Goose Island - Pere Jacques (aged 5 years)

Not many people are forgetful or patient enough to age a bottle of beer for five years.  Luckily, I happen to be a little of both, no matter what my wife tells you about the whole patience thing and the new/exciting expletives I invent during video game play.  On the label of Goose Island's high(er) end beers, it is claimed to develop in the bottle for up to five years.  The bottle of Pere Jacques that I will be reviewing today has been aged for 62 months to the day, past the date it was bottled.  I have not experimented with a beer like this before so I am excited to see how it will end.  If well, that means the other aging beers in my cellar have a chance.  If not, I may have wasted a whole lot of beer money.  To say I'm a little anxious is to understate the matter.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

The label says "Belgian style ale," but it is clearly leaning more toward the tripel in aroma.  Lots of fruit present here.  Mushy, over ripe apples are present along with notes of real apple cider, though without the spice.  Bright raisins are not far behind and if I were more familiar with my dark fruits, I'm sure I could tell you if it were more fig vs something else, but all I can say at this point is that it stops short of prunes while definitely hinting at them.  Absent from the "Belgian style" is any sort of Belgian yeast notes and any spice.  I don't necessarily expect the former in a dubbel/tripel/quad, but I certainly expect a little of the latter.

Appearance 3/3

Easy points here.  It's a dusty copper shade when poured in small amounts, but larger amounts lend bright red and magenta highlights to the brew and make it pleasing to the eye.  The head on this 5-year old beer was still (surprisingly) present in a half finger's worth of tan foam that faded with a slight crackle.

Flavor 18/20

This beer takes its time to make an impression on the palate, fading straight away into its backbone of flavors and giving no introduction.  The easily found primary flavors are the dark fruits from the aroma, but without the bite or subdued acidity that the apples might have brought.  The cider character of the apples is still present and plays very well with the other fruits.  There is a notable booziness that hid itself in the aroma, but comes across as very outgoing in the flavor.  Holding the brew in the mouth allows the initial sweetness of the fruits to die down a bit and the slightly bitter, "browned apple" flavor to step forward in addition to a previously undetectable spiciness.  A welcome addition to any Belgian ale!  It pricks the tongue a bit, gives more interest to the bitter, and keeps things true to style.  A swallow quickly brings more of the bitter as well hints of a vinous, purple grape.  Ultimately, the bitter and the sugars of the dark fruits combine to give a lasting final impression of the beer.  The aftertaste is more notable for its mouthfeel than its flavors, becoming somewhat sticky in the mouth and the alcohol drying on the tongue.  Though it the acidity of the apples does reprise itself after a lengthy pause.

Mouthfeel 4/5

The body is good for the style and the spiciness does eventually show up if you hold it in your mouth long enough.  The alcohol is just right in this beer - enough to let you know it's there, but not so much that it even comes close to taking over a flavor, even a minor one.  Carbonation is adequately active, though made to seem less by the medium-heavy body is has to move through.  The spiciness is a nice addition to the finish and, with the carbonation, is another way the beer's creaminess is perceptibly diminished without effecting the body.

Overall Impression 8/10

Even for an "old" bottle, this beer is unsurprisingly tasty.  Lots of dark fruits, true to its style, and a robust version of a Belgian without trying to be too huge.  I would be more than pleased if someone purchase this beer for me in a pub.  Goose Island prints right on the label, "Develops in the bottle for up to 5 years," and by George, they're not lying.

Total  43/50

If one were to use the "grading scale" found in schools, this score would register a solid "B," but if you were to ask me personally I'd say an easy "B+."  Bottled on May Day 2009, this beer has had to wait a long time for its heyday, and it delivers with a true to style, tasty, dark fruit laden, palate-warming treat.  Furthermore, this bottle has been impeccably kept, remaining either in standard refrigerators or a special beer fridge (50 degrees Farenheit) for its entire existence.  Talk about a princess.  Such excellent storage conditions in mind, had there been any "off-putting" flavors, the beer would have no one to blame save itself.  However, with its excellence proven, it now stands to claim all the glory.  Solid work, Goose Island.  I'll be trying this experiment again.

