Imperial Brown Goose - Goose Island Beer Co.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2006 Batch. Tobacco with a great deal of rust orange and carmine red when backlit with sunshine. A loud rush of CO2 on crown cracking led me to expect a Belgianesque amount of carbonation and a massive head... and that is exactly what occured. The sandstone colored cap is whipped frothy, is softly rocky as it melts, and is a better lace generator than anticipated.

If you like bourbon, then you'll like the way this ale smells. The brewery describes IBG as a 'strong brown ale' that has been aged for nine months in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. Barrel-aged beer is great, but they could have picked a better whiskey. There's a lot of carmelized sugar and oak, as well as dark fruit and cocoa.

This is delicious beer because Goose Island aged it for exactly the right amount of time. Although bourbon is dominant, it doesn't dominate. A fine distinction, perhaps, but an accurate one. The base beer is still easily appreciated and passes muster with ease.

Despite a mouthfeel that is too light and fizzy, there is no question that a considerable amount of lightly toasted and moderately roasted malt is in the house. The flavors that result include brown bread (maybe even pumpernickel), dark toffee, ripe figs and cocoa.

The star of the flavor show, however, is bourbon. The key to the final product's success is that the base beer was left in the barrels long enough to be saturated with their previous occupant, but not so long that it became overly oaky and harsh. Kudos to whoever made the decision to crack the barrels open at just the right time.

The biggest disappointment is the mouthfeel. Bottle-conditioning can sometimes be hit or miss. This one is clearly a miss. That said, it's much better now that I'm into the middle of the '750'. Still, it will never reach the point where it's worthy of the flavor profile. The drinkability score can't help but suffer as a result.

It might be an unfair comparison, but I would rather go home with a $20 4-pack of Bourbon County Stout (or two... or three) than a $14 bottle of Imperial Brown Goose. Either way, if you love bourbon whiskey, you'll be in seventh heaven. Nice job Goose Island.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 22:25:14 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

caramel colored pour with a light head of off white that caps it off rather nicely. Settling down it left a little bit of a light sticky lace along the sides. Aroma was the best I have ever come across. Rich toffee and butterscotch, tons of sweet nectar notes. Candy in all its glory. Perfectly aged with a smooth, perfect profile of vanilla, toffee, and rich butterscotch that will not let up. Rich bourbon flavor just rolls across the palate with a smoothness unlike anything I have run across before. Rich vanilla and boozy notes combine to form a perfect balance of rich sweet notes and oak soaked barrel

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 02:55:17 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Jacob for sharing this one yesterday. Dated 2006.

A: The pour is a darkish amber color with a moderate off-white head.

S: There is a nice bourbon and booze note to the beer, but it's not overwhelming at all. A nice vanilla and almost honey like aroma on top of a bit of malt.

T: A bit of oxidation on this one--mild stale brown sugar taste. Certainly some bourbon and vanilla, along with a nice malty sweetness throughout.

M: Medium to full bodied with a soft carbonation.

D: A very nice beer. The bourbon and barrel contributions are there but not overwhelming nor too subtle. Nicely done all around.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2010 01:48:30 | More by womencantsail

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed FoBAB 05. This is one big Brown Ale! Colors and thick, dark brown, and nearly opaque. Great head retention and lacing. Perhaps a slight haze. Smells very malty, chocolatey, mildly fruity, molassas, mildly bitter, and a lactose aroma. Flavors are even bigger on the malt side, edging close to syrup or molassas. Mild fuit sweetness and tartness of figs, dates, and nuts. Bold bittersweet chocolate flavors throughout. Again, a light lactose flavor. Feels very creamy and silky on the palate. A bit rough, given the alcohol and carbonation. Finishes sweet and with a hop / grain bitterness. A really good Brown Ale with a bourbon kick.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2005 19:15:56 | More by BEERchitect

MasterSki

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the GI Clybourn brewpub. This batch was listed as 7.2% ABV. Served in a snifter.

A - One finger of slow-dissolving light tan foam, with attractive solid lacing. Deep ruby red color - almost like stained wood - that is transparent when held up to the light.

S - Bourbon, butterscotch, caramel malts, tart apple, and tannic woodiness. It was served to me far too cold, but it really came alive as it warmed.

T - A mixture of bourbon, butterscotch, caramel, and nuttiness. The finish is dry and tannic with a touch of tart Braeburn apple - however it doesn't have the slight sourness that some other barrel-aged brews develop.

