Big John - Goose Island Beer Co.

MaximalC

Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours nearly black with a meager head of mocha foam that barely manages to exist, even with a moderately vigorous pour. Aroma smells of dark fruit, molasses, and booze with some roast and dark chocolate thrown in. Flavor here is absolutely massive--you can almost taste it before it hits your lips. Molasses, dark fruit, caramel, chocolate, oak, roast, and an abundance of alcohol that melds in such a way that it manages to come off more luxurious than overbearing, which is a feat considering the massive ABV. The oaken vanilla character facilitates a slow, smooth finish that is succeeded by a robust haze of roasted chocolate and booze that lingers nearly indefinitely--truly impressive.

The mouthfeel is thick and slick, complementing the flavor profile perfectly. Palpable stickiness lingers on the lips from the very first sip. This is everything an artisanal imperial stout should be--big, complex, powerful, decadent, assertive, smooth--I could go on. It may not be for everyone in light of the prominent alcoholic presence, but for an imperial stout afficionado, this brew is a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 02:17:30 | More by MaximalC

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a snifter.
$13.99 in PA

Appearance
Pitch black with a brown head that dissipates quickly. Thick film clings to the glass.

Nose
Dark chocolate, fudge, black licorice, booze, roasted barley, molasses and scorched sugar.

Taste
Syrupy sugars, fudge, toffee and molasses. Dark chocolate, black licorice and cocoa nibs. Tons of roasted barley. Touches of alcohol heat, cherry cordial and burnt chocolate. The finish is charred and earthy.

Mouthfeel
Full bodied, oily, syrupy, chewy and warming.

Overall
Tons of chocolate and candy sugar. Big, thick and syrupy sweet. Great sipper.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 20:07:19 | More by justintcoons

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

A-Pours black. Almost no light penetration. Nice viscosity. Head is attractive as well. Beige colored head holds its stature for almost a full minute before dying off to a thin seam of bubbles. Crowns and whips of lacing.

S-Roasted coffee and a deep, fudgy milk chocolate note (thanks cacao nibs). Flat root beer and burnt barley. There is also a semi-vegetal, earthy hops note. Hops smell drizzled in melted milk chocolate. Also some dark fruit too. Interesting nose.

T-The flavor brings forth much more dark fruit than expected. After the fruit comes the cocoa powder, dark and milk chocolate. It morphs into a fully roasted blend of tasty coffee. The hoppiness brightens up the flavor and adds depth. Flavors really last on the palate. Lots of chocolate but its still far from being labeled 'overboard'. This really has a bunch of different flavors to dissect.

M-The best part. Divinely creamy and viscous. Thick but velvety. Carbonation is just noticeable enough. Booze is there but it is masked quite well for a beer hovering around 12%. Quite drinkable despite its girth.

O/D-I have heard mixed reviews about Big John. I found it to be a pretty awesome brew. Complex and nearly sensual on the palate. I am happy I grabbed this one. Big, sweet and complex. Cacao nibs is also a great pairing of words…its just fun to say.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 19:49:36 | More by VelvetExtract

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 12/07/12. Acquired in a trade with BrewStew58.

Pours oily black and completely dark. Light brown head held back after a half-inch of rising. Fell to the surface and left a thick ring.

Creamy dark malts, dry chocolate, dark fruits and berries, earthy hops, and tightly-spun alcohol. A sultry, but friendly, aroma.

Bold cocoa and dark malts, robust and decadent. Some berry fruits of blackberry and raisin and a sting of alcohol warm booze and licorice. Mocha and burnt sugar. An elegant and full-on beer that stands alone in one night.

Velvety smooth and rich with body. A diffused soft carbonation creates some chew. A near-perfect sipper, with that proper boozy medicine. The feel of integrity.

Tremendous imperial stout with almost all of the qualities I look for. A bit muddled in the nose, but exceptional mouthfeel and delectable dark flavors make up for that and more. A highly recommended beer that I will begin seeking out again immediately.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2013 04:32:25 | More by thecheapies

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

BeastLU

Virginia

4.19/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle dated 12/7/12. Poured into a snifter.