Goose Island - 25th Anniversary Ale

It seems a very good friend of ours is celebrating a rather special occasion.  That's right friends, while I might be late to the party there was no way that I was going to miss offering a hearty and well-deserved "Congratulations!" to Goose Island on their silver anniversary!  Twenty-five big years of holding down the craft beer scene in Chicago.  It wasn't always easy, but their persistence, dedication to quality, and determination to spread the craft beer gospel has paid off in spades.  Before I get this review started, if you haven't seen it already be sure to check out the interview with Goose Island Founder, John Hall.  It was conducted by cool guy and all around beer badass Nik from Chicago Beer Geeks.  Talk about an insane privilege!  All right, now let's see what GI has whipped for us for this festive event.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

The first sniffs of the chilled brew are almost akin to a good German lager.  European hops are prominent with their earthiness and a delicate, fresh citrus that blends with it.  A faint but unmistakable pine note enters later as the beer warms.  The malts are barely roasted and bready with only trace amounts of caramel.  Not a powerhouse of an aroma, but they don't all have to be, do they?

Appearance 3/3

This beer absolutely sets the glass on fire with its bright reddish-coppers and orange hues.  Super high clarity and capped with a nicely contrasting ivory colored foam.  No movement from bubbles inside, but the head remains as a surface covering for some time and shows no sign of stopping.  Hold this one at arms length and look into it as you move it toward and away from a light source.  You won't be disappointed.

Flavor 17/20

A malt-driven beginning showcases some dry, crackery, and crystal malts.  Things get only a drizzle of caramel before a bitter fades in slowly as does a tart tinge.  The main backbone is a caramel/crystal malt combination with some spicy hops thrown in the mix.  Thankfully, the caramel's round, mellow sweetness increases as the beer warms in the glass.  The delicate hop citrus notes from the aroma have been made even less of a presence, but are still detectable.  Well, balanced but with an emphasis on the bitter as the style demands.  The finish actually allows the caramel to finish its say before washing it clean with a light, resinous bitter that makes the sides of the tongue tingle ever so slightly.  Aftertaste is more of the resin clinging to whatever it can.

Mouthfeel 5/5

I like this.  It's a moderate-full mouthfeel that helps you to ration out the beer and take your time.  Its lighter flavors would have you drink it more quickly and fall victim to the invisible 6.4% ABV.  In fact, the body is the only clue that you're getting anything other than a standard strength ale.  The carbonation is initially fairly aggressive, but slides deceptively into the hops' spiciness as it sits in the mouth.  It's a neat trick.  Somehow despite that nearly prickly carbonation, the beer swallows with a smooth and creamy finish.  There's a lot of neat stuff going on here if you're willing to pay attention to a characteristic that often goes unheralded.

Overall Impression 7/10

I suppose the beer does the style well: the English hops are well used in the "bittering only" capacity, the color is gorgeous and appropriate, it enjoys a caramel sweetness, and exhibits a sturdier body than expected while remaining quite drinkable (as most English styles demand).  For a reasonably priced sixer this beats out a lot of options that are available.

Total 42/50

This is not a bad beer.  It's not a knockout either.  Maybe Goose Island is brewing this as a tribute to one of their earlier beers and I don't know about it?  Note:  Upon further investigation, it is.  Click here.  I'd definitely purchase this over a lot of other beers available.  I might even use it to win over the adventurous few who are thinking of taking the leap into bitter beers, but aren't ready for stronger IPAs or American-style brews just yet.  I suppose that experiencing year after year of big ol' anniversary beers from any number of brewers I was expecting something a little more "special" from Goose Island on their 25th.  In hindsight, I appreciate the tip of the hat they are giving to their roots, and if I want something bigger I'll turn to a bottle of Big John or Bourbon County.  Also, since I haven't said it yet on the blog... big, huge, massive kudos to Goose Island for proving all the pessimists wrong and still brewing amazing beer after they were bought by AB-InBev.  If that purchase had any effects, they were all positive.  Goose Island's capabilities are expanded exponentially and AB-InBev has the ability to endlessly mimic a recipe, giving GI a consistent product even as their production happily ramps up to new levels.  I won't claim complete amnesty and say I wasn't concerned at all, but Goose Island has proved us all wrong and I've never been so glad to eat a bit of crow... er, goose.

