Big John - Goose Island Beer Co.

mgoblue5743

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Evil genius who thought to brew an imperial stout with chocolate nibs. This is a flawless beer, it even looks pretty. Poured from a 22oz bomber into a snifter and sipped over 2 hours; got better as it warmed up. I am running to the store to buy out the stock, one of my favorite beers of all time, I am a stout man and this is right up there with the DL 2011 I had last week. Less viscous, but equally powerful.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 14:33:15 | More by mgoblue5743

Vierenner

Ohio

5/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Fantastic! If you like Dragon's Milk from New Holland you'll love this beer. The roasted flavors are certainly there, as is a sweetness which is beautifully balanced with other taste sensations. It was suggested to me that I let this bottle settle/condition ... glad I didn't. The label indicates a bottle date of 3/25/11 ... it was perfect to drink on the evening of 5/14/11. I'll be looking for more of this brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 00:22:42 | More by Vierenner

MiamiRedSkins13

Ohio

5/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

So I went to a tasting in Kentucky where they had big John on draft and after staying until the end, tried to get another of the one limit per person fills. I had gotten to know the guy and he offered to fill a growler.. I had to take him up and promptly grabbed one off the shelf. It's amazing. Really, I wish I could elaborate but I'm at a loss for words.

Serving type: growler

03-01-2013 01:02:34 | More by MiamiRedSkins13

jcnd9803

Illinois

4.97/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

(A) - Pitch black and very thick. It even looks syrupy with a slight mocha brown head that fades fast to a small ring.

(S)- Heavy dark chocolate, some caramel and roasted malt. As it warms, I'm picking up more of the booze.

(T)- Very sweet right away and then moves into bitter dark chocolate. I was worried this was going to be too sweet, but I think they add the right amount of hops to balance and temper the sweetness.

(M)- Very thick. Par for the course with GI stouts. In my opinion, perfect.

(D)- I'm a big fan of the BCB family of stouts. Given this, I'm going to make a bold statement and say this is my favorite GI beer. It strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness to achieve a perfect stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 02:57:19 | More by jcnd9803

Davidpgibbons

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Took me a while to track down a bottle but im glad i finally did.
Found some in Andersonville, i think is the only place that actually got a case in chicago.
I had also tried this at stout fest, didnt leave a lasting impression so i thought i would give it another try.
S- aroma hits hard with coco and a bourbon-like smell very boozy, kind of stings the nostrals
A- appearence is pretty standard... When poured, leaves a nice caramel/ mocha head which goes away quickly leaving a nice tan lacing ring around the edges of glass
T- taste is a very deep chocolate that smooths out to hit the tongue with its mild booze. Very similar to bcbs being that it is the base. The aftertaste is pleasent leaving a cocoa character lingering.
Overall im a huge fan, have 4 bottles left, ill drink two and save two. I hope this will get better with age, im sure it will

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 04:49:02 | More by Davidpgibbons

fear025

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Aroma:Lots of sweet malt, with chocolate and dark roasted malt too. The dark fruit aroma comes next, raisins, plums, etc.

Appearance:This beer is black and thick, with a good size head that quickly dissipates. The beer has poor lacing.

Taste:There are tons of roast flavors in the foretaste, which make way in the midtaste to chocolate, sweet malt, and caramel. I can taste the bitter hops more in the aftertaste, but they are still subdued.

Mouthfeel:This beer is hugely thick, and there is a prominent hot alcohol bite in the foretaste. Good carbonation.

Drinkability:This is a fantastic brew when fresh, and I really hope that the hot alcohol bite lessens as the beer ages. The chocolate flavors make this a great sipping dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 20:50:18 | More by fear025

jamespub

Missouri

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Tried 3 times, each with snifters at room temp.

This beer surprised me. I was hoping for goodness, but I got much more. Pours with a thin head, very dark. Smells of booze, chocolate, and malt. The taste blew my mind. Chocolate, alcohol warmth, dark fruit....it is robust. It almost tastes barrel aged. The alcohol is very noticeable, but is unbelievably pleasant. This is one of the thickest, heartiest, most flavorful beers I have ever had. The feel is thick, warm, and lingering. Bitterness is at a minimum. It is a sipper and it fills you up like a milk shake.

