Summer Bitter - Goose Island Beer Co.

Redrover

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Summer Bitter ESB was one of the seasonal offerings at the Wrigley GI. It was served in a 20 oz imperial pint glass.

The beer is a rust-bronze with a beige head and lacing.

It has a nose of malts, floral hops, and a touch of brown sugar.

The taste is balanced between some grains, a bit of apple, some biscuits, and honey. Guessing IBUs are around 25 and the bitterness adds balance and a slightly dry finish.

The mouth is semi soft with some carbonation that starts low but adds a bit of scouring late. It is an easy beer to session at 4.3%. I had three while enjoying some of GI’s tasty food.

It is well constructed, reminds me more than a bit of a Fullers Summer and that's not a bad thing.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2012 15:32:17 | More by Redrover

TMoney2591

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in an imperial pint glass at the Clybourn brewpub.

No free love to be found at Wrigleyville, so it's on to Clybourn for this chap. It pours a clear sunrise bronze topped by over a finger of white foam. The nose comprises light grass, mild walnut, a bit of biscuit, and a touch of oak. The taste brings in more of the same, with the grass, nuts, and biscuit really shining in their mildness. The body is a very light medium, with a light carbonation and a pretty smooth feel. Overall, a solid, very enjoyable little bitter, something I hope we see more of in the States, especially as cask ale continues to gain some momentum.

Serving type: cask

04-08-2012 01:01:34 | More by TMoney2591

emerge077

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Goose Island Clybourn, review from written notes.

Pours a clear copper color, a ring of soapy lace collars around the edges, skim eventually breaks leaving a free floating island in the center. Lightly nutty aroma of walnuts or almond, wet barley too.

Light bodied and easily drinkable by the imperial pint. Toasted crackery malt, nutty walnut flavors leaving a residual hint of bitterness that lingers. Lightly effervescent carbonation, fairly mellow lending to the overall drinkability. Simplicity is underrated these days, though sometimes its just what you need. Refreshing on a hoy July day.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2011 00:55:13 | More by emerge077

robbyc1

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Tasted summer 2008 during the Hoppy Beers tasting, these are my comments - A decent cloudy look, soft bitterness with a solid malt behind, somewhat bland, a bit earthy, with a good dry bitter hoppy finish. A summer beer for sure, not bad, an easy summer drinker but not much more.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2009 20:12:33 | More by robbyc1

botham

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

on tap into a pint glass at the Wrigleyville Brewpub in Chicago. pours a light amber color with a slight haze and a half finger of white head. no retention and light lacings.

aroma is lightly sweet and malty, with notes of light caramel malts and citrusy hops. well balanced in the nose.

taste is malty up front, with caramel and smooth bready malt as a base, along with subtle citrusy hops upon finishing.

mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, along with a finish of soft CO2 and residual malt creating a slick mouthfeel in the aftertaste. there is a tinge of grain upon finishing as one comsumes the brew, which lends to staleness.

drinkability is good. this is a solid bitter with great balance and a smooth and creamy character. cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2008 19:16:21 | More by botham

3.2/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On cask at the brewpub.

Beer was clear and amber in color. Very small, white head.

Aroma was mainly hops, citrusy is best definition I can come up with. Not much in the malt arena.

Taste was bitter. Amazing, huh? Character was floral/grassy. Malt came through as a cracker/biscuit type of flavor.

Light in body, with virtually no carbonation (characteristic of cask? - my first one). Quite refreshing and easy to drink.

Ok, but not really for me. At this point in the game, I like carbonation in my beers. Flavor-wise, it struck me as too one-dimensional.

Serving type: cask

10-09-2006 19:39:12 | More by

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in an American pint glass)
The ABV was listed at 4.9% on the menu.

A- This beer has a creamy solid white head that is thin but last a good while. It sits on top of a clear golden-range bodied beer that has a gentle carbonation of a few bubbles.

S- The light toasted caramel malt smell has a fresh earthy grain note that is very nice.

T- The nice light caramel malt flavor has a little sweetness with a hint of honey malt in the background. There is some nice complexity to the pale malt that comes through the more it warms. The green hop flavor in the finish has a faint ginger snap note and balances the malts very nicely.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a light fizz finish.

D- This beer has good complexity and freshness and makes a good session beer but it is not overpowering.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2006 22:40:37 | More by rhoadsrage