Goose Island Barrel Aged Outfoxxed

Beer:  Barrel Aged Outfoxxed (BAO)

Brewery:  Goose Island

Date:  March 2nd, 2014

Style:  Brown Ale

ABV:  8.0%

Description:
As Chicago breweries go, Goose Island's already about as well-known as the Bears and roughly as successful as the Blackhawks (of the last 5 years).  With that considerable pedigree and with the great commercial (312, Honker's Ale) and critical (Bourbon County Stout) successes of many of their best-known beers, my expectations for them are understandably rather lofty.  Despite their recent change of ownership, BAO is an encouraging sign that it doesn't appear that they'll be resting upon their laurels any time soon.

First Impression:
Deep, chocolate brown with a two finger beige head.

Smell:
Bourbon and chocolate abound, with malts in the background.
 
Taste:
A wondrous combination of chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, and those underlying roasted malts which I smelled previously.  The cocoa taste complements the bourbon admirably.  Sweet but not imbalanced.  Moderately strong alcohol finish.

On the Palate:
Mild carbonation, though a surprisingly light mouthfeel for such a flavorful beer.

Why You'll like It:
In writing this, I fully realize that BAO won't appeal to everyone.  It's strong, fairly sweet, and unabashedly chocolaty.  Well worth a taste for anyone who appreciates a good barley wine, imperial stout, or other robust, flavorful styles.

In Closing...:
Not your typical brown ale, but, for all of the above reasons, a must-try.  

Rating (out of 5):

You call that "Head Retention"?  Now *this* is...

Hazelnut color, bourbon aroma, dark chocolate and vanilla flavor, medium-rich body. Aged 8 months in 12 yr Elijah Craig Bourbon Barrels.

Goose Island Tongue-in-Cheek

Beer:  Tongue-in-Cheek (TIC) 

Brewery:  Goose Island

Date:  March 2nd, 2014

Style:  Saison / Farmhouse Ale

ABV:  8.0%

Description:
Another morning of family fun, followed by a trip to our regular weekend lunch spot, the Goose Island Brewpub.  Other than the company, the best part of these visits has been the variety of beers that are only available at the brewpubs or at festivals, many of which are one-offs.  TIC is one of these tap-only varieties, a surprisingly light and fruity-tasting saison.

First Impression:
Dark reddish-brown, cloudy body.  Thin, light brown head.

Smell:
Fruity and tart aroma, with a hint of vanilla.

Taste:
Tart raspberries and a nice malt background give this an almost lambic-like character.  Not sweet, by any means, but you definitely taste the berries and hints of raisins and plums.  Not a strong alcohol taste, despite the higher ABV.

On the Palate: 
Quite light and effervescent, with a smooth mouthfeel.  

Why You'll like It:
An enjoyable fruity saison.  Great for anyone who appreciates this style or similar ones, such as sours.  

In Closing...:
Another visit to the brewpub, another positive experience.  My only regret is that it may not be produced again, as I think it would go very well with football, come autumn.   

Rating (out of 5):

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barley Wine

Beer:  Bourbon County Brand Barley Wine (BCW) 

Brewery:  Goose Island

Date: February 17th, 2014

Style:  Barley Wine

ABV: 12.1%

Similar To:  Founders Backwoods Bastard, Young's Old Nick

Description:
There are times when I head out the door with a destination in mind and a beer as my goal.  Then there are times when beer expectations are strictly on the back burner and I luck into something outstanding.  My experience with BCW definitely qualifies as the latter.

The venue for this evening was the restaurant in a high-end hotel in the Loop, where I was meeting a former manager for dinner on the occasion of his leaving the company.  Conversation that night was enjoyable and certainly wasn't hurt by the presence of 3(!) of Goose Island's Bourbon County line on the menu:  Bourbon County Stout, the subject of this post, and Proprietor's BCS, only the first two of which were available.  

First Impression:
Dark brown/black with a slight reddish tint and no head.

Smell:
Not surprisingly a strong aroma of bourbon, as well as brown sugar, vanilla, and plums/cherries.  Smells sweeter than I remember from Bourbon County Stout.

