Honker's Ale - Goose Island Beer Co.

hylton44

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The bottle describes it as a "perfect blend of hops and malt." I find it hard to disagree with that claim. I loved this brew! It was a beautiful cloudy amber-orange color showing some of that color in the head. The taste was a slightly sweet burnt citrus flavor, and quite bitter. There was also a surgary, syrupy hint. This all made for a fairly complex flavor, and thoroughly enjoyable drinking experience. I think "balance" is a perfect term to describe it. Really hearty without being thick & heavy. I will seek this beer out again, repeatedly.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2006 22:29:56 | More by hylton44

Cresant

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Poured dated (5/1/06) into pint glass. Weak head faded quickly to a filmy collar. Some sticky lace. Amber color with chill haze.

Smells of sweet tea. Earthy. Grains.

Tastes of "a perfect blend of hops and malt" as stated on the bottle. (I noted this before I read the fine print on the bottle, but I agree!) faint fruit and bread. Lacks nothing.

Moderate body with a faint alcohol prickle in the tongue. Nice amount (but not too much) of carbonation for a English Bitter.

This would be an very easy one to drink more than recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2006 00:34:51 | More by Cresant

AustinBeerLvr

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Great ESB! Very good citrus flavors and a very nice appearence and lacing on the glass as it's being consumed. The taste is pretty much the same throughout the sip, and is just a very nice citrus flavor that is not overwhelming but there is plenty there. Only thing this brew could use is just a little more mouthfeel. That said, it's not watery, and defenitely highly drinkable. Damn glad I picked up a sixer of this before leaving Missouri, as you can't get Goose Island here in Texas.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2006 04:10:04 | More by AustinBeerLvr

SuperSpy

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Copper in color with a very small off white head and a bit of lacing.

A nice toasty malt aroma with some floral hops and light fruity esters that follow. Honestly this smells wonderful.

The taste has some biscuity characteristics with a great balance between the malt and floral hops. The drinkability of this beer is outstanding. I could really put a few of these down on a good evening.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2006 03:42:54 | More by SuperSpy

PEBKAC

New York

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I've always drank Goose Island sodas, but not once, have I had what they're known for: beer. I got lucky, & got one random bottle via a little birthday bundle, & decided I would put down the orange cream soda, & pick up a Honker.

It pours a standard mild, golden brown. Enough head to notice, but very par for the course. A really fresh snap, & crisp on the nose, it does well during those hot afternoons, trying to install the new air conditioner. Hoping it helps ease your back after wobbling with 140lbs between your knees.

A very simple sweetness with a good initial rush of hops that really opens your eyes. Invigorating & inspiring, just sucking it through your teeth adds a slight ease to everything around you. It quickly mellows, & is such a pleasure to enjoy. There is amost no aftertaste, & it leaves you craving another. Just a slight stoke of dry mouth & you're hooked.

Regardless of who is affiliated with who, good beer is good beer. :)

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2007 04:35:07 | More by PEBKAC

hustlesworth

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A- pours into my pilsener mug a slightly hazy orange copper amber with 1in of very light orange-cream colored (like an orange julius) bubbly soapy head that settles to a thin layer with bubble constellations and wispy pellet like lace.

S- warm citrus, earthy fragrant red wood with an herbal kick, malty sweet and tropical with some wine traits like a cream sherry.

T- mandarin orange sweet & fruity yeast and caramel malt up front with salt water taffy and earthy meaty mushroom that gives way to a pleasant mild bitter floral hops with some herbal earthy spicy woody qualities just like the smell. some more bitter hops were desired over the lingering sour caramel toffee malt aftertaste.

MF- sugary and coating with a slight oily and syrupy consistancy. nevertheless, it's well balanced and refreshing to say the least with its mild to medium carbonation.

D- a great go to beer for all seasons, its mild yet flavorful taste and low ABV makes it easy to knock back without ever desiring something else. even fizzy yellow beer drinkers can gulp this down and say "wow that's not too bad". to step it up a notch in the hops department, try goose island harvest ale if you can find it. it's like honkers ale +5

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 04:02:27 | More by hustlesworth

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle, best before 4/1/2008. Served in a Sam Adams BL glass, the beer pours a slightly cloudy amber color with about an inch white head. Head retention is OK, lacing is good. It smells like piney hops and caramel malt, it's a good, clean pleasant aroma. The beer tastes the same way it smells, and finishes with a mildly sweet aftertaste, enough to make you want to drink some more quickly. Mouthfeel is light/medium, crisp, and leaves a slight coating. Drinkability is very good, it's smooth and pretty easy to drink. I think this would be a pretty good choice for a session beer, I could drink quite a few of these in a sitting. I'll definitely buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2007 01:33:35 | More by bluejacket74

timbro81

Oklahoma

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light orange/copper color topped by a white 1/4 inch head that is soon to disappear. Carbonation is high after pour but subsides to a light trickle shortly thereafter. Smells of toffee and light malts/wort and some small amounts of raisins, mmmm. Light mouth feel with low amounts of carbonation, true to style. Toasted grains initially meet the tongue which segways to the toffee and ends up on some fine earthy hops. A really super bitter, should stock some on hand at all times.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 03:57:10 | More by timbro81

Naugled

New York

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle served in goblet

A: a good looking beer. quick tan head, but lacing is good and the deep clear copper color is very eye pleasing

S: caramel in your face, almost cola like but more malty, no detectable hops to me

T: good malty caramel flavor that is announced by the nose. very little finish, but some hop bitterness there. candy like sweetness

M: smooth medium body. carbonation is good, gives it just enough bite

D: very drinkable, good solid session beer. a winner in my book

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2009 23:57:04 | More by Naugled

RedBaron

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is one of those great beers that have been around a while, and many folks in Chicago (and elsewhere) take it for granted.