Half Acre - Ginger Twin

It's time again to review a brew from the Windy City.  This particular beer is made by Half Acre and is called Ginger Twin.  It's an India-style red ale, which is not a style combination that I am familiar with but I always love trying new things and brewers that aren't afraid to put them out there.  Now we all know there are good gingers and bad gingers and I'm hoping this beer leans toward the former and not the latter.  On a side note, I love what Half Acre posted on their blog when this beer first came out.

"Ginger Discount:

*Anyone with God given red hair will be granted an 8% discount on Ginger Twin purchases.
**Anyone with God given red hair and a Longshoremen's beard will be granted a 10% discount on Ginger Twin purchases.
***Identical Twins will be granted a 15% discount on Ginger Twin Purchases
****Identical Twins with God given red hair will be granted a 25% discount on Ginger Twin purchases.
*****Identical Twins with God Given red hair and Longshoremen's beards will be granted a special treat (each) and 50% off additional Ginger Twin purchases.

(The Ginger Discount only valid at the Half Acre Beer Emporium located at the Half Acre Brewery & World Headquarters. 4257 N. Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL)"

I mean, c'mon, how kick ass is that?  Nothing like a brewery that shows a little personality.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

The aroma is entirely that of a sturdy IPA, full of pine, grass, with lesser resin and grapefruit notes.  There is a spicing that happens even behind that and ties everything together rather nicely.  I am not able to detect any of the red malts through all the hops.  Also, the aroma of this beer is only of a moderate intensity even with all those delicious scents inside.

Appearance 3/3

I love the look of this beer.  The color is whimsically true to it's name and emulates perfectly the ginger beards depicted on its label.  The head is as aggressive as you pour it, showed superior retention, a light maize color, and left extreme lacing all over my glass.  I'm looking forward to this being a sticky, delicious beer.

Flavor 18/20

Well, the malts certainly make their presence know in the initial sips of this beer.  They barge in the door like a student late for class.  They are the dry, biscuity, crisp malts that I love to see in a good pale ale, but not the caramel-like and/or lightly toasted malts that I expect to see in a good red ale.  If anything it shows flashes of the light buttery flavor that can sometimes accompany a red ale, but I'm afraid that's as close as it gets.  Virtually no malt sweetness is present.  The backbone of the beer brings out some of the brighter citrus from the aroma and can be downright sweet on the tip of the tongue.  Hoppy herbal spiciness is present, but not overbearing and complements the resin nicely.  All of this is overseen by a moderate bitter tinge.  To get any sense of the sweet malts used in this brew, you must give it a wine taster's slurp.  This brings a super rich combination of resin and caramel rushing to your tastebuds and you'd swear you were sipping on some big ol' DIPA!  The finish is again biscuity and crisp, but features a nice bitter with it.  It also shows off the body of this beer remarkably well.

Note:  The caramel becomes more detectable as a general sweetness toward the bottom of the bottle. is there a real reason for this?  Is it my imagination?  Is my palate simply become acclimated to the hops and able to more easily detect other flavors?  I find this odd since usually the malts are more present than hops at colder temperatures and as the beer warms, usually it is the hop aromas/flavors that open up.

Mouthfeel 5/5

This is nice and smooth in the mouth, a neat contrast from the crisp bitter flavors in this beer.  The carbonation is just about perfect.  It keeps the beer drinkable and refreshing in spite of the silky, bitter brew in which it resides.

Overall Impression 8/10

This is a very tasty beer that I would not hesitate to drink again, but it's a stretch to call this a red ale, even an India-style red ale.  Simply put, it lacks almost any of the sweetness that one can expect to encounter when drinking a red ale.  Even if this is a beer that is not at its freshest, I would've expected the hops to deteriorate and not the malts!  The sweetness in the malts only becomes easily detectable when the beer is slightly below room temperature.  To its credit, this beer has a delicious, yet less-than-robust aroma and a mouthfeel that keeps you drinking.  As an IPA, its pretty damn good!