M - This serving seemed overcarbonated - the harshness and burning off my lips and palate interfered with perception of the texture as well as magnifying the barrel characteristics. Body is medium and seemed a little gritty.

D - The mild aftertaste and lower ABV help the drinkability factor for this one. It's not a booze bomb, but more of a bourbon-infused brown (as the menu calls it).

You can tell this has been in the barrel for quite a while - I'm guessing the base beer is Naughty Goose these days (or perhaps it's still the Christmas beer?), but there's almost no trace of the original brew. It drinks like a lighter version of BA Fantabulous Resplendence X, and certainly has more gravitas than your typical 7.2% beer.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

09-26-2009 20:01:42 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pre release sample, of the Bourbon Barrel Aged version, from the brewer at the Goose Island Clyborne location.

A special thanks to the brewer Will Turner for allowing me to sample this beer. This one has been sitting in a bourbon barrel for the last six months. This has an incredible nose to it, the bourbon barrel character is quite noticeable with notes of oak, vanilla, butter, and a bourbon-alcohol note. The aroma is quite intoxicating, it is thick and sweet, with the bourbon barrel character dominating everything. The beer is a hazy deep amber color, it is flat and has no head, but this is to be expected as it is just being transferred from the cask to kegs, and I just happened to be here at the right time to get a sample. The taste is sweet and malty, with notes of bourbon, alcohol, vanilla, and oak. The finish is astringently okay in character, coupled with a sweet, hard-alcohol bourbon finish. The hops are fairly muted in this big beer, and would probably be out of place in this beer anyway.

Serving type: cask
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

08-05-2004 17:39:30 | More by Gueuzedude

emerge077

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

ON TAP @ Goose Clybourn. This has to be batch #2/3, as it hasn't been available for a year or so. Aged one year in bourbon barrels according to the menu.

Served in an 8 oz. snifter, this murky, tawny brown old ale had a slim cap of foam at first, that retreated to a thin skim after awhile. It took about half an hour to drink it, I was too busy inhaling (not huffing). Vanilla, tobacco, brown sugar, and fruity bourbon notes take center stage. No alcohol that I can smell, just the distilled essence of sweet bourbon perfection.

Flavors were rich and malt dominant, plenty of strong bourbon flavor, fruity with drying oak bitterness in the finish. The heat is there, but it's not all that boozy. You get all the complex flavors of the bourbon without the burn. Vanilla, apple, pear, brown sugar, tobacco flavors are all intertwined nicely, wrapped in a malty blanket. Carbonation was low, and the ale was full bodied. A slow sipper, the small snifter was just the right size.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

09-02-2009 16:26:53 | More by emerge077

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2006.

Pours dark brown with a big creme head. A vanilla alcohol nose leads to a strong vanilla flavor profile with an almost mint edge to it. The vanilla screams louder than anything else. Alcohol is slightly noticeable. Feel is smooth with a full carbonation. Nice to drink, yes. a fairly interesting old ale.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

03-07-2008 06:50:59 | More by RblWthACoz

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer has a dark opaque black body with a hint of light at the base of the glass showing a warm deep brown hue. There is a sea of micro bubbles racing back and forth to the surface where a thick light tan head stands. The head last and last and starts to pull away from the sides of the glass but still keeps its shape.

S- This beer has a slightly sweet oak and bourbon note but I can't really detect any malt characteristics even as it warms.

T- This beer has a sweet dark toasted malt flavor with a wet wood and oak flavor followed by a slight soft bourbon note. There isn't any alcohol taste to the bourbon just a slight sweetness and a faint smoky hint. The finish has a faint green hop hint that comes through as it warms.

M- This beer has a full mouthfeel with a creaminess from the carbonation. There is no alcohol heat noticed until the last few sips, which were pretty warm.

D- You really have to like lots of oak to get through this big bottle by yourself. I like oak but it would have been nice to have some malty aromas and flavors to support it and add complexity. I don't usually pair food and beers as I like to taste the beer alone but the recommendation on the bottle was perfect. I had some nice sharp cheddar cheese that cut the sweetness and enhanced this beer quite a bit. I would give this beer a 5 if I rated it with the cheese.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

12-04-2006 17:18:28 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glad to have a chance to try this delicate, tasty creation at the Cleybourn Goose Island location in Chicago. It poured dark mahogony brown under a minor dark tan head, that left just a tease of fine lacing. Nose of dark, goey raisins,bourbon and some wood. Rich, thick and chewy brew, lots more raisins, smoky wood, rum soaked goodness. Plenty of smooth, dark malts. Nice night capper.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

10-17-2007 22:31:57 | More by Billolick

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle obtained via trade with kmpitz2. Thanks for the opportunity... Black foiled, capped, 2006 vintage.

