Goose Island Bourbon Imperial Brown Goose (Draft)

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

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.

FoBAB 2009: Brown hued and reddish highlights topped by a small fizzy head and slight lace. The aroma has a bourbon vanilla bean and oak overtone along with chocolate, toffee, walnut, slight fig, and is phenolic and a tad boozy. The taste is bourbony and vanilla laced with some bakers chocolate and walnut in reserve, just like the bottle however I got a nice subdued fruity note not found in the bottles I had. The finish has a touch of charred oak and clove. Lively and refreshing, tannic dry on the finish. This is better on tap but still not a favorite.

Draft at John’s Buffet. Deep brown color in it’s small snifter. Sweet, malty imperial beer smell with a little bourbon in the back. I’m tasting this after sampling lots of homebrew at a club meeting, and it may help make this beer seem bitter, almost puckeringly so. Oak is a bit harsh, and distracts from the main beer. At least the alcohol is not overdone. There’s a decent strong brown underneath.

On tap @ Kelleher’s, Peoria, IL. Served too cold, had to wait for it to warm up in my hands. I know it was Halloween, but when the bartender asked me if I knew it costed $8 a glass, I didn’t think I was dresed like a bum. Anyway, dark pour with thin beige head. Aroma came out eventually as it warmed. Bourbon, toasted malt, vanilla. Taste was good. All the aromas, plus it was smooth, had a little alcohol . Good beer.