REVIEW 7: GOOSE IPA

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Goose Island Beer Company

STYLE:  India Pale Ale

ABV:  5.9%

PURCHASE:  Draught; 60-oz. pitcher, $10.00

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. Moderate pour from the pitcher yielded a standard one-inch head, which mostly dissipated within about three minutes. A slower pour resulted in not even 1/8 of an inch--essentially just a thick layer.

APPEARANCE:  Light caramel-copper tone, and transparent--much like the 312 Urban Pale Ale. Slightly off-white, cream-colored head.

BOUQUET:  Comparatively clean aroma for an IPA. Sure, the hoppy nose is there, but it doesn't exactly jump at you. Somewhat fruity and a tad on the floral side. For an IPA, fairly malty and yeasty.

PALATE:  Medium body with quickly onsetting carbonation that thankfully does not overpower. Sweet entry, followed by an immediate crescendo of hop astringency that, incredibly, holds back before the finish. A grapefruit-like bitterness permeates the entire body, which finishes with lingering but somewhat subdued (by IPA standards) hop notes. The entire latter half of each sip seems to contain a toasted grain quality, in fact. Citrus essences emerge at the back end, and dominate the aftertaste. Overall, a quite refined mouthfeel, especially for an IPA.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Like the 312 Urban Pale Ale, this is another beer from Goose Island that flirts with greatness, but eventually settles snugly into very-good-but-not-quite-great territory. It will grow on you as it warms a bit; IPAs, in my experience, are best drunk not as cold as, say, your standard pale macrolager. Colder, it would be more biting. As you allow it to sit for a little while, however, it will breathe and mellow a bit, becoming less aggressive and more inviting. Let's face it, IPAs are known for one thing: Hops. This one took the effort to round itself out, adding dimensions that many specimen in this category lack. That said, it still lacked a "wow" factor, while remaining highly drinkable and solidly far above average. I rank it accordingly.




GRADE:  B+