Lolita - Goose Island Beer Co.

wschmit

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2011 edition, bomber into a Cantillon taster/flute.

A: An off-white head with serious fizzle pops away into nothing, just a scant ring about a pink-tinted amber body. Moderate haze and little apparent carbonation. Almost reminds me of the 2011 Zwanze or Lou Pepe that I drank from this very same glass.

S: Sweet sour funk. As soon as I popped the cap, the funk came out. The barnyard is well balanced by the raspberry, malty sweetness. Among the best "wild" noses I have encountered in an American beer, second only to New Glarus' R&D Geueze. Tart, sweaty, just a touch of hay, rotten meat, and medicinal notes.

T: More dry than I expected. It carries itself like Orval, more medicinal than band-aid or sweat kind of Brett, until the tartness kicks in. The fruitiness is pretty subdued as well, or perhaps balanced is a better word. Starts mild and dry, with some citrus notes in the middle, and finishes with a bit of pucker. More citric than acetic, to me. Fantastic.

M: Low-to-medium body. Carbonation really blew itself out early on, but there's enough to keep it moving. No alcohol burn. Less sticky than I anticipated for a fruited beer. A bit astringent at the end.

O: This was a 16 or 17 dollar bottle, and absolutely worth it. Among the best American attempts at a funky Belgian that I have encountered. Not quite a proper lambic/geueze, really, but still damn good. Captures many of the desired "wild" characteristics in the best way, but in a balanced manner. Thoughtful to the last drop.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 03:39:21 | More by wschmit

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