Honker's Ale - Goose Island Beer Co.

heygeebee

Australia

3.98/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Seriously major thanks to MrKennedy for this one...

Pours a slightly hazy deep gold. No real head, but lines of lace

Bready malts and caramels on nose.

Taste is really smooth and integrated, with biscuity malts to the fore. Definitely a session beer, if world dynamics would allow :-) A little caramel, maybe a little butterscotch?

Mouthfeel smooth. Carbonation low. Right for style.

Interesting all round. An Englishman in Austalia drinking a bitter from the US. Works out alright tho, I'd buy a lot of this if it were locally available and reasonably prced.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 08:18:34 | More by heygeebee

Geegmasta

2.93/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance- Amber color with not much of a head. The small white, bubbly head quickly dissipated with no lacing.

Smell- Has a hoppy overtone but otherwise I could liken it to Budweiser in all honesty.

Taste- Hits the palette with a decent mix of hops and malt. Has a bitter finish with lingering, hoppy taste. I hate to say it but it tastes like a better Budweiser.

Mouthfeel- Light bodied and refreshing. Medium carbonation that tingles and exits quickly.

Overall- Imagine Budweiser 0.5 of a step up the ladder of quality (with 10 rungs, not 5). It's the kind of beer I would have after a hard day's work outside in the late spring/summer. It's nothing to write home about or anything I'd buy again due to the cost per quality.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:21:14 | More by Geegmasta

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 1 month old bottle into a snifter.

Pours crystal clear with a flamed orange peel body under a nearly white head that retains well. Looks a like a good bitter.

Sweet, mild, toasty warm malts pair with light hop notes in the inviting nose. Bread crust, toasted white bread, cracked barley, sweet grass, and spring leaves come to mind.

The flavor is balanced and poised in the right ways. This does taste like a bitter in the traditional sense, which is uncommon in terms of American versions of the style. Too often they are over hopped, or just take the wrong track with the balance and water chemistry. The malts are sweet on the front end, and warm on the back. The hops are quite minimal, and although I never thought I would say this, I believe I am wanting more hop flavor (not bitterness) in this bitter.

The mouthfeel is rather highly carbonated for the style, which takes away from the English feel. Otherwise it hits near the mark, with a touch of residual sugars.

Conclusion: A good American version of this sublime English style. I take my bitter seriously, and have always felt that the style is neglected or abuse as a general rule by American brewers. This is an alright example, but it doesn't shine like the best of the real English versions do.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 04:28:52 | More by allforbetterbeer

UCLABrewN84

California

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear orange with a foamy tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, citrus fruit, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with a mild hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty beer but I think it smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 07:27:48 | More by UCLABrewN84

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

as advertised, a good mix of malt and hops. pours redish amber in color, with a fizzy and frothy white head of large bubbles, good retention, mostly clear. the nose is way more malt than hops, english in nature, maybe some caramunich as well, got that sweet drivey punch to it. flavor is much more balanced, with the sweeter hops being easily and geniously tamed by hefty floral and citric hop additions. not too lemony or anything, but there is a mild acidity to the hops which cuts the sugars perfectly. long harmonious finish, kind of fresh baked pretzely malt on the final note, and definite red malt trails. the carbonation is quite excited, but it gives this brew a lot of life. body is medium to drink, but feels a little heavier once its down in the stomach. maybe a tough six pack to get through, but as one or two i think its just right for this time of year. it didnt knock my socks off, but its a nice full flavored beer worthy of a spot in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 00:13:09 | More by StonedTrippin

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.08/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Off-white head with moderate retention, clear sticky lacing. Body is a clear copper. Aromas include caramel malt sweetness and very mild bitterness. Taste is mainly caramel malt, not really picking up many flavors on this one. Very easy to drink, quite sessionable just lacking in the flavor department, certainly nothing off-putting, just not very exciting.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2012 03:32:11 | More by KickbacksSteve

beyah

Maine

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Reddish copper color with a quickly disapearing head leaving behid a presistant white lace.

Smell: Nice subdued toasty malt smell, with a hint of eathy hops

Taste: Malts become more forward as the beer warms, Lightly hopped, with a bit of hops sharpness at the end.

Mouthfeel: Thin, smooth mouthfeel, similar to a session English beer.

Overall: A nice change of pace that is good when you want more than one. Good to have with snacks, when watching a game.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 00:58:55 | More by beyah

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a curved pint glass.

A- a perfectly clear pale amber/copper with a half finger of off-white head. Some lacing down the glass.

S- Some light biscuity malts, with an earthy hop component.

T- dry and crisp from the start, pretty complex for such a low abv beer. Toasty malts, a hint of caramel, earthy wooden hops balance.

M- light side of medium, with a light to medium carbonation. Very nice display of English Bitter dryness.

