Lolita - Goose Island Beer Co.

hawks10

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle - Bottled December 4th, 2010 - Had at Paddy Long's with my girlfriend, for our 5-yr anniversary - Poured into two Goose Island wine glasses...

Pours a beautiful, glowing ruby red, maybe it was the dark lighting and the candle on the table behind the glass, but this beer was bright red, almost neon, and looked beautiful sitting in the Goose Island stemware. Only a thin cap of sparse white head formed, leaving some haze on top for most of the drink...

Fresh raspberries, not sweetened raspberry syrup, but pure fresh raspberries fill the nose. Fragrant, but not overly sweet. Slightly tart and very dry. Oak and brett spice take over after a few whiffs, the brett is very apparent, quite musty and funky with a strong oak finish. Very, very good...

Raspberries provide a good deal of fruit sweetness, while being slightly tart and biting. The raspberry flavor does fall out rather quickly, giving way to the brett, which is very strong in this beer. The beer becomes very musty and dry in the finish, with oak and a bit of spice. The barrel is very apparent in the taste, as is the brett. Definitely can taste the Matilda components in this beer, but the subtle oak additions and the fruity and tart raspberries take this beer way past what Matilda could ever hope to be. I would have liked the raspberries to pack a little more punch, maybe be slightly more tart, but still, this is a fantastic beer. I can't wait to try another batch if they decide to remake it and try to improve upon it...

Light to medium bodied. Fairly high carbonation makes this beer feel pretty light. Finish is dry but a bit too abrupt, oak and dryness lingers. Would have liked the fruit component to play a bigger role in the finish...

Overall, I was pretty impressed with this beer. I am, admittedly, a Goose Island fanboy, but this was a solid beer either way. The fact that it is $26 and [mostly] in restaurants only means I probably won't be trying it again anytime soon, which is shame...

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 21:11:26 | More by hawks10

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4/5  rDev -1.7%

06-18-2013 14:17:46 | More by mrfrancis

jarrgal

North Dakota

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-10-2013 03:17:06 | More by jarrgal

Piddmeista

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

06-08-2013 06:24:21 | More by Piddmeista

SocalKicks

California

4/5  rDev -1.7%

06-07-2013 15:26:44 | More by SocalKicks

DeutschesBier

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

06-07-2013 14:17:54 | More by DeutschesBier

beernads

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.7%

06-05-2013 09:02:17 | More by beernads

ajzy

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

06-03-2013 23:46:15 | More by ajzy

MJCVII

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

06-03-2013 12:23:05 | More by MJCVII

tectactoe

Michigan

4.16/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 vintage. Big thanks to Mike for the share. Upon pouring, I'd say that Lolita is a dense shade of copper and nothing more, but holding it up to the sunlight reveals a nice ruby red color that beams through the entire beer. The fizzy white head doesn't last for long, but seems pretty volatile and active while it's here. No lacing left behind, but that's almost to be expected for this style.

The aroma is packed with tart raspberries, cherries, and heavy grape skins - a cloud of vinous notes crawls over everything, packed with some wet wood and heavy tannin. Yeast and musty funk are very prominent here, as well - there's no hiding the Brett in this one. White wine vinegar notes start to peek through as it warms up, getting stronger all the way through. Very fruity, but definitely leaning more towards tart than sweet, which is usually a good thing.

Following the aroma closely, the taste leads off with lots of ripe, tart raspberries right out of the gate. And when I say tart, I mean puckeringly so. The fruit profile is quite nice; raspberry, cherry, strawberry, grape... They all have their own impact, yet blend together so well. Barrel notes are heavy and do a great job of backing up the fruit; barrel, oak, light faint vanilla, and some dry wine notes.

The funk is no stranger, either. Clumpy yeast elevates big-time in the aftertaste with some cheesy, musty, wet-barnyard funk. It goes without saying that the finish also contains a decent amount of fading raspberry tartness and a touch of barrel. The light mouth feel and the crisp snap of the heavy carbonation makes this beer delicately drinkable.

I was salivating from start to finish from the pungently tart aroma and the flavor definitely helped to quench my senses. A very nice sour brew from Goose Island with plenty of fruitiness that never really comes off as sweet; rather, it remains mostly tart and juicy for the entire duration of the beer. Barrel was heavy yet subtle enough to let the fruit work its magic. Great beer all around.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 16:58:31 | More by tectactoe

Wolfpack2005

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-27-2013 02:11:35 | More by Wolfpack2005

Hoozierdaddy

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-25-2013 19:40:22 | More by Hoozierdaddy

ackeeper

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%

05-21-2013 01:31:54 | More by ackeeper

KWMiles

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-20-2013 15:59:39 | More by KWMiles

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-19-2013 00:41:20 | More by Photekut

jono0101

Missouri

5/5  rDev +22.9%

05-18-2013 16:29:26 | More by jono0101

IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%

05-17-2013 15:49:18 | More by IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

avschmitt

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-15-2013 19:24:42 | More by avschmitt

IrishColonial

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -14%

05-14-2013 21:19:19 | More by IrishColonial

1noa

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%

05-11-2013 11:50:58 | More by 1noa

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.7%

05-10-2013 22:13:41 | More by mikeburd1128

anhigdon

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-10-2013 19:30:14 | More by anhigdon

cadaugherty

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

05-09-2013 01:00:59 | More by cadaugherty

cwxc818

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%

04-28-2013 16:28:05 | More by cwxc818

egrace84

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.7%

04-26-2013 15:27:17 | More by egrace84