I am rating this beer very high, and I know I am in the minority. Even when splitting the 3 bombers I've had, I was asked to finish 2 of the other peoples servings...which I gladly did. They both expressed that it was too rich and hinted that it was overly sweet/malty/chocolatey. I'm guessing that too "rich" was probably the most accurate description. It definitely is that. But i love this beer so much that I bought out the store and have the bottles saved in the cellar. It has the feel and appearance of BCBS, but a very different flavor. If you can find it, give it a shot.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 04:40:40 | More by jamespub

stouts4me

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle dated 4/25/11, served in my wonderful CC Hunaphu snifter, bought a case at a Binny's when this came out, was'nt selling at the time - what a great idea, this shit is awesome !

A: pours out deep, dark, and with only a thin mahogony-brown, disapates almost immediately.

S:very pleasing aroma, swirl your glass and revel in the dark, deliciosness, syou get the cocoa nibs, and an alcoholic aroma.

T: Oh my GOSH !! Really ? Goose just hits it right every time, You will love this if you love big stouts. Smooth sweet, chocolately, AWE SOME.

M: Smooth, very nice.

O: Get one NOW! Nothing I can see that would detract from this, soooo glad I have LOTS more!!! Maybe it's the age, 'cause the first one I had when it came out, did not do this for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 23:55:05 | More by stouts4me

briiguy

Illinois

4.79/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A-Jet black, two finger creamy deep brown head that leaves behind some lacing.

S-Chocolate and roasted malts.

T-Starts with chocolate and roasted malts. Extremely sweet. Ends with bitterness (60 IBUs, the same as DFH 60 minute, absolutely amazing). Well balanced and mouth watering

M-Medium bodied, smooth and creamy.

D-An amazing beer. A sipper but a great sipper at that. I love this beer, one the best I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 03:17:24 | More by briiguy

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A deep black-brown of murk, with a skim of khaki head from a bomber into a tulip glass. What brown lacing clings to the glass slides off, given the slippery astringent alcohol. In fact, one looks for the aroma of the cocoa nibs, but one only really gets tart booze in the nose, at least while this is still refrigerator cold. Actually, now that it's warming, the cocoa nibs appear as a rounded ghostly shadow through the heat-wave mirage of alcohol fumes.

In the mouth a savory beef-like (or is it orange shrimp fat!) protein flavor barges in with an adamant, careless assertion of its brazenness. I recommend taking this on the broad flat of the tongue; it's just too intense to keep in the front of the mouth, say, aerating languidly through the teeth like you would with a more polite brew.

The chocolate is definitely in the mix. But the complexity of date/prune/raisin sweetness and roast-malt/hop bitterness pushes the cocoa nibs surprisingly to the rear of the stage. The umami savoriness lends a whole-cream milkiness to the chocolate. Then you get the bitterness, which is a welcome neutralizer with its mildly citrus, floral hops. In that, it reminds me of Weyerbacher Tiny. It has that same bright hop and alcohollic spice combined with a salty, anchovy meatiness.

Quite chewy, very full body, smooth.

I wish I had a bunch of these for the cellar. Sadly, this is the only one I've seen in my five local bottle shops. Label dated "12/7/12" . . . Pearl Harbor Day.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 01:13:31 | More by martyl1000

bamadog

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

I was pretty excited to find a bottle of this laying around at The Root Cellar in Cincinnati, OH. I looked for it a couple of times around it's release date and nothing... Lo and behold, I find it when I'm looking for something else. Review is from notes taken on 5/14/2011 and poured from the bottle to a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a thick, viscous coffee black and it starts with a scant 1/4 finger dark brown head that fades immediately to nothing other than a pencil thin ring around the surface and two small islands floating around the surface; body is entirely opaque, and I'm not sure if there is going to be any carbonation present or not based upon the looks of it; a couple of strands and spots of lacing are left behind, but not much to speak of; there is a bit of an oily coating that lingers after each sip, but then falls back into the drink.