O- Didn't have high hopes for this one, but fairly impressed. Another solid brew from Goose Island.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 01:25:15 | More by JWU

scootny

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very cloudy with a lovely head that rises to two fingers and slowly, gently fades to a light covering, decorating the glass all the way down with lace sheets. Some carbonation is evident and the overall color is burnt orange. Smell is fruity with a touch of diacetyl as well as some dough and yeast. An earthy hop presence cuts through. Taste is soft and fruity with a firm earthy hops and good solid pale malt backbone. Lots of biscuit with a light caramel sweetness. Finish dry with earth and a bit of a mineral edged metallic presence and hop oiliness. Feel is a lighter medium weight with lower carbonation and a gentle overall tingleyness. Quite crisp in fact. Smooth and easy drinking. A nice English style session ale that represents the style solidly. If you are looking for an English pub experience in a bottle this is a good place to start.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 05:10:16 | More by scootny

cousineddy

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours an opaque deep burnt orange with two fingers of off white/tan head. Good lacing

Smell: Very vibrant with citrus, hop florals offset by sweet malt. Slight biscuit notes as well

Taste: Orange peel, Hoppy bitterness, bready toasty malts

Mouthfeel: Thinner than i expected, not a lot of bubbles which is a nice change of pace.

Overall: very nice, im not entirely familiar with the style but i liked what Goose Island Honkers ale had to offer.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 01:15:02 | More by cousineddy

ubenumber2

Arkansas

2.83/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served from tap , this beer just didnt do it for me , average beer at best , better than a miller or bud lite but barely , wouldnt order again , the waitress tells me after I order another beer that they have not sold any of it before really and that the keg has been in their for 6 months , maybe why it didnt turn out very good , will try again later just to see at a different location or from the bottle

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2012 20:10:18 | More by ubenumber2

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Goose Island!

Caramel-colored beer with a blitzing crown of suds. Sticks around a bit. 3.0

Herbal hops, cola, toasted grain, and light caramel. Aroma almost comes off like birch beer. 4.0

Hoppy in bursts with a solid malt backbone. Mildly spicy and somewhat herbal. More cola notes, pronounced by caramel and a nuttiness that is very appealing. Happily bitter with a tangy finish. 4.0

Drinks smooth. Appropriately carbonated. Simple, but winning, feel. 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2012 12:40:13 | More by thecheapies

MrKennedy

Australia

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle thanks to biglobo8971, into a Midnight Sun glass.

A golden copper colour it has very good clarity and foam retention plus some spotty lacing. Nice looking bitter.

Smell is of bread and caramel with some citrus hoppiness pretty faint in the background. A touch of spice there as well.

Tastes of biscuits and bready malt. Also there is caramel. Very much malt based with some spice and tiny citrus flavour at the back end. Does get a little too malt driven at times even for the style.

Solid body for the style. Carbonation level is about right. The bit of spice at the back really helps keep this sessionable. Nice and consistent.

Good bitter. Does everything it needs to. Easy to drink as a session beer and enough to keep you interested if its your only one for the night.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 09:29:06 | More by MrKennedy

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Single bottle from a six-pack, purchased at Consumer Beverages in Orchard Park, NY.

Poured into a nonic. Classic bitter appearance for this brew: caramel-copper in colour, slight haze, thin but sturdy head, with some lacing.

Nose is caramel, malt, toffee, bread, earthy hops, a touch of grain and roasted
bitteress, as well as some fruit (peach).

Decent, highly drinkable bitter with enough flavor to keep me interested and a low enough ABV to guarantee some serious session drinking. Bready, with a touch of fruit, earthy hops and caramel sweetness. Carbonation is mild, the feel is slightly creamy and a bit thin.

Certainly worth a pickup as an easy drinking bitter with some flavour. Nothing special, but it does the trick.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 02:33:14 | More by JohnnyBarman

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Minnesota. Brewed in Portsmouth. Bottled May 24. From notes.

A - Poured hazy light orange. One finger of beige head. Mild carbonation, no lace, film of retention.

S - Fruity hop, earth, peach.

T - Fruity, bready, some earth, nice biscuity malt, some caramel.

M - Nice tingly carbonation, medium body, mild bitterness.

O/D - I could have a few of these. Simple but tasty. A nice take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 19:09:17 | More by tbeckett

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a darker golden amber color, moderate cap of white froth, some sticky lacing. Scent is nice light caramel with toaste grain and roasted nuts, light earthy hoppyness. Taste follows suit, textbook british bitter here. Lighter side of medium bodied, slightly bubbly to style. Solid and flavorful bitter, a style not made much by American brewers.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 15:46:09 | More by rfgetz

prdstmnky

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz ~ bottled 6/19/12

Pours with a nice caramel body and a finger of creamy off white head that fades pretty fast...nice lacing. Really just getting sweeter, buttery notes on the nose. Much like its color, its a bit caramely. The flavor profile is a bit different though, definitely some hop bitterness up front before the malts peek thru...the finish is a bit dry though - very odd, not necessarily bad. Nice feel to it, adequate carbonation and just making its way to the low end of medium bodied.