Appearance: Beautiful brilliant bronze color with a white-ish head that sustained well.
Smell: A nice whiff of biscuity malt combined with just a faint grassy hop nose. Understated nicely.
Taste: a low malty sweetness pervades the beer, biscuity to beer sure, but it finishes with a nice flurry of a level bittering hop (perhaps an English varietal?). Delicious!
Mouthfeel: Balanced well throughout; clean.
Drinkability: this is a good English bitter-style ale that is quite easy drinking. The abv on this beer may only be around 4%, but it is such a high quality product with beauty throughout that I would recommend it to anyone - beer novice or beer aficiando - for a sublime taste of a sessionable ale made with love and character. This may not be the one for the hop heads out there, nor for the "give-me-a-strong-effing-beer-NOW!" crowd, rather it is for the folks who appreciate the subtleties in their beer. Oh, and you can drink several pints of these in the pub without falling down!

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2009 03:16:08 | More by RedBaron

OttoPeeWee

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

You will find these always in my fridge next to parmaggiano reggiano from modena.

The smell is almost grassy-floral. The taste is toasted grain with a great hoppy bitterness that is very drinkable. I don't mind the lower ABV. Lacing runs all the way down the glass with a milky head. So well balanced. Soda-pop for grown ups...

Come on, $13 bucks for 12! Best deal going hands down. You can drink these in between St. Bernardus Abt 12s to stay hydrated.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 00:35:21 | More by OttoPeeWee

fx20736

New York

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a glass.

Coppery amber with 2 fingers of offwhite head. Vigorous streams of small bubbles race upwards very quickly. Nice lacing.

Aroma: Bready malt, caramel, English Hoppiness.

Mouthfeel: ok.

Taste: A broad flavor of malt spreads across the palate, followed by a dry stinging bitterness.

Notes: drinkable, pleasant. At 4.3% abv a real session ale. This clearly hits the Bitter style well. As a long time Fuller's London Pride drinker this beer has supplanted it as my # 1 beer. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 21:20:34 | More by fx20736

bubseymour

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - copper with nice 1 finger head

Smell - some malt some slight breadiness and some slight pine hop notes but very subtle. Also some slight metallic scent.

Taste - Very New England / British Ale style. Easy to drink and nicely flavored. Well balanced and well crafted. Slight hop / crisp finish that is only a tad bitter but nearly perfect offset to malt. Tastes like a beer I'd drink on a cold night in a chowder house in Rhode Island or Maine coast.

Mouthfeel - nice

Overall - A nice british style ale. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 01:21:00 | More by bubseymour

evanackerman

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

beer pours a nice copper color with a substantial creamy head that leaves a lot of lacing behind.

aroma is english hops and bread, very nice.

taste is very standard for the style, a lovely balance of bready malt and bittering hops with floral and light citrus hints. very well balanced and delicious.

mouthfeel is medium viscosity, very pleasant.

overall, exceedingly pleasant session beer, excellent value, in Michigan this is one of the most inexpensive craft beers for sale and it is many times better than many more expensive local beers. highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2006 23:24:23 | More by evanackerman

Gehrig

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'd passed on Honker's Ale for no particular reason, choosing instead plenty of other beers in more enticing styles. I won't pass on Honker's Ale again. Very good brew, a very pleasant surprise earlier this afternoon.

The head was a bit thin on a dark golden body. Much to consider in the nose, offering more hops than expected, but also some caramel malt that was quite pleasant. The taste was superb, creamy smooth with bitter overtones but nothing that would lead me to think this was a Bitter. It's a distinct representative of the style, with robust caramel, some chocolate, hazelnut, and citrus flavors in harmony. Terrific.

Smoother than I expected, it meshes well with what bitters are here. Eminently drinkable, Honker's Ale is excellent, a good eye-opener and another must-grab from Goose Island.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2008 04:55:36 | More by Gehrig

chetripley

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a glass mug with a wide opening.
A: Poured a clean, rust colored clear with slight head but with a nice lasting lacing on the glass. S: Carmel, malty smell, not unique to ales. T: Sweet carmel at first with slight alcohol bite followed with a definite bitter presence. M: Dry but light flowing and texture. D: A good session beer worthy of repeating.

