Goose Island Identity Crisis

Beer:  Identity Crisis (GIC)

Brewery:  Goose Island

Date: February 16th, 2014

Style:  Porter

ABV: 8.5%

Similar To:  Nothing else I've tried

Description:
Having a young child, part of the plan for each weekend is finding interesting activities for the family and seeing the excitement on the little critter's face each time she tries something new.  These activities usually involve spending time outdoors, but this winter we've had to get more inventive in searching for things to hold back the cabin fever.  One of my personal favorites is to take Little Dingbat to Chicago's Field Museum and let her run (relatively) amok down the galleries filled with the "stuffed animals", which are excellent examples of early 20th century taxidermy.  She's at the age where animals that hold still are more exciting than those uncooperative ones at the zoo which seem to make themselves scarce whenever we visit.  Also, the museum smells better.  After a morning out, we often retire to a child-tolerant watering hole for a spot of lunch and, with any luck, a decent pint or two.  It's one of these "watering holes", the Goose Island Brewpub on Clybourn, which will be the backdrop for several upcoming posts.  I've gone through most of their taproom-only beer selection recently and have found a couple that were really worth sharing, beginning with the aptly named Identity Crisis.

First Impression:
Deep black color with a small, very faint, white head.

Smell:
Sweet dark fruit - plums, or cherries soaked in brandy.  Thinking on it, the aroma reminds me of sherry or another cordial.

Taste:
Wow, not what I'd expected from a porter. I wasn't far off with the cordial analogy.  Plums, cherries, and roasted malt.  The taste is similar to a lambic or a mild sour ale.  Very little bitterness.

On the Palate:
Very low carbonation, somewhat thick but not syrupy. 

Why You'll like It:
Good for fans of strong fruit beers, sours, and even barley wines.  This covers all those bases and does it pretty well.

...and why You won't:
The flavor's somewhat incongruous to the style, which may disappoint you if that's not what you're expecting.

In Closing...:
There's no further question in my mind as to why they named this beer Identity Crisis, but rather why they thought to categorize it as a porter.  Regardless, an enjoyable experience after a tough morning of fatherhood.  As I've lamented frequently when visiting this place "If only they served it in growlers...".

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
 

The stout on the left or the "porter" on the right?  Eenie, meenie...