Im really not sure what to think of this. It doesnt really remind me of a typical bitter, the nose was very sweet but the taste was much more balanced. Interesting to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 03:22:06 | More by prdstmnky

mattbk

New York

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Tan, slightly cloudy, slight creamy head. Does not appear very carbonated.

Smell - Nice slight piney hops. Not a ton of aroma here.

Taste - Bright hops, slightly citrusy, mixes with a slight toffee malt. Definitely some hop bitterness, but not at all overwhelming. No diacetyl. Simple, elegant, very tasty, sessionable. I could easily drink several of these.

Mouthfeel - A bit light. This would benefit from a slightly fuller mouthfeel, but it might have also detracted from the sessionability.

Overall - This is an easy drinking and very tasty beer, would be good as an intro beer to newbie craft lovers. To me this almost ranks right with SNPA in terms of flavor and drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 00:30:26 | More by mattbk

farrago

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Light tan head, crests at close to three fingers, very delicate microfoam which dissolves down at a steady pace stopping short of the surface to leave a solid coating, albeit with minimal lacing surrounding it. Gauzy orange-amber colored liquid, fades to yellow around the edges, not a lot of visible carbonation. The nose has a good deal of biscuit but more so sweeter caramel, butterscotch, candied oranges and lighter nutmeg centered spice, peach to dried apple fruit, there’s some hoppy zing present but it does not last as you really draw the scents in and breathe out. Medium-bodied, foams up too much during the mouth entry but then settles back to release substantial chocolate, caramel, toffee flavors alongside juicy orange, tangerine citrus. The peach, apricot, apple fruit keeps the mouth feel soft and round. Harder to find any meaningful hops presence here than in the nose, however, dries a touch as it ends, never quite cloyingly sweet. Lacks good posture, slouches throughout.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 23:28:50 | More by farrago

jsisko01

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - Pours an amber/caramel color with an inch thick, white head that lingers for a couple minutes. Leaves a very nice, thick lacing.

Smell - I can definitely smell the bitterness and hops. Has a slight fruity aroma with caramel and buttery malts.

Taste - Pale malts with caramel, extra hops, fruity, buttery biscuits, somewhat floral, and has a medium bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Overall - This is basically like a pale ale with a twist.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 02:33:43 | More by jsisko01

semiartificial

2.53/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Well, this one appeared in our local supermarket, and I bought one to try after reading a few (positive) reviews here.

Got to say I was disappointed. In particular, the taste starts off fine but then fades out quickly. The taste is not particularly characterful, a bit 'nothingy' really, and there is little in the way of a lingering aftertaste.

Thank goodness that we all have different tastes and opinions, but I really don't 'get' the near-5 / high 4 scores that some folks have given this.

You may guess that I wouldn't buy another, and wouldn't recommend it to others - for me, it's just not got a lot going for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 11:32:14 | More by semiartificial

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark orange, spacious rise of effervesce with a parchment head that was thin and spongy while quick to lapse to a spotty covering. Weak, thin line lacing, not much visually.

S: Aroma of semi-dry oranges, toast, with a light bitterness but again as with the visual nothing memorial.

T: Flavor of toasted malt and oranges, spicy bright hops with an underlying fruitiness of apple-citrus. Nice spicy finish, touch of pine-honey hops come with a gentle fade out.

M: Nice feel of carbonation, spicy, with a light to medium body.

O: Overall smooth sweet with a bit of fruitiness, easy bitternes and a generally good consumption.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 23:38:13 | More by beerthulhu

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a bronze color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is malts, a touch of hops. Taste is somewhat mild, malty, a bit of hops, a touch of caramel. Feels, medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an easy drinking and pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 00:54:42 | More by tone77

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap. An easy drinking, basic English bitter. Orangey, amber color, smallish, slowly settling head, nice lacing clinging to the sides of the glass. Caramel malty aroma with some citrus and grassy hop notes; simple and straightforward nose.

Taste follows suit; a bit on the sweeter side but not overly so, with a caramel and bready malt character that dries up pretty well in the finish. Subtle citrus and grass hopping, mild lingering bitterness in the aftertaste.

Medium bodied, medium carbonation, feels crisp and clean but also fairly smooth. Not the most interesting beer out there but an easy drinker and good session candidate for an American brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2012 17:33:36 | More by tobelerone

BOSMECH

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Goose Island is a north east beer that is very good, I have had a lot of west coast beers but this is a great beer all around nad ranks among the tops for me.
A Dark amber golden almoust a rust color.
S You can smell the malt and then lite on the hops.
T is a malt vtaste hat is very good with the hint of hops.
M like I said you get the malt right off the bat and it is good.
O this is just another great beer from Goose Iland that makes you want to try more of there beers that I have tried and are good.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 19:05:54 | More by BOSMECH