Monday, April 13, 2009

Chicago 2009: Goose Island Clybourn Heritage Collection Part 1 of 2

Goose Island set out to do something no other brewmaster could accomplish - make a set of craft beers to compete with wines. Ones that could be paired with foods. And titilate the tastes of ladies.

The first shot the Halls and their crew took at this were the popular Matilda, Bourbon County Stout, Pere Jacque, and Demolition about two years ago. This year, they released the evolution of this concept with four new beers: a new Demolition, Naughty Goose, Juliet and Sophia.

These four evoke flavors of their intended opponents. For example, the Naughty Goose is the beer equivalent of a Pinot Noir, whilst the new Demolition is a competitor for a heady white. I sampled two of the four while waiting for the Cubs' home opener to start after an icy rain delay in early April.

The Naughty Goose is a dead ringer for a pinot. Light but solid "American Brown Ale" served in a pint glass, backed with the rest of the tall 22 ounce (excuse me, "1 Pint 6 Fluid Ounces", according to the bottle). The bottle is meant to be drank within a half year of initial bottling. The beer is indulgent while light for a brown ale, with some hint of chocolate. Very good, very tasty.

The bomber of Demolition was a "Belgian Style Golden", with some bitterness and a heavy body for a golden ale. Some honey citrus flavour pares down the bitterness, and my British female drinking companion preferred this to the Naughty Goose.

More to come when Juliet and Sophia are released later this month. . . . .

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