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Goose Island Imperial IPA 4 586

Goose Island Imperial IPA

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
5864.01/5.04/5.0Winter9.2%97.3Snifter, Tulip
Commercial Description:
Traditionally, there are a lot of rules when it comes to brewing great beer. The fact that American craft brewers have broken those rules to produce some of the world’s finest beers is downright heroic. At Goose Island we live and die by hops, so breaking the rules meant pushing the hop limit to the extreme to create this monster Imperial IPA. We took three of our favorite hops, TETTNANG, SIMCOE, and CASCADE, and balanced their spiciness with tons of malt. Them we went back and dumped in MORE HOPS and more malt until this beer was exploding with flavor...strong enough to wake the dead and filled with more bitterness than a woman scorned. This Imperial IPA is absolutely gigantic, you’ll smell the hops from about a yard away. What will surprise you is how incredibly drinkable it is. Pair it up with the saltiest blue cheese you can find, and go nuts.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 kosko20 (321), Bemidji, Minnesota, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/105/517/20
Aug 11, 2008  
This is a rather different aroma than expected. I thought I was gonna get a big whiff of hops then who knows what but first smell is grapefruit, lemon and hops. Also some pine and other fruits. Appearance, you know its perfect, copper red with a thick white head. So the flavor is hops and citrus blend. The palate is smooth with a bitter and a touch of alcohol finish that goes very well with everything in this beer. Not exploding with hops but was blended and balanced extremely well with malts.


 Pawola22 (783), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
Jul 12, 2008    Updated: Jan 20, 2009
12 oz bottle. Aroma: Very stong hoppiness. Its making me want it badly. Lots of citrus and fruit. Lemon and grapefruit. Appearance: Very cloudy auburn. Small white head that lingers. A lot of carbonation action. Flavor: Citrusy. Almost pineapple or orange, differing a little from the smell of lemon and grapefruits. Slight malt and alcohol. Hops! Palate: BIG taste. Complex taste and decent carbonation. Really coats the mouth well. Overall: Amazing balance. Great citrus hop aftertaste. Barely taste the alcohol. TONS of flavor. This is the dogfish head 120 minute IPA done right.


 Beerman6686 (1307), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/516/20
Jul 2, 2008  
Poured a hazy orange color with a small off white head. Aroma is hopped up and citrusy, not much pine. Flavor is also very citrusy hops but balanced very well with malt, not the hop bomb i expected.


 johntreeter (122), Greenwood, Indiana, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/59/104/518/20
Jul 1, 2008  
12oz. 07 bottle at Table Rock. Pours a cloudy orange copper with a thin but lasting off white head that laced very well. Strong citrus in the aroma with with notes of peach, apple cider, sweet malt, and some alcohol. Wonderful flavor with a sweet malt and grain begining fallowed by the fruity hops then the melody of sweet to bitter, sweet to bitter, sweet to bitter untill the long hoppy finish. Medium chewy body, mild syrupy texture, light carbonation, and long dry finishing feel. An excellent and complex big beer that is remarkably easy to drink I bought this one off the top shelf under improper lighting and it was still very very good. I can’t wait to try the 08 fresh and a year later out of my stash when they become available.


 patrick767 (2051), fort wayne, Indiana, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/517/20
Jun 30, 2008  
2007 bottle - Pours cloudy orange with a superb hop aroma accented with both citrus and pine. The flavor leads with some big, sweet malts that are soon overcome by huge, citrus tinged hops. There’s some earthiness to the malt that I’m not sure is my favorite thing, but it doesn’t really detract either. This beer is big and still quite drinkable. Enjoy the long, bitter finish.


 ChainGangGuy (2616), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/516/20
Jun 22, 2008  
Appearance: Pours an amber body that’s not so hazy as there’s a fine powder-like substance dispersed throughout. Smallish, though creamy, white head. Smell: Hoppy aroma of citrus, pine, and spice with subtler caramel malts underneath. Taste: Biscuity malts with a slight caramel sweetness. Orange and grapefruit rinds. Some pine resin. Constant spiciness. Full, earthy bitterness. Touch of alcohol warmth. Bittersweet finish with a lingering spice on the tongue. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A rather good brew and one I certainly enjoyed, though it most likely displays more malt and balance than hopheads would desire.


 Pastor (534), Maine, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/103/517/20
Jun 15, 2008  
Thanks to Goliath for knocking this one of my want list Bottle poured into a snifter produced a finger worth of head that turned to a ring of lace .all this on top of a hazy copper colored body Aromas of piney, citrus hops along with some sweet malt the malts become more pronounced as it warms Flavors are very malt forward sweet but the hops sneak up on you at the finish nice grapefruit flavors not an extreme hop bomb very well balanced oily and medium bodied brew not much in the way of carbonation An enjoyable brew not my favorite DIPA’s but very good. I am enjoying this brew on a some what rainy day kicking back with the kids. I would like it to have a little more carbonation on it but a solid brew other than that


Skeets (24), Sacramento, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jun 8, 2008  
Bottle. Poured a hazy golden amber, with a minimal head. Fantastic citrus hop aroma. Nice malt balance. Great IIPA. Just wish I could buy it regularly.



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