Smell: Wow. Big chocolate, right up front, and it ranges from a syrupy sweet Hershey-style scent to a more semi-sweet chocolate covering dark cherries; hints of vanilla; dark roasty malts, like spent espresso grains and a definite big blast of alcohol; nose is strong and robust... Awesome!

Taste: Holy crap -- just like it smells, nearly to a "T." Lots of big sweet syrupy chocolate and a blended semi-sweet chocolate, and those sweet and slightly tart ripe cherries; a vanilla sweetness, like the syrup in a chocolate covered cherry rings through; strong roasted malts, like the ones in the smell, they're very much like spent espresso or other strong roast; big alcohol that is a little bit like bourbon -- it starts out a little hot, but really mellows as the drink sits and fades more to a warming presence.

Mouthfeel: Thick and viscous in the mouth, just like it looked on the pour -- this body is heavy, just like I would hope; a thick and sticky coating is left all over the mouth, and it is just a little bit gritty; gums are left tingly, and the belly is left quite warm from the ABV that clocks in at over 11%. A great mouthfeel to this one, you definitely know you're drinking a big thick stout. Goose Island nailed this one.

Overall: This beer is fantastic, easily one of the best stouts I've had in quite a while. While it's heavy and the ABV is high, I would be more than happy to sip on this all night.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 01:51:20 | More by bamadog

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4.68/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Gary for getting this for me during his travels.

Bottled 3/25/11
Bottle 1645

Pours a dark black color with a thin tan head, fades quickly with very little lacing on the glass, not much light getting through this pour.

Smell has a huge roasted malt backing with a strong chocolate aroma, picking up some dark fruit complexities, alcohol is hinted in the nose.

Taste is a punch to the mouth, huge roasted malt and chocolate flavors with the chocolate being very nice, very thick and chewy, carbonation is active yet soft which lends an additional creaminess, sweet yet somehow not cloying, leaves a sticky mouthfeel afterwards, heat is strong with this one but the chocolate and roasted malt go a long way to covering it up, a warm tummy and a tingling tongue does eventually become evident from the heat.

If the heat and strength was a little less pronounced, this would be darned near perfect.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 23:27:48 | More by deltatauhobbit

WankelEngine

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a pint glass

A: Almost pitch black with just the slightest tinge of ruby red around the edges when held up to a light. There is a small, light tan head of maybe half a finger which diminishes quickly. No lacing.

S: The smell is potent. I feel a spiciness in my nostrils almost like I’m taking a big whiff of nice brandy. There are notes of coffee and sweet caramel malt. I can also make out some light tropical fruit flavors and a little bitterness.

T: There is a lot to this taste. It starts out sweet and malty, almost like a brown ale. As I savor, it suddenly becomes a lot bitterer. The flavor of coffee is powerful. Behind that are herbs, sweet fruit flavors, cherry and orange peel. The coffee flavor changes to a strong, dark chocolate flavor which last for a long, bitter after taste.

M: I can feel the high alcohol content. It is moderately thick and just a little syrupy. The carbonation is extremely light.

O: Delicious and potent. Definitely a sipper, it’s very strong in both flavor and alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 01:33:55 | More by WankelEngine

Mdog

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Opaque black, big head.

Smell: Sweet chocolate, dark fruit, coffee, very nice!

Taste: Starts out sweet and fruity with chocolate mostly in the finish. As it warms up the chocolate starts earlier and earlier.

Mouthfeel: Very thick stuff, coating.

Drinkability: Not too expensive, but pretty hard to find. My bottle went down pretty easy for a strong beer.

This was some good smelling, good tasting stuff. The alcohol was hidden despite the strength. On the sweeter side, but that's how I prefer my big stouts. If you can find it, it's a good one!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 21:52:32 | More by Mdog

Mavajo

Georgia

4.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I believe this is the same base beer as Nightstalker and BCS -- so it's no surpise that it looks much like either of those beers. Dark body with a brown head.

