Goose Island - Night Stalker Imperial Stout

I've been watching for this Goose Island Night Stalker to appear on a shelf, and I finally found it yesterday!  It's been raved about by a couple of my beer-loving buddies, so I'm excited to have the opportunity to try it tonight.  This is a hop-heavy imperial stout from Goose Island that delivers 11.7%ABV, 60 IBUs, and is recommended to cellar for 5+ years.  Since my patience equals that of a 5 year old, that's just not going to happen.  Also, it is the same base beer as the Bourbon County Stout, except instead of aging it in bourbon barrels, they dry-hop it!

The label on this bottle is awesome - a rising (or setting) moon on a dark cloudy evening, with a dark background and faint lettering - it's a perfect way to set the tone for the brew.  Also, this beer was bottled on 3/6/2010, so it's had over a year to develop and mature.

The beer is going into my snifter glass, it's a black-hole color with a deep, dark tan head that recedes slowly.  The nose is the real deal - huge chocolate notes mixed with some fruity hop flowers, and hints of vanilla.  Alcohol also makes a big appearance in their - but I keep going back to the chocolate and the surprising amount of hops in the smell.  The first sip....first thing that comes to mind is, RICH!  Full of roasty chocolate, smooth vanilla and licorice.  Then we journey into a layer of bittering hops, which aren't nearly as prominent as the nose indicated.  Transition from there to an alcohol warmth that compliments the other flavors nicely, keeping them from overwhelming the palate.  From the middle to the finish, there is a sweet chewy caramel flavor, delicious.  The finish brings a brief reminder of the dry-hopping they did for this stout, again not as much as I expected, but definitely noticeable and pleasant.  The body is thick, sticky and syrupy, and the carbonation is appropriately low for the style.

Overall Rating:  (5.6 out of 6.0)  This is certainly among the top stouts I've ever tasted.  I'm not sure that I would agree with the claim that this is a 'hoppy imperial stout' - the hops are present but they don't play as prominent a role as I expected.  This could easily be due to the 1+ year of aging?   But that doesn't change the fact that this was a fantastic beer, a must-have for those of you that like big and bold stouts.  


**Side Note:  Let's hope Anheuser-Busch doesn't ruin the quality brand that Goose Island has built!  I'm going to hold my tongue here and give GI the benefit of the doubt, that they can hold true to quality and not fall prey to the cost-cutting ways of big-beer.  I won't call them sell-outs unless their beer starts to taste like crap.

Goose Island - Pepe Nero

Tonights review is of a brand new beer developed by Goose Island called Pepe Nore.  It was brought to my attention as soon as I walked into Lees store.  I'm always up for trying something new and Goose Island generally makes some pretty tasty beers.  Especially their beers outside of their normal, year round line-up.  I absolutely loved their 2008 Bourbon County Stout after I had aged it for a few years.  So tasty!  Pepe Nore is a dark farmhouse ale brewed with peppercorn.  That is an ingredient I have yet to have the pleasure of tasting in a beer so Im looking forward to seeing how its integrated.

This "Black Saison style" pours a deep mahogany brown with a thin tan head.  The aroma is somewhat reminiscent of band aid adhesive.  Wafting the aromas further brings in notes of the saison/farmhouse style.  I think some dark fruits are trying to battle with the saison aromas and its not quite working for me.  It may also be some of the peppercorn coming through as well.  Overall a muted aroma not worth getting too fussy over.  On to the tasting!  Highly carbonated yet smooth texture.  The peppercorns come through prominently towards the end.  The initial flavors of light fruits, apple and pear come to mind.  Those fade quickly into a mildly sweet chocolaty spice.  It definitely reminds me of a peppercorn burger minus the burger.  The finish is dry and the peppercorn lingers after I swallow.  Little to no alcoholic presence.

Overall 4.3/6.0 - I dont think Im a big fan of the Black Sasion category just yet.  Maybe its the peppercorns but I dont find myself looking forward to each consecutive sip.  Its a well brewed beer.  I couldnt find any flaws.  Maybe the balance was a little undone.  I would have liked more characteristics from the saison style than was presented.  Certainly a unique brew and enjoyable if you like peppercorns.  If not, this may not be for you.

Bottled 1/7/11 - Batch 1158

Goose Island - Sofie

Tonights review is our first guest review since starting this blog in early December.  With how much my wife puts up with my incessant ranting about good beers, bad beers, brewing beer and so on I figured it was time to give her the opportunity to show her own appreciation for beer.  For the most part, she isn't your standard beer gal.  But she is a great science teacher and has a large affection for the science behind brewing a good beer.  She also knows what she likes and will latch onto a beer when she finds a good one.  We will see if the beer she is reviewing tonight earns her seal of approval!

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Sofie was introduced by Goose Island Brewing last year as the newest member of a series of special edition Belgian-style beers, joining Matilda, Pere Jacques, Juliet, and Fleur.  Sofie has an elegant white label with green and gold calligraphy.

This is a Belgian Style Ale containing a blend of 80% ale and 20% ale aged in wine barrels with orange peel.  The brewer’s notes recommend this beer for people who are fond of Belgian saisons.   Mine was bottled on 4/23/10 (1030, since I’ve been assured this isn’t the batch number I have no idea what it means).

On to the beer geek stuff.  According to the brewer’s notes this is a Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale that is 6.5% abv and has 25 ibu’s.  Amarillo hops as well as pilsner and wheat  malts were used.

Alright, on to tasting.

The aroma of this beer is a lemon, orange and wheat. The Amarillo hops used to ferment are very present in the nose.  The beer pours a pale gold color with a good amount of carbonation.

The citrus starts things off with a tartness that isn’t overpowering.   A little apricot is also in the background with distinct wheat flavors adding the slightest bit of sweetness.  This beer has a nice blend of tart and sweet without either flavor overpowering the other.  This beer almost reminds me of a cider.  Before you let that turn you off let me explain.  This beer has a light and refreshing quality that I associate with a cider, without being overly bitter.   As the beer warms, there is a little bit of a spicy character.  The finish is a fruity wheat flavor and the carbonation leaves a nice tingle on the tongue.

*WARNING*  BEER GEEK SCIENCE AHEAD

The brewers made an interesting choice of using Brettanomyces in brewing this beer.  In other beers this “British fungus” is seen as a contaminant because it can impart some off-flavors into the beer.  It is however not an uncommon choice for Belgians and Lambics.    Because this strain of yeast produces acetic acid it adds a bitter taste to the beer that is more sour cherry than bitter like a bittering hop would make it.

In Matilda, Goose Island puts the yeast directly into their barrels used for aging, but I’m not sure if this is true for Sofie as well or not.  This beer won a gold medal at the 2010 Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival.

Since my tasting preferences are far different from the boys my I will withhold applying a rating to this beer and let you try for yourself.