Poured into a heavy glass chalice, formed a 2" tan head above the cloudy reddish brown brew. Head is rejuvenated by a river of bubbles flowing from the bottom, with heavy coating lace. Aroma is dark malts and bourbon. Taste is creamy malt sweetness upfront, a tinge of fruitiness in the middle, and vanilla and bourbon to close. Moderate flavors all, nothing overpowering another. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is way easy for an Old Ale. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

12-13-2007 02:13:03 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Much thanks to zrrbrrt for opening this brew...
This is the bourbon barrel aged version.
Appears a semi transparent muddled brown with a small light tan head that fades into nothing. Decent looking at best.
Smell is of grapes, raisins, medicinal, sugary sweetness, along with caramel, and oak.
Taste...abv is evident among the flavors with run soaked raisins, caramel, vanilla, and oak.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, fizzy, sweet of raisins, brown sugar, and oaky bourbon with mild astringency.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

01-09-2007 21:12:38 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A rather pricey bottle of beer from the Lone Hill in Glendora.

Reddish brown colored beer with some chill hazing on it. This beer forms a massive tan colored head that doesn't fade easily at all.

Whisky big strong whiskey barrel scent. Vanilla, oak, alcohol, pepper, molasses and some sour apple scents. No real hop aroma that I can detect. Whiskey really seems strong with this beer.

The taste begins slightly sweet with lots of vanilla and whiskey. Whiskey flavor does eventually mellow out a bit as you drink this but the taste isn't exactly subtle. Chocolate makes an appearance as the whiskey mellows out and vanilla become a flavor separate from the whisky. Good flavor but I do believe that the whiskey obscures some of the complexities of this beer.

The mouthfeel is OK.

Interesting beer and very much a whiskey barrel beer. I like whiskey barrel beers but this one is a strong version of the current mini fad. I could see trying this again some day but I don't think I will be spending $21 for another bottle.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

10-09-2007 06:47:31 | More by Zorro

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

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

As noted in previous review, this one is 11%, served in a snifter at Clybourn.

Pours a cloudy and opaque muddy brown, thin brown head forms, settles to a thin ring, leaves behind some lace spots, decent legs. Smell is intense, toffee cake, bourbon, sweet and bready malt, alcohol, more toffee, touch of chocolate, some figs and dark fruits. Taste is similar, very rich toffee cake, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, wood, raisins, fruits, alcohol, very nice. Mouthfeel is thick, syrupy, really coats the mouth, low carbonation, pretty easy to drink for 11%, warmth going down, very nice!

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

02-19-2008 22:30:11 | More by Viggo

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep dark chestnut brown color that's completely opaque with a two finger frothy off-white head.  Great retention only slowly fading into a lasting cap.   The glass is left coated with rings and chunks of lacing.  

Sweet malt aroma with a prominent barrel presence.  Lots of earthy oak and bourbon as wel as some vanilla and toasted coconut.  Slightly vinous as well with dark fruit notes.  Underneath, the sweet malts are evident with chocolate and caramel.  

Medium bodied with some soft carbonation up front and a strong barrel character.  Lots of toasted oak/wood as well as some prominent vanilla.  The bourbon flavor is there but not as powerful as I expected.  Sweet bourbon flavor but it's well integrated into the beer. Kind of refreshing to taste something that's not a complete bourbon bomb.  Underneath the barrel, the base beer makes itself known.  Sweet chocolate and caramel notes give off sweetness that compliment the bourbon.  Nice alcohol flavor without any heat.  Extremely drinkable.  