Living in Chicago I have the chance to taste this often, and I am always amazed at how the tastes change each time. Even when pouring from a bottle I usually leave a little behind when pouring into a glass to taste the bottle flavor. When I do I taste an amzing hop presence, a sharp bitterness that I don't pick up anywhere else. Relaible and delicious as always.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 04:13:53 | More by chetripley

brewerburgundy

California

4.35/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a shaker pint at Sideways, Fayetteville, AR.

Pale yellow gold shot through with amber. Great creamy white head with great lacing.

Reserved citric hop and biscuit malt, lemon zest and grain.

Orange hops, citric and light but dancing and playful. Biscuit toast malt, not sweet, just balance.

Round and fitting mouthfeel.

Very crisp with citrus and balanced. I see why this is known as one of the better U.S. made English Bitters.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2010 17:59:16 | More by brewerburgundy

profzoom

Idaho

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ah, Honker's Ale. Living in Chicago for four years while at college left a special place in my heart for Goose Island's flagship offering. I definitely prefer it on tap, but by the bottle is quite fine as well. It pours a beautiful golden brown. The smell and taste are sweet, almost honey-like, with a fair amount of hops. Definitely one of my favorite pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2004 05:11:55 | More by profzoom

letsgopens

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Goose Island Honker's Ale pours rich amber gold with a nice white head that fades into a bit of lace.

A Clean, slightly hoppy aroma is pleasant but not very pronounced. The flavor, thought, more than made up for the slight lack of nose.

This beer is one of the best examples of a great nutral ale that I can think out. Smooth and flavorable with a buttery, malty sweetness that fades into a nice bitter finish. A wonderful balance of of flavors.

The mouthfeel is smooth with a perfect amount of carbonation that makes for a clean and refreshing swallow. I could drink this beer everyday.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2007 21:08:42 | More by letsgopens

dgthompson

New York

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Excellent find. Went to a pub which boasts 70 beers on tap. I've heard a lot about Goose Island from my brother who lives 1000 miles away from me. I saw the Goose tap handle and had to have one. Had a Honker's Ale, one of the best beers I have had in a while. Perfect amount of hops, nice bite to it with the extra hops.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2008 02:52:10 | More by dgthompson

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served as a medium amber colored beer with moderate white puffy head.

Smell is light and malty, so as to be very restrained.

The taste truly surpasses the smell, A strong caramel malt combined with enough balancing hops create an extraordinary beer.

This would be a perfect session beer. There is enough flavor to keep it interesting, and a low enough alcohol content to allow an adequate consumption. Top Notch beer!

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago

05-03-2008 20:23:42 | More by tgbljb

rkinsella

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottling date was less than 2 months ago. Plus, I love the fact that Goose Island doesn't pasteurize their bottles.

Appearance - Light amber with a slight haze, better than average head, with okay retention and lacing. Bubbles rising for the whole glass.

Smell - Bread/crackers, with a touch of floral hops. A bit of brown sugar too.

Taste - Almost exactly as it smells. Biscuit maltiness, sweetness, evened out with sturdy hops. Slight grapefruit on the finish. Slight citrus aftertaste. Very clean and fresh.

Mouthfeel - Creamy, lower carbonation, medium body.

Drinkability - 2 or 3 would be the absolute minimum for this beer. Excellent session beer that keeps your interest.

This is a near perfect English Style Bitter for me. Perhaps a bit on the hop side, but it seems to have a little bit of everything. And the hops might even keep the interest of a "hop head" for a brew or two. Can't wait to try it on tap.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago

04-02-2009 19:00:04 | More by rkinsella

jdizzel

South Dakota

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a-looks like a great beer to be had

s-smells a good esb

t-this beer has great flavor good thing i bought a sixer real malty

m-very very smooth on the palate

d-one of the easiest beers to brink for me

deffinetly a good one by the goose island brewery almost perfect for its style will definetly be drinking more of these

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago

04-27-2009 21:41:50 | More by jdizzel

Duhast500

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the tap into a tasting glass.

The color is gold with a bit of an orange tint. Has a good amount of pillowy white head and some slight lacing.

The smell is a little malty with some bready flavor and toffee.

The taste is of dark malts, some caramel and a bit of a coffee flavor. Some bitter hop flavor that is on the back end of each sip.

The feel of this beer is medium with a nice smooth finish that a bit creamy.It has a decent amount of carbonation and it pretty low in ABV which makes for a pretty tasty session beer.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago

01-28-2010 05:04:06 | More by Duhast500

Kallessin

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very clear deep coppery amber with a creamy off white head that leaves some nice lacing on the glass. A few lazy bubbles rising to the top.

Has a bright citrusy hop aroma with hints of grapefruit and some grassy notes. Some sweet malt with toasted cereal grains.

Tastes of sweet caramel malt up front with nice citrusy hop flavor with faint pine cone. Some bready/biscuity flavors. Really mild sweetness with more prominent bitterness.

Really smooth with light bubbly carbonation. Fairly dry, but makes you want more.

A very easy drinking, mild beer. I love the citrusy hops balanced off the mild sweetness and forward bitterness. A very well-rounded, flavorful beer.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St, Chicago

08-28-2010 19:42:24 | More by Kallessin