Aroma is nice subtle cocoa, roasted barley, etc. Good, not great -- but then the taste comes in. Definitely great! Delicious -- nice powedered cocoa taste with big roasty malt. The roastiness is done exceptionally well. It doesn't leave you feeling parched or dry-mouthed like many heavily-roasted beers do (like Yeti, for example).

Mouthfeel is spot-on. Thick body, good carbonation.

This is really an exceptional imperial stout. Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 13:53:03 | More by Mavajo

rlee1390

Indiana

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Was the first to pick up a bottle at the local shop and now I'm wishing I had the money to pick up another to age.

A-Jet black, two finger creamy deep brown head that leaves behind some lacing.

S-Chocolate and roasted malts.

T-Starts with chocolate and roasted malts. Extremely sweet. Ends with bitterness (60 IBUs, the same as DFH 60 minute, absolutely amazing). Well balanced and mouth watering

M-Medium bodied, smooth and creamy.

D-An amazing beer. The alcohol is not present, a sipper but a great sipper at that. I love this beer, one the best I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 23:40:36 | More by rlee1390

evanlarkin

District of Columbia

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
Dark dark brown, close to black, with just a tinge of brown along the edges. A little more brown is visible when it's up to the light, but it's still pretty dark. Not much head, less than a finger total when poured into a snifter. Nothing much to be said for lacing.

Smell:
Chocolate and milk (chocolate milk?) predominate, with espresso and booze in the background, finally giving way to an oakiness that I have never experienced before. If you just smell lightly, there's a kind of licorice character to it which is very pleasant.

Taste:
It's like a more explosive experience of the smell. Chocolate and a milkiness come first, and suddenly you're hit by the booziness of it all. Then you get some coffee beans, followed by an oak flavor that almost seems more like a texture than a taste. There is a subtle bitterness in the background that tastes as much like coffee as hops.

Mouthfeel:
Low carbonation, and full. It coats your mouth, but doesn't stick as long as many other imperial stouts, which serves to entice the drinker to have another sip.

Overall: This is a really solid stout, definitely placing itself in my personal top 5 list. It's not entirely a unique flavor, but definitely superior to most that I have encountered in the current market. If I find it at another store, or if it becomes an annual brew, I will definitely purchase more.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 05:03:22 | More by evanlarkin

ksimons

New York

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A-inky black with a fingers worth of tan head that leaves a bit of lace around the top

S-roasted malt, dark and milk chocolate, molasses, vanilla, and a bit of coffee

T-tastes of roasted malt and chocolate, almost like chocolate liqueur, black coffee, and light vanilla

M-medium/full body, light carbonation, choclatey sweet finish

Overall this is quite a beer! Lots of chocolate and booze in this one, but not too hot. I really like this a lot!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 22:49:52 | More by ksimons

PsilohsaiBiN

New York

4.56/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2012 bottle

Appearance: Dark opaque with a big, tan 2 finger head. Lacing is pretty intense.

Smell: Roasted malt, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, dark fruit.

Taste: Wow. From what I gather, this is the base beer for BCBS and it is delicious in its own right. This is such a perfect blend of everything I described in the nose and then some. It all works together perfectly and finishes clean, with a lingering, delicious, malty cocoa ending. Booze is hid masterfully.

Mouthfeel: This leans more towards the viscous side of things, it's right there with BCBS, which makes sense.

Overall: Can't find much wrong with this. I drank a few other highly acclaimed stouts this evening, yet they don't beat this. Shame Inbev runs the show now, but Goose's specialty beers haven't suffered yet.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 05:32:18 | More by PsilohsaiBiN

BrewCrew2010

New York

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours like black motor oil. Head is dense, creamy, tan, and long lasting.

S: Smells amazing! Strong milk chocolate aroma with notes of booze, roasted malts, and bourbon.

