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Goose Island Imperial IPA

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
available

on tap
common

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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?  
 yjb (110), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/516/20
Jan 11, 2008  
’alright... i have too many dipas for the night... i guess I’ll hold on to this one for later’ i thought. Well this is better than the last many i’ve had. creamy... ur purty. that foam just doesn’t budge im soppin you up. fresh and fruity some thing bitter. 1/2 an aspirin before bed. what adipa should be.


 MoDog (920), Griffith, Indiana, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jan 11, 2008  
Poured from a 12oz bottle (2007) and served in a tulip. This beer poured a slightly hazy golden amber with a two-finger thick head of lasting beige foam. Thick, foamy lacing coated the inside of the glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of grapefruit, sugary caramel notes, toffee, and also some fresh oranges. The flavor consisted of a nice balance of hops and malt. Notes of chewy caramel were followed by fresh citrus, including grapefruit and peach. Not overly bitter. The mouthfeel was heavy, full-bodied, and slightly resiny. Very minimal carbonation. An excellent DIPA featuring amazingly good balance. I wouldn’t mind the hoppiness being a little more upfront and bold, but this was still tasty.


 Syd (898), Waconia, Minnesota, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/517/20
Jan 11, 2008    Updated: Apr 18, 2008
2007 bottle pours a clear copper with a decent off-white head with some lace. The aroma is fresh smelling hops with a nice malty sweet aroma. The flavor hits you simultanously with piney hops and a strong malt backbone. There is a sweetness that lingers. The palate is chewy. Yes, this is good. The hops perhaps a bit removed already at such a young age. The alcohol is faint. I like it.


 chef201atc (249), Weatherford, Texas, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/103/512/20
Jan 11, 2008  
Must caveat by saying that this is an ’06 bottle – probably not the best way to drink an IIPA. Very cloudy/murky copper colored pour with a small head that fades quickly. Mostly caramel sweetness. Some hops come through. Somewhat sticky with very little carbonation. Weak hop flavor, some hop bitterness.


 Skyview (4050), Papoose Jct., Minnesota, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20
Jan 11, 2008  
Sampled at Cellar’s Wine & Spirits beer tasting in St Paul, Minnesota, and shared by joebrew. Pours a semi-clear copper amber brew with a thick off-white head that has some good retention and lacing. Aroma of sweet citrus and pine hop character with a touch of caramel malt and some tropical fruit. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with flavors of sweet citrus zest, caramel malt, some bubblegum, banana esters and even a little honey. Finish is sweet/bitter with a citrus and pine aftertaste.


 Guerde (702), Welcome, Minnesota, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Jan 10, 2008  
(bottle at Cellars) Pours a copper color with a voluminous off-white head. Smell is an overpowering array of citrus peel and piney hops, with light floral notes showing up as well. The taste is a huge but well-balanced amalgamation of both bitter hops and sweet caramel malt. Nice heavy mouthfeel with a lingering bitter finish. A really good IIPA.


 Nuffield (2724), Roseville, Minnesota, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Jan 9, 2008  
This is really enjoyable; big, and enjoyable. Strikes a healthy balance of malts to hops, with a spearmint note resonating through it, amid citrus and pine. Well balanced and definitely recommended.


 SQNfan (591), Wheaton, Illinois, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/515/20
Jan 7, 2008  
Copper in color this pours a 1/4" tight head. The nose immediately spells of lemon Pledge followed by citric hops and just a touch of caramel hops at the back of the nose. In the mouth it is dense and rich with the finish showing off the hoppy dryness though not bitterness. There is a noticable banana flavor in the midpalate that almost overwhelms the citrus which is strange for me in an Imperial IPA. Where this excels is with the balance between hops and malt.



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