A - Nice pour. Dark. Pitch black dark. Thick brown head, which dies down but does not completely dissipate.

S - Strong boozy nose. Don't smell much of the cacao. Smells like stout and alcohol.

T - Huge flavor. Definitely taste the cacao. Big strong stout with big booze and chocolate flavor. Its great but, it is too boozy. I think after some cellering it would be fabulous.

M - Carbonation is a little low but I expect that in the style. It has the perfect viscosity for a IS. The after taste is a little harsh and warm do to the up front alcohol.

O - Obviously some drawbacks but a great beer over all. I drink them pretty frequently.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 23:45:52 | More by BeastLU

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: Nice thick opaque black. I mean this brew is very dark, with a thin body to the head. Settles thin with even lacing coming off your normal tan color you would expect.

Smell: A deep cocoa scent that feels that it makes love to your nostrils. You smell the deep malts with strong molasses to go with.

Taste: Strong rich alcohol, not really my favorite but this taste quite appealing. You feel the deep cocoa which gives it a slightly sweet finish. The bitterness is smooth with nothing really to dislike.

Mouth: Smooth finish with a heavy molasses feel to the after-taste.

Overall: This is a very good brew, on an empty stomach it can do some damage to you. It is a slightly sweeter version of Nightstalker (which is one of my current favorite imperial stouts by Goose island).With Imperial Stouts I prefer less sweet and a touch more bitter, but doesn't mean you are drinking something bad. All you need is a glass and you will thank me, Salud!

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 06:56:58 | More by BlurryVisi0n

JamesShoemaker

New York

2.88/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

650 ml poured into two stemless wine glasses. First and last time for this guy!

A - pours jet black with some lingering foam, mid tone brown, looks more like an RIS than a double.

S - phew, lots of rubbing alcohol, roasted malts, and some dark fruits. After taking a sip, the smell is even worse.

T - not good, really not very good. Plenty of dark fruits, plums and currants, but nothing is stronger than the isopropyl alcohol. How do I describe a beer than simultaneously hides its alcohol and punches you in the face with it?

M - some redemption here. The alcohol doesn't sting the mouth, but the consistency is viscous - too syrupy.

O - one of the worst stouts I've had to date. Truly worthy of the BMC that Goose Island is surely soon to be.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 01:09:54 | More by JamesShoemaker

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into a tulip

A- Pours pitch black with red reflections. A one finger of a brown head. Subtle alcohol legs.

S- Smells like coffee, chocolate, a ton of roasted malts. Caramel, roasted toffee. Touch of alcohol. Enticing stuff.

T- A bit of hop bitterness and some bitterness from the chocolate as well. A lot of chocolate in this beer. There is a massive roasted malt in this beer almost to the point of making coffee flavors. There is a little alcohol in this beer but it's passable. A sweet beer that has a dry roasted aftertaste.

M- A thick and syrupy beer. It is sweet and chocolatey. A great desert beer. Warming and drinkable.

O- I really enjoyed this beer. A nice chocolate forward stout that cant disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:46:06 | More by TwelveOunces

argock

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz brown bomber into a clear glass snifter. Bottled on 12/7/12 stamped on side of label. Purchased at Wine Warehouse (Charlottesville, VA) for $9.79.

A: Black hue with thick, frothy dark tan 2-finger head with decent retention and even a few spots of lace.

S: The aroma is thick with chocolate and some fig, raisin, and plum aromas. There is some earthy, floral, and citrus hops aromas as well, but they are not strong.

T: The flavor is outstanding and is a great example of a very strong but not boozy, chocolate-bombed imperial stout. The chocolate flavors are complex and varied and work well with the dark fruit flavors. There are dark and milk chocolate, cocoa, mixed with soft coffee and pretty strong dark fruit flavors of fig, plum, and raisin. There is moderate bitterness, both from the dark chocolate component as well as from the citrus, pine, and floral hops contribution. This is a superb fresh IS. Night Stalker on the other hand, is way over the top hoppy and will probably be better with age. I can see Big John going through some rough times in the short term with aging as the chocolate flavors fall off. I am planning to drink 2 of the other 3 of mine in the next 3 months. I think the alcohol component is well-hidden - I shared this bomber with my wife 14/8 oz and I drank my portion in about 20-30 minutes.

