Goose Island Imperial IPA

	Percentile
	99
	overall

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Chicago, Illinois USA

bottled
available

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	Seasonal	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
585	4.01/5.0	4/5.0	Winter	9.2%	97.2	Snifter, 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.

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BDR (2160), Roseville, Minnesota, USA

4.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.2	8/10	3/5	9/10	4/5	18/20

Apr 8, 2007

Very nice hoppy nose on this light amber color. Lots of head. Loved the smooth hoppy body on this one.

kyzr (1123), Belgrade, Montana, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	4/5	8/10	5/5	16/20

Apr 2, 2007

Thanks to decaturstevo for this bottle. Light amber in color with big tan head. Nose is hops and alcohol. Flavor is hops at first with a little alcohol, but it is mellowed by the balance of hops. Mouth feel is great texture. Leaves just enough hops on the finish to keep you wanting more, too bad its only 12oz.

Duster72 (117), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	16/20

Mar 30, 2007

My local haunt must have cleaned out the stock room, because this had been long sold out. 2006 bottle pours a nice reddish amber with one finger off white head and sticky lacing. Aroma is earthy hops. Taste is grapefruit and pine hops which are quickly overshadowed by huge sugary malts. Mouthfeel is slightly too cough syrup for me. Very drinkable for ABV. A nice change of pace but one was certainly enough for the night.

troyc (1175), Lubbock, Texas, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Mar 27, 2007

(Bottle ’06) Pours a shade of amber with a beige head. Excellent and potent aroma of hops. Taste is quite hoppy, but remarkably balanced as well. This is actually a DIPA that I could probably drink more than one of, which is usually not the case. Little hint of alcohol, and a dry finish. A very enjoyable beer overall.

JohnnyJ (1312), Carlsbad, California, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Mar 26, 2007 Updated: Apr 1, 2007

2006 12 oz bottle. Pour was a copper with a decent white head. Nice aroma of floral hops, grapefruit, citrus, caramel, and sweet malt. Flavor is actually very focused on the malt for IIPA. Strong sweet caramel malt and toffee. Hoppy, citrus, and floral flavors.

BleacherBum (176), Blowing Rock, North Carolina, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	5/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Mar 26, 2007

Bottle from iowaherkeye. Thanks Joey! Pour is cloudy orange/copper. Thin white head. Aroma of citrus/floral hops is HUGE and sweet with a touch of bread as well. Great flavor of well-balanced hops and malt. Pine, grapefruit, orange and berries accompany that sweet maltiness that hits you with some nutty tones at the end. Finish is bitter, sticky and more citrus. Leaves a lingering tingle on the tongue for a while. A complex and well-balanced imperial IPA, while still maintaining high drinkability. Wish I could have this every day.

mattcoats (40), Norman, Oklahoma, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	4/5	9/10	3/5	15/20

Mar 25, 2007

A great tasting beer, yet lacking that gorgeous aroma that should accompany this brew.

golubj (1287), Sunnyvale, California, USA

4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4	9/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	15/20

Mar 25, 2007

Bottle. Very nice aroma of floral / citrus hops, some alcohol, and grain. Palate is smooth with low carbonation. Bitter / malty flavor is not as good as anticipated. Bitter piney finish.

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