Total 44/50

I'd not be afraid to give this brew a solid B on it's report card.  I'd also tell its parents at conferences that it could really be something if it just applied itself... to the style it intended to be.  I'm sure that Half Acre with all their brewing prowess could quite easily squeeze some more sweet, malty goodness into this bottle and truly set it apart as a red.  Heck, as it stands it's one helluva IPA, so with some small tweaks to make it a true a red ale it would easily fall into my top 5, even top 3.  After all, there's really nothing to complain about.  It's flavorful, shows good aroma, insane lacing, and is surprisingly drinkable even with its smooth body and bitter flavors.  I can easily and happily recommend it as an IPA.  Those who love and respect the red ale style might be a tad disappointed by the lack of sweet malts.  However, one can only be so disappointed when they're looking for one thing and find an equally pleasing substitute.  It reminds me of an Emerson quote:

"If we shall take the good we find, asking no questions, we shall have heaping measures."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Beer Filled Weekend

This tale of ale begins because my wife was made a Matron of Honor at her best friend's wedding and so we sallied forth to Chicago for the weekend. Most things happened at the Drake (um, WOW!), but as my wife had any number of responsibilities to attend to, this left me with quite a bit of free time in between scheduled activities. Needless to say, I got my Chi-town drink on.

Thursday: To be honest the weekend seemed to give me a preview of things to come when I received my Maker's Mark "newborn" notification. I became a Maker's Mark Ambassador back in October of 2011. This is simply a neat program they have where you can learn quite a bit about the Maker's Mark process, get some cool promotional items, your name on a barrel of whiskey, AND purchasing rights to said barrel. Well, more than half a year later, I finally received notice that my name is on a barrel and aging as we speak. You also get rights to purchase your barrel plate with your name on it. To check out more about the program (or to sign up) you can go here.

They even throw in business cards!

Friday: We headed to Chicago.  One of the first things that needed to be done was to take the wife and the bride to get their nails done (technically, they were "Mani pedis," but I can never bring myself to say, or even type, the phrase "Mani pedi" without feeling like a complete idiot.  I was informed that this would take an hour and a half, so on the recommendation of a good friend (@vmoon54) I left in search of The Pour House.  This was a really nice, big place.  If you have a Granite City by you, the interior is decorated sort of like that.  There's lots of dark wood, exposed limestone, stainless steel, etc.  It's very modern and clean.  There are also TV's covering virtually every square inch of wall.  They were all Panasonic and one was easily the largest TV I've ever seen that wasn't a projector or lots of smaller screens piece together to make on big screen.  Oh, and then there was the beer.  I counted 72 (6 bunches of 12) taps close to me, then there was a break, and then there were another 72 taps.  I don't know if they were duplicates, but I can only assume some were different since they advertise 90 taps.  I had the good fortune to wander downstairs to the restroom while the door to the cooler room was open.  The cooler room is about 9 feet wide and seemed about 50 yards long, all filled with kegs, lines, and pumps.  Since I don't generally bring my camera with me to the rest room I was unable to take a pic of this.  While there, I tasted a Jolly Pumpkin ES Bam (WOW!), a Lexington Brewing Co Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (like a boozy creme brulee!), and my very first Sixpoint Resin!  Let me say that it's reputation is well earned.  Oh, and Old Town Pour House also gets bonus points for showing Euro Cup soccer matches.  Not that I'm a big soccer fan, but there were a ton of England fans there drinking, cheering, and making for a great atmosphere.  I couldn't help but get into the game! The rest of the night was an open bar at the rehearsal dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant call Le Colonial. While their food was ridiculously tasty, their beer selection was subpar (Amstel, Stella, Heinekin, something else, and thankfully Sierra Nevada) so I mostly stuck to rye and whiskey the rest of the night.

Look at that monstrous TV!