M: The mouthfeel is right on par with other good imperial stouts with mildly chewy, full body and very smooth. I am not sure where people are getting the booze from -- this is very fresh and I get only an accenting alcohol character, and one that does not thin the beer's feel, as do some not so well done barrel aged beers.

O: I was very pleasantly surprised by this brew -- very well-balanced with a strong and powerful chocolate presence but a very solid background stout with just the right amount hoppiness. I am going to try to find a few more bottles of this around. One of the best chocolate imperial stouts I have had. Great beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 03:25:06 | More by argock

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

spointon

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured this one from a brown bomber bottle into a 20oz Imperial pint glass with a nucleation point etched in the bottom.

A= Poured opaque and black as midnight. With a vigorous pour at cellar temp this put up a 1" tan head that lasted a long time. Lots of stickage on my glass.

S= Aroma was pretty subtle, but there were detectable notes of chocolate, molasses, caramel malts, some fruity esters, and alcohol.

T= first flavor impression was sweetness, then chocolate, then faint caramel. No real hop presence, and the esters found in the aroma don't really show up here. The alcohol is there adding complexity but was never hot or harsh. Finished pretty sweet, with a long complex chocolatey aftertaste.

MF= Huge thick body...I mean damn it is chewy. Carbonation was actually pretty high, but the body just overwhelmed it with sheer viscosity.

D= The first sip made me think this would be a chore to finish because of the huge heaviness of this beer. However, it is very well balanced and the alcohol stays hidden making it all too easy to put down.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:24:22 | More by spointon

tut2528

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Comparing Fresh vs Aged (scores are based off the Fresh bottle... which was better IMO)

Fresh (Bottled on 12-7-2012)

A: pours black as night with absolutely no transparency even when back lit. it creates about 1 fingers worth of very dark mocha colored head formation with nice lacing.

S: immense chocolate dominates the nose, slight alcohol burn, a touch of coffee grounds, sweet alcohol soaked dark fruits. some slight burnt malt as well. complexity is definitely there and I find this nicely balanced.

T: again there is a huge sweet chocolate blast, with a nice balance of alcohol heat, dark fruits, slight bitterness, molasses, slight touch of coffee and burn malt.

M: full bodied, leaves a nice sweet yet bitter chocolate aspect on the palate. the alcohol is immensely felt on the lips. minimal carbonation.

O: very enjoyable beer if split with another. i could see the immense chocolate getting to be too much for some people if this bomber is consumed alone (reminds me of ST Chokolat). But comparatively speaking, this one has much more complexity IMO and is more well balanced. Surprised this one isnt more sought after.

*Aged Big John*
Bottle 3-25-2011

In the smell, the chocolate character has mellowed out, along with the alcohol. And the dark fruits have really come forward producing an awesome big sweetness.

In the taste, I find that with age, it has lost its balance and complexity, but is still quite nice big brew.The smokey/burnt malt that was subtle before is now completely gone. And the beer has a slightly grainy aspect towards the back. The finish is a bit more creamy than fresh (very suprising)

The beer is more flat now (not that it was all that carbonated fresh).

Verdict: The one is better fresh. Mouth-feel is the biggest difference with the Fresh one blowing it away. The Aged one is just too flat and honestly doesn't leave much on the palate. The Aged one is still very good, but Fresh is definitely much better.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 18:41:35 | More by tut2528

TTAmod

Michigan

3.35/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber 1330 (12/07/12) poured into chalice.

A: Dang. This beer is BLACK. One of the darkest beers I've seen in awhile. The head is dark brown and it lasts for awhile considering the ABV.

S: Alcohol, chocolate, tinge of hops, roasted malts.

T: This one is a bit of a big, alcoholic mess. There are hits of pure, bitter cacao and dark malts throughout. There is also a significant pine/citrus hop profile. Familiar Goose Island yeast signature on the way out. Did I mention alcohol?

