Kilgubbin Red Ale - Goose Island Beer Co.

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased on tap at the Xcel Energy Center for Jets vs Wild. Poured into a tall plastic glass.

Clear amber body with great lacing. Clean malt profile on the nose with light caramel notes. The body has light hop flavours including citrus and spice with a lightly sweet malty body and some corny sweetness that feels off in this beer. Good building bitterness and the beer finishes clean.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 04:06:43 | More by kjyost

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in an imperial pint glass at the Clybourn brewpub.

Man, sometimes I wish I spoke Gaelic (or whatever it is). This stuff pours a clear sunset amber topped by a finger of cream foam. The nose comprises toasted caramel, very dark greens, cocoa, dark wheat, and toasted rye bread. The taste holds notes of toffee, cocoa, sharp greens (mostly dark grass), rye spice, and black pepper. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda dry finish. Overall, a nice Irish red, but not something I would make a habit of drinking regularly.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2012 19:04:17 | More by TMoney2591

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - The body showed your typical copper color with some clarity...the head was small and thin and white in color...it showed little retention in the form of a small, thin ring...not much lacing

S - Holy sweet caramel and toffee...those two elements dominate the aroma...they don't overpower or become cloying but boy are they there...light floral hops in the background

T - The sweetness dies down a little in the flavors and more flavors come into play...likewise, at first sip you get the caramel and toffee malt...again they never become cloying, rather they play well with the other flavors...the rye adds a nice spiciness and a touch of earthiness that you wouldn't expect...hops again a light and in the background but they make for a nice finish to the beer

M - Medium bodied...smooth with a spicy and earthy finish that has a touch of sweetness

O - At first I thought this was going to be a caramel malt bomb but it turned out being pretty balanced...the addition of the rye balanced the sweetness out and the hops did just enough as well...this was different for the style

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2011 18:56:38 | More by thain709

AgentZero

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had on St. Patrick's Day at GI Wrigleyville.

A - A carmel colored beer with a small head that faded to a partial cap and a solid ring.

S - Mostly caramel malts, slight touch of butter, light sweetness. Mild hops.

T - Maybe I don't understand the style, but this just tastes like caramel water with a touch of honey. A very low hop profile.

M - Slightly flat, watery, lighter boded.

O - It's easy to drink, but it's not a fantastic beer, I'd put it at merely average.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2011 16:00:35 | More by AgentZero

balconybrew

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served at the Wrigleyville brew pub. Posted from notes.

Served lighter then expected. An orange-ish red liquid with a white head that lingered. The hop aroma was floral and stonger than expected. The flavor is slightly roasted malt with a little pine and hops. Ended sweeter than expected. The mouthfeel was fine and the carbonation was within style. Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2007 00:25:22 | More by balconybrew

GbVDave

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a 16oz pint glass at Goose Island-Clybourn 4/18/07. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Very clear, deep red hue that leaves tons of lace as the glass is emptied. Pretty to look at.

S: Huge toasted malt nose. Spicy tang from the rye.

T: Toasted malt, hops, and spicy rye malt flavors. Dry, sweet, and tangy. Roasty and toasted malt flavors definitely dominate.

M: Oily, coating, and very dry. Graininess on the tongue.

D: Fair out of the bottle but this one comes alive on draft. Worth a re-try on draft if you've only had it from the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2007 01:54:54 | More by GbVDave

emerge077

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on-tap at Goose Island Clybourn.

Pint arrives with a creamy foam head that laces the glass. Nice red tone, good clarity. Smells pleasant, mostly malty.

Mild maltiness in the taste, hint of puffed wheat/rice cereal, spicy rye & mild hop on the tail end. Smooth and easy drinking, a good session candidate.

Not a bad local alternative to the dominant macro taps in Chitown.

Kilgubbin is the original Irish name for the Goose Island area in Chicago, named by local Irish immigrants at the time.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2007 14:10:07 | More by emerge077

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I really enjoyed this beer with some spicy cajun shrimp. It poured a dark red withs some brown hue. Some hints od spcies and malts in the nose with some hops. Very good spiciness to the beer and some hints of chocolate as well with nice bitterness from the hops. Overall a nice not overly carbonated ale. The spiciness gives it a nice refreshing finish. Good pick!