Saturday: The day of the wedding. My wife was needed first thing in the morning so I had a bunch of time to kill. The first thing I did was show up at the Map Room. It's just a little corner place that seemed like it could barely contain the reputation it has. Funny story about how I came to choose this location. About a week or two ago, I posted on Facebook if anybody had any Two Brothers - Hop Juice Black for sale or trade. I was unable to attend their Hop Juice Festival this year, but still had a yankerin' for that once-a-year, festival released brew. I get an email from a good friend saying he saw some on Craigslist Chicago. Long story short, I bought 4 bottles of Hop Juice Black from a guy off of Craigslist AT COST. If there are any BeerAdvocate folks out there, you can do a trade with "dlello2" with no problems. He couldn't stay long, but we shot the bull a little bit and I continued to drink beers that I normally do not have access to, namely: Stiegl Goldbraü, Ommegang Abbey Ale, and Unibroue Maudite. Well, we have access to some of these beers, but only via bottle. Also, because I see these bottles all the time (with the exception of the Stiegl), it's harder to make that purchase. When I get bottles, I want to try something new or that I might not be able to get again - to jump on those opportunities. In any case, it had a pretty casual vibe with great beer at good prices. They even have pint glasses full of pretzel rods at each table. Nice touch. My only complaint is with the bartender that day. He recommended to me the Ommegang "double." I asked what it was called since I didn't know Ommegang had a beer called a "double." He looks at me and shrugs, "Just double." Clearly, that is not accurate. If you don't know, that's OK, but please say so. Also when a customer at the bar (I was eavesdropping from one of the tables) asked what dry-hopping was, he gave the long answer of someone who doesn't know but is doing their best to BS it. His answer revolved around an analogy between fresh herbs and dry herbs vs. fresh hops and dried hops. This, of course, is completely false. Maybe he was new, but Map Room still needs to make sure their people know their stuff. Even on a Saturday around noon. In his defense, he was very nice and even offered me a few unusual coasters they had lying around.

Stolen from chicagoblogger.com

Sweet, sweet, Hop Juice Black.

While I was sitting in the Map Room, I happened to get a message from the Twitterverse saying that I should come to the Haymarket Brew Pub.  My first experience with Haymarket was at the 2011 Midwest Brewers Fest in Plainfield, IL.  They rocked my socks off at that time, so I figured this was as good of an excuse as any to venture over there.  I picked up some friends en route and we got ready to sip some brews.  We had gotten our first drink when I finally met @ChicagoCousin from the Twitterverse.  His name is Gary and not only was Gary a pretty cool guy, he's also enough of a regular that he proceeds to give me a full tour of the place!  I even got to meet Brewer Pete Crowley.  Very cool!  We had to leave all too soon, but I bought a hat, had some brews, and know that I'll be back there again.  Thanks Gary!

Sort of a back room area.  To get to this separate room, you must pass
through a corridor which shows off all their brewing equipment and tanks.

Sunday:  Fortunately, that is not the end of my weekend of craft beer related fun. When I arrive home Sunday afternoon, inside I find a monster 26.4 lb package that has been awaiting my arrival home since Friday. This is the first half of a tremendous beer trade from trading buddy Eric. I'll just let the picture do the talking.

L to R: Baudelaire Beer, E.S. Bam, Bam Biere, Weizen Bam,
Fuego del Otoño, Calabaza Blanca, Maracaibo Especial, &
Madrugada Obscura

That's right, there's 8, count 'em, 8 bottles of Jolly Pumpkin for my drinking enjoyment! This is an enormous haul for me, especially since I have absolutely none of this in my area. Needless to say, I'll have to find a way to make it worth his while. This is kick ass!

Note: After I was packing up all these beer post-photo, I discovered an ADDITIONAL beer tucked away amongst all the bubble wrap and packing peanuts!  I've been wanted to try this and  will be reviewing it very soon.

In Chicago & its surrounding burbs, there is a huge beer scene waiting to be discovered, place by place.  Don't pass that up!  Especially if you live there!  You never know what new cool thing lurks through the next doorway: unusual taps, cool bartenders, raucous customers, knowledgable acquaintances, different ambiances, and  maybe even some new friends.  There's still lots of places I need to see (Finch's, Publican, Metropolitan, Hopleaf, Rock Bottom, Wild Onion, etc), but this was a darn good start.  My kind of town....

Finch's - Cut Throat Pale Ale

Alright gang, time to shine the spotlight on a local craft brewer that seems to be making big strides every time I hear about them.  I am, of course, referring to Finch's Beer Company located in sunny Chicago.  Now I like this company already for the following reasons:
1.  Umm, hello?  They're out of Chicago.
2.  They involve birds in their labels and I'm sort of a bird watching nerd.
3.  They have a great festival presence and were at both MWBF & SCBF in 2011.
4.  They can their beers.
4.  Their latest can design was in collaboration with another local business, Chicago clothier Threadless (@threadless), and is super cool.