M: Damn smooth and creamy, but the strong alcohol taste makes this one a bit of a chore to finish.

O: This is an okay strong stout. I wasn't too impressed. The flavor profile is deep and complex, but the alcohol is way too overpowering. Tastes like a BCBS with no bourbon. BCBS worked, though, because the bourbon and sweetness masked the alcohol. Not bad, though, although this would more than likely be better with some age on it.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 00:57:50 | More by TTAmod

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into a Gulden Draak tulip glass

Appearance- Jet black with a solid 2 finger brown head. Leaves a tiny bit of sticky lacing.

Smell- Lots of deep dark chocolate, booze, and dark fruit.

Taste- Follows the nose to a T.

Mouthfeel- Just a shade under being chocolate milk smooth. Warming sensation of the back of the tounge.

Overall- Great smell, look and taste but just a little to boozy in my opinion. The boozyness overpowers the other tastes and smells.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:31:11 | More by BrownAleMale

ehammond1

California

3.7/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle (2011)

Thanks for opening this with me, VaTechHopHead!

(Aged for 1+ years)

Black throughout and relatively thick in body. Very small dark brown head of small bubbles. Leaves the glass with an oily sheen. Appropriate and pretty enough.

Lots of roast and bittersweet chocolate in the aroma, along with mild coffee presence, and a distinct licorice character.

The flavor follows the aroma similarly, with roast notes, chocolate, and licorice combining nice enough. A simple, big, flavorful stout with only a minimal alcohol burn. Complete, though I think this would have been better fresh.

Medium-nearly full in body with low carbonation.

I'd wanted to try this for a long time and happy I finally got the opportunity to do so. I was hoping for more from this one, however. I imagine this one is much better fresh.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 23:43:54 | More by ehammond1

jsanford

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark black with a creamy mocha head that settles to a solid cap. Big aromas of dark malt, molasses, dark chocolate. Just a big, roasty Stout with some cocoa(not that any of that is bad). Taste is similarly roasty, with lots of cocoa, molasses, and dark malt. Mouthfeel is quite lovely, super-smooth, with a full mouthfeel and lowish carbonation. Good beer, really nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 03:32:58 | More by jsanford

rarbring

Sweden

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A hazy black colored beer. A low tan head with small lacing but good curtains.

Smelling of figs, dates, coffee, chocolate and sherry.

Tasting toffee and caramelized sugar, dates, chocolate and sherry.

Medium carbonation, a soft and sticky texture. A big body with a slight dry finish.

Truly a well composed powerful dessert.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 21:45:39 | More by rarbring

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to whoever brought this to the Nov. '12 Philly burbs bottle share.

Solid dark brown-black pour with a thin tan head that left no significant lacing. Aroma was big and chocolaty, dark malts, molasses, and hints of dark fruits. Rich and smooth taste with loads of chocoate goodness, dark malts, some roastiness, but mostly mellowed out, notes of coffee and molasses, some rummy booze heat, but nothing unexpected or unbearable. Bordering on a full body, smooth mouthfeel, rich and tasty, soft carbonation. Not quite a BCBS, but overall a great stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 12:02:49 | More by Rifugium

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

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.2/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Got this beer a while back from Masterski. Cheers for the beers!

From a bomber into a snifter
Bottled 25 March 2011
Bottle 1630
Stout with cacao nibs added

APPEARANCE: Thicker looking, dark brown pour produces a very small, mocha head that's gone almost immediately. A siwrly wisp and ring remain. Black body with medium levels of carbonation evident. A ring remains until the end but leaves no lacing down the glass. A relatively thick pour, but head is a little too lack luster. Averages out.

SMELL: Roasted malts, caramel, licorice, some cacao chocolate and alcohol on the nose. Bold enough and certainly enough booze there as well. More than enough, though there is some nice stout aromas under the alcohol.

TASTE: Roasted notes, licorice and caramel flavors, then some cacao powder at the swallow. Big burst of alcohol follows. Bold aftertaste of sweet caramel, a touch of bitter chocolate and a good dose of booze lingers on the palate. Quite boozy, but the cacao flavors do fight their way through.