T: First thought is that this taste like a spiked glass of chocolate milk. Great flavor of bourbon, coffee, vanilla, milk chocolate, roasted malts. Perfectly balanced between the heat and the sweetness. A must try for Imperial Stout lovers.

M: Smooth and creamy, although the heat makes it a sipper. Full body & light-medium carbonation.

O: This beer is great. It reminded me of Ten Fidy, but this one has a great bourbon twist on it.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 21:10:54 | More by BrewCrew2010

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

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

Nice looking, diesel motor oil black with a creamy brown head with some staying power and fair lacing.

Smelled and tasted wonderful! Quite fruity actually for a big stout, with lovely cocoa and milk chocolate, along with tons of roasted malts and a bit of coffee.

Feel was simply spectacular! So rich, so thick, so creamy, the full body was accented with a great lingering lightly bitter chocolate aftertaste.

Drinks fantastic too. I'll always be looking for this one when it comes around again.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 10:45:17 | More by AlCaponeJunior

shawnp

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into a duvel. 4/25/2011

A: Ink black pour with a small deep tan head. There wasn't much lacing or retention during consumption

S: In my opinion, Big John has a nice aroma to it, very sugary, sweet chocolate and black liquorish. A minute amount of molasses hidden in there.

T: Thick but smooth. The taste is very similar to the aroma for me with a small amount of coffee on the back end.

M: Smooth and low carbonation with a mid range alcohol burn.

O: I really enjoyed this brew from GI. I am not huge into Russians but I think Big John was very good.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 05:27:55 | More by shawnp

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

shared with calton after work in hobo tasting number 9, i really enjoyed this on tremendously, poured into a pint glass.

Pitch black as night with a light tan head of maybe an inch and a half across the top. This faded down to about a quarter inch but never got any lower then that. Lots of side glass lacing all over the sides as it went down. The aroma was a touch boozy, with tons of chocolate and roasted malts coming through. Almost a licorice like smell as it warms, incredible. As I take my first sip I am floored, rich vanilla and cocoa taste with a large dose of roasted malts. Tons of flavor here, with bourbon notes really coming through on this one. I am literally drooling as I write this that I dont have any left. The finish was soo smooth, and chocolate filled, it was a dessert beer to the extreme. For 11.5% you would think there would be a ton of alcohol swimming in this one,but it was as smooth as could be.

overall really nicely done, dont know why its getting hate i think they have done a very good job with this.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 01:02:22 | More by mikesgroove

jera1350

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Jet black in color with a milk chocolate brown colored head of soft foam. Some solid lacing going on as well.

Sweet malty nose with notes of chocolate, nuts and hops. Getting hints of vanilla, smoke and molasses in there too.

Big, rich and sweet taste. Much like a chocolate covered almond/peanut candy bar. A lot of chocolate going on in fact, but there is a really big hop presence as well. The finish is like chocolate syrup. I personally really enjoy a big hoppy sweet stout and this one does it greatly.

Full, rich and velvety feeling.

This is one awesome imperial stout. Loads of chocolate and sweetness and hops make this more of a dessert beer/sipper, but I am really having trouble setting it down. No trace of alcohol though. Another top notch imperial stout version by Goose Island.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 02:37:29 | More by jera1350

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 650 ml bottle into a snifter glass. Bottled 03/25/11.

Appearance: Pitch black with a moderate amount of bubbles. Decent two fingers of tan head quickly fade into a few small patches. Lacing is fairly light.

Smell: Dark roasted malts and chocolate with a fairly strong fruity presence of black cherries. Also some hints of vanilla, molasses, and raisins. On of the more dark fruit forward stouts I've smelled.

Taste: Roasted malts and plenty of chocolate up front with a solid taste of dark cherry and raisins. Also some hints of coffee, vanilla, molasses, and brown sugar. Fairly sweet but a decent kick of bitterness in the finish from the coffee and chocolate holds things in check. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Very smooth and somewhat sticky. No alcohol burn noticeable. It probably has cooled a bit as this was bottled about five months ago.

Overall: A very good imperial stout that has some interesting subtle flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 07:22:17 | More by MattyG85