RateBeer
Goose Island Imperial IPA 4 585

Goose Island Imperial IPA

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
send corrections | shelftag |
RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
5854.01/5.04/5.0Winter9.2%97.2Snifter, 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?  
 Glouglouburp (2867), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/516/20
May 20, 2008  
note: I’m entering it as a new entry and I’ll let the local admin decide if it deserves a new entry (like Goose Island Tripel and Goose Island Reserve Tripel) or if it doesn’t deserve a new entry. I’m not that familiar with the regular IIPA so I cannot tell if this “Reserve IIPA” is really different
In short: An Intensely hoppy (fruity/grapefruits) IIPA. Excellent beer
How: Tap at brewpub (Clybourn location)
The look: partly cloudy golden orange body with a long-lasting white head.
In long: Nose is grapefruits and citrus fruits . Soft creamy caramelized malted body under a avalanche of fruity hops. Grapefruits, citrus fruits and everything. That thing is tasty and very hoppy but never feel unbalanced. That thing is so hoppy that if they stop bottling it for a while it would solve the current worldwide hop shortage for a while.


 Davinci (296), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/517/20
May 18, 2008  
Nice hazy caramelly orange pour with medium beige head and some beautifully sticky lacing. Nose is very malt forward, caramelly and rich with some underlying citrus hops. FGlavor again is some big sweet malts, subtle wood and vanilla, the citrus bitter balances it all out very well, though it isn’t as forward as most american IIPAs. Finish leans a biot toward the piney side. Body is pleasantly syrupy with light carbonation.


 dchmela (1452), Orlando, Florida, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/514/20
May 11, 2008  
Yellowish gold pour with a thick white head. Very earthy citrus hop aroma. Thick smooth malty taste with nice earthy hops. Finishes thick and a foamy with a little bit of citrus.


 MrChopin (666), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/105/516/20
May 9, 2008  
Amber color with near-white head, huge vibrant, chewy body. Hop/malt balance in citrus and caramel ruling the nose and flavor. Very enjoyable.


 KieferUGA (461), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/517/20
Apr 28, 2008  
On tap at GI Clybourn. Pours a clear, golden amber. Citrus aroma with a small, off white head. Very light carbonation in the body. Smooth and drinkable, with caramel notes and citrus hops in perfect harmony.


 BuckeyeBoy (1674), Boise, Idaho, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Apr 27, 2008  
12oz bottle 2006 Pours out a murky goldish amber topped with a sand head. A nice aroma of sweet caramel and light hops. Tast of more sweetness light hops. I would have to say the couple years this one has been around some of the hops have mellowed out. It is very smooth. I love it.


 BuckeyeSammy (456), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/105/515/20
Apr 26, 2008  
Great beer, hats off to Goose on this one. Samples a 12 ounce bottle at Dark Lord 2009 at FFF. Not over the top aroma or flavor. Well balanced beer. Very impressed. Liked this much better then Matilda, I like that Goose is taking their time with this series.


 Lothore (276), California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/59/104/517/20
Apr 26, 2008  
A- Pours a sunset orange color with a nice frothy head that fades away with very little lacing. S- Smell is sweet and malty with a strong hop backbone. Very similar to the unearthly ipa I had a couple nights ago. T- Taste is zesty, huge on the malt, mixed citrus fruits, predominently orange with a nice hop background. Mellow for a DIPA and I like it. M- Medium viscosity, a bit low on the carbonation. D- Another extremely drinkable DIPA, the 9 percent definitely doesn’t show.



We Want To Hear From You



Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings. Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!

Join Us »

View Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59

Share Your Opinion!
Get started reviewing beers at RateBeer.com now.

First, choose your user name

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Log In | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Feedback?
Copyright © 2000-2009, RateBeer LLC