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

10-23-2011 20:57:12 | More by corby112

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was served in a tulip glass and came with a deep-brown head. The nose was rich with bourbon and coconut aromas. The mouthfeel was medium, but with a slight warmth on the tongue and as it warmed, the mouthfeel became fuller and creamier. I got flavors of dark chocolate and coffee on the palate. The finish was rich with the bourbon flavor that I noted on the nose. This was a really rich beer that would be good with a chocolate dessert or a maduro cigar. Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

12-23-2005 15:22:25 | More by woodychandler

HopHead84

California

4.47/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4/22/2010

Bottle shared by Javier, thanks! The beer appears deep brown with a light beige head and crimson highlights. The aroma showcases big caramel notes with accompanying vanilla and a monstrous bourbon presence. Excellent. The flavor opens with a huge bourbon flavor that carries through to the long finish. The caramel presence is huge and there's a light oak presence. There's a nice level of heat to this. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

05-04-2010 05:10:42 | More by HopHead84

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to czoch75 for this one! What an awesome BA! Thanks Clint!

2006 Bottles
Poured into Bells snifter.

Pours 1 finger of light tan head. Decent retention. Fades to a ring around the edge. Leaves splattered lace. Color is a murky hazed chocolate brown.

Aroma: a lot like a brown ale. A ton of nut flavors. Earthy hops, sweet raisins, and cherries. A ton of dried fruits, pretty great. Bourbon, vanilla, and some oak.

Taste: Nut brown flavors, big and malty. Nice touch of bourbon with hardly any heat. Vanilla and oak. Raisins and cherries. Very complex.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, a tad crisp. Some slight heat. Medium bodied with a low to medium amount of carbonation. Ends with a fairly clean aftertaste with a slight amount of heat.

Overall, a fantastic beer. A brown -bal aged done well. Very tasty. A sipper, but I am loving it. I wish this was more available or re-made!

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

12-18-2009 09:20:18 | More by mothman

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I got this one a while back from Czoch75 during the 2nd Round of the Fight Club BIF... I shared this with a few Boise peeps and a couple out of SLC during an epic tasting.. Thanks Clint... This was very very well received and everyone was sorta astounded that an Idahoan would have one..

2006 bottle poured into my small La Trappe goblet.. slightly hazy brown... nice lite tan head with great retention.

Nose has a bunch of well mixed bourbon notes that melt into some brown sugar and other brown malts... toasty and very nutty.. yet the barrels just merge so well into the base beer.

Flavor is more balanced than the nose with vanilla and lite wood ... the brown sugar is still there with a good mix of dark dried fruits... the body is a tad lighter than expected, but the carbonation is spot-on.

As it warms, a little bit of EtOH still shows.... I'm amazed about that... the bourbon is softer so is the dark sugars... more complex after it has been open for a while... Very very interesting and more complex than I was expecting.. definitely not a "bourbon delivery device" .. instead the wood and long time in the bottle has has made this pretty damn nice.

Thanks again Clint... the Fight in the Fight Club was certainly worth the bruises.... I still need time to recover for Round 3 though :-)

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

09-14-2009 08:08:08 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to my boy aasher for sharing this one at the Down South Beer Tasting while he was in town to visit! Massive thanks Al! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured red brown with a minimal off-white head. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, wood, sweet alcohol, and a subtle metallic note. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, wood, sweet alcohol, and toffee. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. This beer had definitely held up quite well over the past 5 years or so since being bottled. The aroma and flavor on this one screams barrel aging; and a well done one at that. All of the components of this one worked extremely well together to enhance one another while not overpowering another. Glad I got the opportunity to try this one Al and thanks again!

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

10-11-2011 19:04:34 | More by thagr81us

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Shared a 750ml bottle with my girlfriend after dinner.

Appearance- Pours a muddy brown with a lot of beige, egg white head and good bubbling. Some deep garnet highlights help round out this good looking beer.

Smell- Bourbon hooo.... Lots of Bourbon and oak and vanilla. Very pleasing. Just begs you to sip this beer.

Taste- Starts with a smakck of bourbon, wood and malt. Then the middle specifies the wood into a more oak and beechwood kind of flavor mixed with some strong vanilla and light cream. And of course...bourbon. The finish shows off a little bitterness from the English hopping, nuts, roasty, and BOURBON.

Mouthfeel- Great after dinner, before you go to bed beer. Smooth, complex. Lots of stuff going on with some smooth, yet strong carbonation and well incorporated alcohol.