Plus, if you head over to http://www.threadless.com/ right now, they'll give you 50% on purchases $25 or more (through 10am CST, March 30, 2012).  No, I am not being compensated in any way to say this.  I just simply enjoy both companies and wish them a lot of success.

However, I'll try to put these biases aside and give this beer a fair review.  For those curious, this brewer is widening its distribution area every day.  I've seen it in WI & all over IL.  It's worth looking for.  Let's pour!

Aroma 11/12
It begins with a strong piney hop, but isn't afraid to show more.  The malt is a hearty version of a typical pale ale cracker/biscuit variety.  It's a toasted, bready malt with a touch of sweetness that shows enough grain aroma to make you think it might be one of the nice, seed-laden breads in the super market.  Citrus is there right along with it, provided a interesting citrus that I described once as "lymon" and I stand by that call.  It has the bright lemony citrus and is not hard to imagine, but it also has the darker, almost bitter citrus as when one bites into a wedge of lime after a gin & tonic.  It is definitely a different citrus bitter than a grapefruit.  As the beer warms, grassier hop notes arrive, but do not take anything away from the existing bouquet.  They only add to it.

Appearance 3/3
This has the bright, pumpkin-flesh colors that we expect in a pale ale and also a light haze.  The haze is well done as it is present enough to provide some color differentiations, but also light enough to provide a clarity that compliments the colors.  The head was a light rust pastel, almost two fingers worth, leaves little lacing, and had adequate, but not stellar, retention.

Flavor 19/20
There is a brief, but intense, flash of grain and then the palate is awash in bitter grapefruit citrus, which makes up the vast majority of the beer's backbone.  To be fair, the grain doesn't go away completely, but it does take a back seat to the hops and transitions to more of a crackery, traditional pale ale malt.  The hops are not only of grapefruits, but are also somewhat peppery and lend just a slight sour note.  This is a very nice myriad of flavors that all come together wonderfully!  The finish is a return to its grain and grapefruit origins, is remarkably clean, and leaves the mouth very dry.  Usually, that sort of drying is only achieved through a combination of hops and high ABV, but at 5.6% they appear to have done it through hops alone.  I'm hesitant to mention the orange peel notes in this beer (and on its label) because this is not a "orange" beer.  The only telltale sign of the orange is a rather generic citrus note and a definite bitter from the peel.  A quick slurp brings the citrus and what warmth there is rapidly to the surface.

Mouthfeel 5/5
Nothing wrong here.  The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth and substantial, especially for the style.  This is definitely one robust pale ale.  The carbonation is tiny, ample, and does not prick the tongue, again lending to this brew's smooth nature.  A light swish in the mouth yields some additional creaminess.  As mentioned earlier, a quick slurp does bring out some alcohol warmth.  Strange in a 5.6% ABV brew.

Overall Impression 10/10
This is a bruiser of a pale ale.  In its hop content, its hearty grains, its body, and its aroma.  Everything about this makes it a grandiose version of the style.  If you're drinking pale ales for their light, rice cracker malts and hints of citrus, then stay away from this one.  It'll make your eyeballs shoot directly into the bottom of your glass and because you couldn't see that you'd probably end up drinking your own eyeballs.  No one wants that.

Total 48/50
I really tried.  I did.  I went back and looked hard to see if there was anywhere I could deduct points that perhaps my bias had given them unfairly.  Then I realized, I'm biased because I've had this beer before and it was damn tasty.  Guess what?  Still is.  It's a great, big version of the style and if you're looking for subtlety go elsewhere.  If it weren't for the strong, grainy malts this could probably pass as an full-bodied IPA.  As it stands, this instead offers more balance due to its malts and still manages to be very refreshing.  It might be a bit much on a summer scorcher, but cookouts/picnics/4th of July/National Panini Month/Duct Tape Days or whatever it's bound to be a success.  As I've recommended before: buy this, share this, drink this.  It won't let you down and it's gonna be GREAT this summer.  Cheers Finch's!  This is fine work.