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Goose Island Imperial IPA 4 585

Goose Island Imperial IPA

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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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?  
robbmotiwalla (50), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/105/518/20
Mar 25, 2008  
pours an orange amber. full flavor. piney, a little sweet. almost sticky. this shit is prime


brewcrew2002 (50), USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Mar 23, 2008  
Pours a rich amber color, has a fruity aroma to it. Also has a very fruity flavor to it. A very nice IPA


 BOLTZ7555 (1107), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/518/20
Mar 22, 2008  
The incredible multitude of fruit flavors that come through in this beer are difficult to match. Peach, tangerine, pineapple, and grapefruit are all unmistakeable. The color is tahitian sunset and the head, although small, is extremely dense and leaves ringlets repeatedly around the glass. The aroma and flavor are complex...amazing combination of hops and malt; sour enough to pucker, sweet enough for dessert. Wow.


 Headbanger (1598), Aurora, Illinois, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/59/103/517/20
Mar 22, 2008  
12oz bottle(’07 vintage)-A very slightly hazy orangish amber body with a nice ithgt off white head which emits an aroma of hops, citrus, and some grapefruit. Taste from this medium bodied brew is of hops, grapefruit, citrus, sweetness, and a great blend of all the above. It hides the ABV very well . One of the most drinkable Imp IPA’s I’ve had. Great brew.


 EHopper (348), Minnesota, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Mar 22, 2008  
Love the aroma of tropical fruits and hops. Hops not as overpowering as label suggests, well balanced with the other exotic flavors. The color is more than just a side-note; it is a cloudy orange and amber color that is worthy of a master painter, or the flesh of some otherworldly fruit. Easily by favorite IPA to date.


 pintsize (1042), Austin, Texas, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/518/20
Mar 18, 2008  
3-13-08 bottle
Mud thick red orange amber with awesome white IPA fluffy head. Great floral hop aroma smell that isn’t over the top and isn’t underplayed. Flavor is nice bitter hops and leaves the tongue craving more. Drying in a sense, but refreshing at the same time. Creamy mouthfeel is ideal and perfect for this beer - it is well matched with the flavor. I wish I had cases of it.


 BitchesBrew (710), Berkeley, California, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Mar 15, 2008  
[draught] Copper/amber color, very dense white foam. Huge aroma: citrus hops, very resinous and piney; some very mild malt sweetness. Flavors are super hoppy, very strong citrus/spice character. Malt sweetness comes across strongly in the finish, along with an odd soapy character. Overall, extremely drinkable.. a great example of the style.


 lb4lb (2011), Austin, Texas, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/105/518/20
Mar 13, 2008  
Pours a gorgeous rich caramelly amber with a lasting puffy whitish head atop, in a tulip. Smell is nicely balanced between big fruity, orange-like and piney hops and some caramel sweetness. Really smooth and slick, syrupy body with a nice orange citrusy hop flavor and really nice balancing sweetness. Some earthy, musty simcoe hops playing around in there as well, but really nice. Super easy to drink, I thought, and the alcohol is hidden very well. What a fantastic IIPA. Perhaps my favorite, and up there with Hopslam.



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