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2007 01:16:26 | More by JoEBoBpr

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

this stuff is on tap everywhere in chicagoland these days, and sadly it is oftentimes the best alternative around here. pours a deep red, almost brown with nice clarity, nose is very subtle with some caramel and bready/doughy notes coming through, taste reflects the bouqet, light, almost thin malts playing against almost imperceptible hops but with enough bitterness to balance the very slight residual sugars. finish is short. drinkability nice due to the low abv.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2007 19:14:10 | More by MrMcGibblets

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a Nonic)

A- This beer has a deep reddish-brown crystal clear body that is a bit opaque. There is a creamy off-white head that last and last with a gentle carbonation to keep it going.

S- The smell of fresh malt and fresh green hops come through in this beer. A hint of dry lightly toasted malt comes through as it warms.

T- The fresh pale malt has a nice dry biscuit note with some chocolate malt in the background. The green hops that finish have note of pine and pepper in them.

M- This beer had a medium mouthfeel with a creamy texture.

D- This beer has fresh well balanced hops and malts with a good complexity to the malt. The beer had an overall dryness that really enhanced the malt flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2006 01:50:51 | More by rhoadsrage

whynot44

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Light bodied, nice reddish amber color, slightly hazy, with a modest tan head.

Aroma is mainly malt with just a hint of spicy hops.

Taste is all malt up front, slightly smoky, caramel and nuts. A nice mild hops overtone with a bit of peppery bite kicks in at the finish.

Smooth, clean and refreshing.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2005 04:04:25 | More by whynot44

Redrover

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I bought a keg of this for the home kegerator, since we were hosting a St. Pats Day party I figured this would be a perfect beer.

The beer pours a red/dark bronze with a dense tan head. Sheets of lacing.

The aroma is of fresh roasted malts, bread, some citrus and a bit of spice.

The taste is malty with undertones of rye bread. Seems to have slightly more aggressive hoping this year and they add a nice subtle background taste of grapefruit. The beer also has a bit of caramel and peat flavor.

The beer is very creamy and smooth with excellently calibrated carbonation. Beer is somewhat thick and extremely easy to drink.

This is an excellent red and I think my guests enjoyed it as much as I did.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2005 21:11:05 | More by Redrover

mynie

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark amber with a big retentive head and it smells like floral Goose Island hops against a woody soda bread odor. Nice

Very big hops for a red ale, but they work. Toasted caramel and tons of hops like taste like flowers and candy and bitter sunshine.

Goose Island beers often have a wonderful hop character but no malt to balance it out. Not so here. The result is an excellent brew, easily one of my favorites for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2005 20:08:39 | More by mynie

GuinnessSmurf

Missouri

2.9/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pour looks almost identicle to the Christmas Ale. It is slightly more orange (as opposed to ruby color). Head is full.

Smell: Has a strange sugary nose - some how aged and musty. Very subtle overall.

Taste: The onset is very much like an Assam tea - very tea flavored throughout. The finish bitters up a bit, with a very sweet-sided hops.

Mouthfeel: This is a very thin bodied beer. It seems very watery, but not refreshing.

Drinkabilty: Not impressed. I still have 5 more of these...groan.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2005 07:53:34 | More by GuinnessSmurf

Zorro

California

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy red brown brew.

Smell is malty and smoky with a clear scent of dark roasted malts. Faint sour scent here that that I think is from the dark roasted malt.

Taste is fairly malty and faintly sweet with caramel and chocolate taste. Solid bitter hop edge in the after taste but this is pretty well balanced.

Mouthfeel is good.

Nice and drinkable. I have had better Irish ale but not many and none recently. A solid drinkable brew that I do recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2005 02:12:40 | More by Zorro

clvand0

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours an amber color with a small head and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. The aroma was malty with some citrus in it. This beer had an interesting flavor. Slightly sour. Somewhat fruity and hoppy as well, but there is a grassy/pine-needle feel to it as well. Good beer, but just didn't fit my taste buds very well.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2004 19:58:43 | More by clvand0

SetarconeX

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasty little brew, picked up on a recent trip to Chicago. Comes in a nifty, celtic themed bottle, though I'm not allowed ot give any points of that. A bit darker than some red ales I've seen, which is a good thing. The smell is pure malt through and through. Smell matches the taste, which is heavily malty, and without the hop bitterness that you seem to often get with this style. Likewise, it's a bit less harsh on the mouth than the average red ale.