Bought a bunch of bottles for aging. So I'll keep you guys updated.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

03-03-2007 23:40:18 | More by scruffwhor

dirtylou

Washington

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

on-tap at Romans' in Milwaukee. I believe i've had this once before but was very happy to see it again...

cellphone notes

appearance: served in one of those silly Goose Island mock-chalices...muddy mahogany body with a creamy tan ring

smell: just one whiff of this one reminded me instantly of my love for this beer. smooth bourbon, vanilla and oak, creamy caramel. a divine aroma

taste: great things going on here - everything plays out harmoniously - the effects of barrel aging are perfectly executed. The bourbon is smooth and warming without being abrasive. Vanilla and oak compliments are presented flawlessly. Support is provided by smooth caramel and cream, milk chocolate, toffee, brown sugar and dark fruit

mouthfeel: superb smoothness

drinkability: good

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

09-22-2009 18:32:33 | More by dirtylou

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.83/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another bottle traded to me by TATTORSO. Thanks Jeff!

2006 black wrapped and capped 750ML bottle, with a small label on the back that says...$30.

I removed the cap and it started to gush. Thankfully, I only lost an ounce or 2. I wanted to serve this at rrom temp so I guess I paid the price...

It pours a deep amber colour with a 2 finger head of foam and some good lacing.

The smell? Bourbon and wood. Bourbon and wood. So, I guess saying alcohol in the smell would not be out of order? ;^) Bottled in 06 and this much of a "hot" smell intrigues me.

The taste is much smoother than the smell insinuated. Yeah, the bourbon and woodsy flavours are there with some lightish notes of vanilla but I can *just* taste the base beer here...the Brown Ale, that adds just a touch of chocolate and an ever so light presence of some nuttiness, but it is tough. In my mind and palate, this is *still* a "hot" brew that hasn't seen its real glory days. I imagine this would change in what....another 5 or more years? Maybe for the better, maybe not. A hard call.

It is, imho, pretty light bodied from what I expected and the carbonation is brisk, especially noticeable during the swallow.

Drinkability? A very slow sipping brew because of the ample and in your face abv and the dominant flavour of Bourbon but.... do I like it or dislike it? I give it a thumbs up due to the fact that it is still Winter around these parts and the warming is welcome. I would not want to drink this on a hot summer day as I would not for most Old Ales.

Serving type: bottle
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

03-21-2010 20:12:02 | More by Bitterbill

cokes

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It sits in the goblet with a toasted mahogany, trimmed in honey, with a thin beige skim on top.
It noses of bourbon, specifically, toasted vanilla, oak, black cherry, and booze. Underlying tobacco-tinged choco-caramel maltiness.
It rolls into the mouth, and bourbon is all over it from the word go. It blankets everything with toasted oak, vanilla, and caramelized black cherries. The forwardness of the barrel-aging teeters on being uncouth, but yet the malts shine through. Tobacco-y, earthy, dank, rooty semi-sweetness plays off the barreled notes. Sweeter as it goes with dark fruits joining in on the Bourbon cherry suggestions. Some toasty, nuttiness to harmonize with the wood. It you strip Bourbon County Stout of its roastedness, this is what you get.
Thick, gripping body, lowly carbonated, and yet still alluring. This is a hot, riled beast in the mouth. But the booziness never gets out of hand.
BCS lovers will find a kindred spirit here. the barrel-aging adds a great deal of depth. I'd love to try the non-bourboned version. BCS is one of my favs, but Night Stalker was also amazing. As good as this is...and it's very, very good...I think it'd be damn near perfect with a less agressive barreling.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

11-09-2009 08:20:16 | More by cokes

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at the Jackie O's barrel aged festival, served in 4oz pours. The beer was lighter colored than I expected, being that the base is an "imperial" brown ale and all. It was light tan colored, fairly clear, with a few large bubbles on top, not covering the entire liquid.

The beer smelled more neutral than you'd think, a little bourbon mixed with sweet malts and caramel. It's definitely a pleasant aroma, just more muted than what you normally get from a bourbon aged dark beer. It tastes kind of subtle too, on the sweet side but in a light way, with a nice lingering hint of bourbon after each sip. Maybe even some vanilla too, possibly from oak (not sure). The alcohol isn't really noticeable with the exception of the bourbon flavors, everything is sort of subtle.

The body is very lightly carbonated, just shy of flat really, and this is probably why the head looked so flacid. The beer has a smooth and easy drinking feel to it as a result.

I've never tried Imperial Goose before so I can't speak to how the bourbon barrels change it, but nevertheless I'll guess that it removes some carbonation and adds nearly every flavor that I tasted. I was glad to get the chance to try this, but I wouldn't recommend anyone search too hard for it.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Goose Island Clybourn, 1800 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago

09-12-2010 13:54:42 | More by TurdFurgison