker I kind of enjoyed it...for about one serving size of scotch. No way I was getting through the whole glass served as a beer. To further emphasize the whiskey prevalence, when mixed with Coke, it tastes exactly as one would expect a whiskey and Coke to taste. My experience is a far cry from the descriptions in other ratings.

Growler from St. James Beverage. Pours an incredibly cloudy mahogany brown with a small white head. Aroma of bourbon, oak. Flavor of sweet bourbon and vanilla with a hot alcoholic finish. There was not much to this beer besides the bourbon, which was very disappointing. Very one-dimensional. 5/3/5/3/9 [2.5/5]

On tap at Ray’s in Kent. Hazy deep brown with a short off-white head (short is good, they filled the snifter all the way to the top), great lacing. Aroma is sweet and nutty, caramel, some spice. Incredibly smooth palate - smooth bubbles in a viscous liquid. Taste is nutty, caramel, sweet malts, quickly followed by the dry woody barrel and hints of bourbon (not too strong, thankfully). This was good with the mussels, but would’ve been perfect with the spicy chocolate creme brulee.

On tap at the Clybourne location. KILLER. Awesome bourbon aroma. Pours a murky amber color with a creamy beige head that leaves plenty of lacing. Tastes of grape playdough, almost like BCS, but lighter and more approachable. Sweet with brown sugar and maple syrup flavors, yet still balanced. Yes, sir.

Draft at Teller’s of Hyde Park. Pours a smoky brown color with a small tan head that lasts for half the drink. Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, caramel, and wood. Sweet bourbon flavor led by vanilla, with notes of caramel, cream, and light sweet roasted malt, with a nice bourbon finish. Gets better as it warms- they serve it too cold, so don’t start on it immediately. Medium bodied, incredibly smooth, very little carbonation. Almost syrupy in mouthfeel, but not in a bad way- just from the sweetness and cask-like smoothness. Goose Island brought a little down for a tasting at Teller’s a couple months ago, and I was thrilled to get to try it on tap, and it’s even better this way. My girlfriend stole this from me about 2/3 of the way through; just an awesome beer.

10/29/2009: Goose Island Imperial Brown Goose... Aroma: Vanilla, caramel, sweet bourbon. Appearance: Burnt sienna brown color with a small, tan-colored head. Flavor: Soft, vanilla bean, creme brulee, caramel sauce; bourbony finish. Palate: Medium-bodied, silky smooth; cask-like. Overall: VERY, VERY nice. WOW!

Draught (growler fill) from The Party Source in Bellevue, Kentucky. Rating #28 for this beer.