PALATE: Medium, slightly ligher body with medium levels of carbonation. Somewhat prickly on the palate, goes down a little rough with a burn at the swallow and finishes quite sticky. Too light on the palate and a bit too prickly and abrasive. Much like all of their stout beers, but not quite as thin and harsh as the bourbon county series.

OVERALL: Decently flavorful, but still too boozy and thin for the style. I wish these guys could tone down the alcohol and thicken up the feel a little, because the flavor in their imperial stouts is usually pretty solid. Anyways, worth checking out if it falls in your lap, but unless you love harsh booze bombs, this isn't one to seek out. Thanks again for the beers Masterski. Always a pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 20:08:33 | More by Jeffo

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle dated 3/25/11 #1950. Poured into Founders snifter. Split 3 ways. Bottle says it can age up to 5 years. About 1.5 years old.

A- Pours an opaque dark black with a thin mocha brown head that quickly dissipates to leave almost no head. Decent carbonation, about average for a stout. Leaves nice layered lacing that slowly recedes.

S- Sweet chocolate, a tiny bit of vanilla, some booze that is well hidden by the chocolate. Nice sweet smell that smells very pleasant and has a slightly above average aroma.

T- Sweet chocolate, plenty of booze that is decently well hidden by the sweet chocolate but still there, some vanilla, more sweet chocolate on the finish with some booze that almost makes it feel like it's bourbon aged. Definitely a sipper.

M- Creamy, Smooth, definitely some alcohol heat on the finish but still definitely drinkable. Would be a very nice feel if the abv was a little bit lower.

O- I never had this beer when it was fresh, but it is tasting good right now but still definitely has plenty of heat too it. The cocoa nibs definitely added a nice sweet creamy chocolate taste that hid most of the alcohol well, but it still wasn't enough to hide all the heat. Overall I enjoyed this beer however I think the abv should have been dulled down a bit. Otherwise it was very good.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 23:52:52 | More by jaasen64

claspada

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours pretty much black in color with a medium size dark khaki head that leaves some solid lacing as it recedes.

Aromas begin with an almost chocolate liqueur smell. Lots of dark and milk cocoa with some lesser coffee and dark, roasted malts. A bit of molasses emerges as it warms.

The tastes begin with intense amounts of chocolate flavor. Lots of darker bitter chocolate, cocoa powder and some sweeter milk chocolate. The same sort of chocolate liqueur character is there along with the lightly roasted malt and mild espresso coffee. More sweet than roasty for sure.

The mouthfeel is medium to heavy in body, but not as thick and rich as I expected. Medium, balanced amount of carbonation which is necessary for such a rich beer.

Overall I had very low expectations for this beer given its bad reputation/ratings but some cellaring has done this good. The booziness was mellow and the chocolate seemed appropriate and not over-bearing for a beer that advertises itself as a beer aged on cocoa nibs. Not sure how this tasted fresh but it is definitely going in the right direction now.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 17:39:09 | More by claspada

Brabander

Netherlands

3.88/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We had this beer during a Dutch beerlovers tasting a few weeks ago. This is from notes. I got this bottle in a trade with Hayesez. One of the most generous BA's i have encountered!

Poured in a De Molen tasting glass this beers starts slowly. Dark fluid with a minimal head. Not one of the best Goose Island beers but this i a nice beer to drink when you are not really into darker beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 22:08:31 | More by Brabander

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled 3/25/2011. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Mostly black, but not quite inky. No head. No lace. A leggy stout, though. Looks pretty syrupy.

Smell - Booze and chocolate. Lots of both and not a lot else.

Taste - Better and more complex than the smell, although I apparently didn't write down why... Chocolate and roasted malts with a very sweet finish. Boozy.

Mouthfeel - Viscous. Low carbonation. Tingly booze. Overly alcoholic. Have I mentioned that it's boozy?

Overall - "This shit has some juice," says the friend with whom I split the bottle. Goose Island has the ability to make an 11% ABV stout taste like it's 22%. Good job?

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 21:08:13 | More by Alieniloquium