Taste:
As expected, massive bourbon and very sweet malt, though not cloying.  Lots of brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and the dark fruits I mentioned previously.  Surprisingly well hidden alcohol taste, due, no doubt to the sweetness.  I could have probably put away another 3 or 4 of these, even if I would have been sorry for it later.

On the Palate:
Luxuriously rich and thick with a warming finish.  Low carbonation.  Very smooth going down, despite the high ABV.

Why You'll like It:
What's not to like?  Seriously though, a top-notch barleywine whose complexity

...and why You won't:

Sweet and strong is what BCW delivers, and does so in almost epic proportions.  Buyer beware.

In Closing...:
Coworkers can be strange animals.  Having congenial people to work with can make a terrible job easier and having awful ones can suck the life out of the most rewarding employment.  Naturally, the moral of this platitude is that really good beer trumps a really bad job, at least for a few hours.   

As a side note, I've had great luck finding hard-to-locate beers in places where people wouldn't usually go to find them, such as hotel bars, wine bars, and good restaurants where the beer is a generally a secondary consideration.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars (out of 5)

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...

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2013

Mmmm, Beer in a Jar.

Beer:  Bourbon County Stout - 2013 (BCS)

Brewery:  Goose Island

Date:  December 13th, 2013

Style:  Imperial Stout

ABV:  14.5%

Similar To:  New Holland Dragon's Milk, Founders Breakfast Stout


Author's Note:
In the interest of full disclosure, my sense of smell and taste are still feeling the lingering effects of my recent illness, and may not be as reliable or at least as consistent as usual.  I reserve every right to update this (or any other) review at a later date, based on subsequent tastings.

Description:
What started out as a Friday lunch date with coworkers, planned weeks ahead of time, gradually turned into lunch with one coworker, and finally ended up as lunch by myself.  Hardly a reason for self-pity, rather an unexpected simplification of the whole process. Sticking to my original plan of visiting one of my favorite BBQ spots, I hopped on what passes in Chicago for mass transit and little more than 20 minutes later I was staring down my quarry:  Goose Island's 2013 rendition of their Bourbon County Stout.

The crowd was sparse when I came in but soon picked up. A young man of Arabic or possibly Indian descent and his father(?) were engaged in a lively conversation at the table directly ahead of me.  To my far right, a late 20 something couple, she - pretty, if somewhat severe, he - annoyingly unkempt in his Jerseylicious hat and scraggly, close cropped beard.  The back tables were occupied by a group of clean cut, casual male coworkers, conversing animatedly while chowing down on sandwiches and fries covered in a sweet and tangy "dirt" rub.  To my immediate right, four 30 something women ordered drinks while browsing the menu. Snippets of talk about wedding showers and gossip about absent friends drifted over to me carried along on the background hum of conversation.  They were truly a made-for-Hollywood quartet, two white (one blonde), one Hispanic, one Indian, all with strong Midwestern accents.

First Impression:
Dark, dark brown body with with minimal brown head around the edges.  Very appealing for a cold (2 degree) winter lunchtime.

Smell:
Bourbon or single malt scotch very prevalent. Slight sweetness but a strong hint of something herbal in the background. Licorice?  

An all too infrequent Sight these Days

Taste:
Big and aggressive, greets you at the door with a hearty handshake and a slap on the back. Powerful bourbon and brown sugar with a prominent alcohol taste.

On the Palate:
Heavy but not viscous.  Light carbonation after sitting on the tongue for a moment.

Why You'll like It:
If bold Imperial Stouts are your thing, this one is unlikely to disappoint.  A very effective winter warmer, even in a 6 oz pour.

...and why You won't:
If powerful, complex tastes and high ABVs are not your thing, you may want to politely decline this one.


In Closing...:
My lunch plans having gone belly up, I made the trip out specifically in the hopes of finding the BCS on tap today, since its popularity makes it almost impossible to find in bottles at the moment.  I was a bit disappointed in the final result, but that may be a combination of my still-limited senses and its my anticipation due to its current elusiveness.  A very flavorful and complex beer that encourages further study.


Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)