A good beer, and probably the most easily quaffble red ale I've had. Much more malty than usual. It's a nice twist.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2004 19:50:38 | More by SetarconeX

ngandhi

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at The Office in Urbana, IL. 3.50/pint.

More of a brown ale, really, Kilgubbin is rich with cocoa and biscuit. I get a good deal of Victory malt character, latent nuttiness, and, in typical Goose Island fashion, very balanced bittering. The hops marry well with the rich malt -- maybe this is a mild, even -- it seems authentic, but also mass produced. There's a consistency to Goose Island that bores me -- the way their hops and malts come together -- and it shines brightly in this beer. With no graininess and a malt character too dark for the caramel that I'm looking for, I hesistate to call this an amber ale, but it does taste like what I'd expect to come out of Ireland. This is one of their better beers, well-balanced, medium to full, and still very drinkable.

Relax, relax.
ng

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2004 23:45:56 | More by ngandhi

ZAP

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A fine tasting red ale...I really like the nose..almost like sweet caramel rolls...bready...with a distance smokiness....Pours a cloudy brownish red....body is about perfect...feels nice in the mouth...taste is sweet breadiness....also a hint of smokiness on the finish...

This is a very tasty, quality red ale I would drink anytime...and I would definitely buy this again....I used to think Goose Island was slightly overrated but the more I drink of their beers, the more I appreciate their wares...

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2003 01:46:14 | More by ZAP

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This did not overly impress me. The other homebrewers I was sampling with opined that as it's a seasonal, the keg at the "brewhouse" (employee breakroom) was old. Still, great head, nice earthy smell, taste is fine, certainly a vast improvement over any other so-called "Irish Red" in this country. Any Goose is worth seeking out.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2003 18:00:59 | More by DrunkMcDermott

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a very pleasant, slightly above average red amber that is served at the Claddagh Pub in the Newport, KY location and at the north Claddagh in Columbus. Decent enough appearance if a bit light on the beige-ish head and also light on lacing, but the body is a slightly hazed mid amber with nice reddish hues.

The nose has a slight hop sense. but impresses more of the malt. The flavor is clean and has a nice edge to it, finishing nicely sweet, but the feel is only moderately beyond thin and watery. The overall tastiness and relative ABV make this most drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2003 17:43:39 | More by AtLagerHeads

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On draught at The Claddagh in Columbus, OH (as Claddagh Irish Red). Pours a dark amber-brown color with a medium thin light beige head. Thin lacing. The aroma is lightly malted and a little nutty. Medium-bodied with a fair amount of malt, as well as some caramel and nuts. The finish is not very lasting, I felt it could have been more drinkable in the long run if it had more pep. Not a bad attempt at the style, and it is drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2003 06:29:11 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap:

Color was a deep amber with a great reddish glow, small white head with some tight lace. Has a faint toasted malt, slightly sweet and citrusy, but faint and soft on the nose. Taste has a bitter sweet hop bite, not dry, hint of clover in there. Very clean, crisp, fresh, and is light to medium bodied. This was a smooth, fresh, and drinkable Irish amber.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2003 10:14:15 | More by tavernjef

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

light brown color, hazelnut highlights are riddled throughout with a wonderful mix of colors. A smallish head of light tan then pops up from the bottom of the glass and reaches about a half an inch before settling back down again.

Aroma is of light caramel, roasted nuts, light touches of butterscotch like sugary notes. Warming brings out a very earthy and pronounced flavor to it. Really nice done but a touch light. This is my only complaint as it did not have the pop I was really looking for at the time. Smooth, even flavor really did not deviate much from beginning to end as the overall impact was nicely put together.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 02:54:08 | More by mikesgroove

doughanson78

Washington

3.45/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On cask at Goose Island brew pub. Poured into a pint glass.

A: Golden copper in color, with great clarity. One finger off white head, that is super creamy, with good retention and awesome lacing.

S: Very light in the nose. A light toasted caramel comes through. Also a touch of graininess.

T: Sweet caramel upfront. Toasted notes come through in the middle. Overall a very light taste. Product of the cask conditioning?

M: Medium light body. Light carbonation. Super creamy.

O: Decent beer. Nothing special by any means. Not a huge fan of cask conditioning.

Serving type: cask

11-08-2011 21:28:08 | More by doughanson78