Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (owned by AB InBev) in Chicago, Illinois
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack purchased at Binny's in IL; 2011
Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 6.2%
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| Goose Island Christmas Ale 2011 |
Appearance: The extra room you get in a nonic glass does benefit this beer, which generates a big head if you pour aggressively. I worked out 4-fingers of bubbly, foamy, thick head. The head is reddish-brown, and the body of the beer is reddish-brown/orange-brown. In dark light the beer looks darker red/brown. The beer has good carbonation, is slightly hazy/unfiltered, and has nice lacing.
Aroma: This is a really fun brown ale. You get a lot of hops on the nose: I smell pine, pine cone, pine nut, bread pudding, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, a doughy cake note, and lots of hoppy components that are earthy, minty, and even spicy. I'm getting a touch of nutmeg or allspice on the nose as well. Maybe some toast.
Taste: A nice dance between the pine and hop notes, and some nutty notes, and some malty notes that are definitely Brown Ale. I taste pine; pine cone, pine leaves, and pine nut. There is some nuttiness and caramel in the middle, lots of sweet malts throughout, hints of toast and bread pudding, and lots of pine and nuttiness on the finish. Slightly drying and even a touch bitter on the finish. There are some spices like brown sugar and nutmeg in the middle of the palate, and they do linger a bit in the finish as well.
Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: Maybe a touch thin or watery...but maybe not. Brown Ales aren't supposed to be super assertive. I would say this is on the heavy side of light, or the light side of medium. Balanced, drinkable, and has good depth and potential across the palate; pretty complex for the style. The alcohol isn't an issue at all, and the hops keep it from being overly sweet. Lots of pine on the front of the palate; nuttiness and brown ale notes in the middle with touches of brown sugar and nutmeg; more pine and nuttiness on the back end with that slightly dry finish.
Aroma: This is a really fun brown ale. You get a lot of hops on the nose: I smell pine, pine cone, pine nut, bread pudding, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, a doughy cake note, and lots of hoppy components that are earthy, minty, and even spicy. I'm getting a touch of nutmeg or allspice on the nose as well. Maybe some toast.
Taste: A nice dance between the pine and hop notes, and some nutty notes, and some malty notes that are definitely Brown Ale. I taste pine; pine cone, pine leaves, and pine nut. There is some nuttiness and caramel in the middle, lots of sweet malts throughout, hints of toast and bread pudding, and lots of pine and nuttiness on the finish. Slightly drying and even a touch bitter on the finish. There are some spices like brown sugar and nutmeg in the middle of the palate, and they do linger a bit in the finish as well.
Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: Maybe a touch thin or watery...but maybe not. Brown Ales aren't supposed to be super assertive. I would say this is on the heavy side of light, or the light side of medium. Balanced, drinkable, and has good depth and potential across the palate; pretty complex for the style. The alcohol isn't an issue at all, and the hops keep it from being overly sweet. Lots of pine on the front of the palate; nuttiness and brown ale notes in the middle with touches of brown sugar and nutmeg; more pine and nuttiness on the back end with that slightly dry finish.
Rating: Divine Brew
Score: 92%* * * * * *
Comments: According to Ratebeer, the Goose Island Christmas Ale uses Belgian malts and crystal hops to impart a wintery and European flare on the beer. According to the Goose Island website, the hops change every year. They do state that this year's beer uses Pale, Munich, and Caramel malts.
The bottle states that this beer can develop in the bottle for up to 5 years, and is best enjoyed in a nonic pint glass. I'll probably age one of these for shits and giggles, but 5 years is a long time to age a Brown Ale; especially one at 6.2%. Still....when you stir up the bottle, you can clearly see yeast sediment floating around in the bottom. This appears to be bottle conditioned.
The bottle states that this beer can develop in the bottle for up to 5 years, and is best enjoyed in a nonic pint glass. I'll probably age one of these for shits and giggles, but 5 years is a long time to age a Brown Ale; especially one at 6.2%. Still....when you stir up the bottle, you can clearly see yeast sediment floating around in the bottom. This appears to be bottle conditioned.
Conclusion: Remember folks...this is an American Brown Ale. This even stays within the American Brown Ale guidelines, highlighting the malts while providing a fair amount of hops.
The aroma and appearance of this beer points to Christmas. The taste is pine, which is definitely wintery and Christmas-like. There is a good balance of nuts, spice, and caramel.
This is a wonderfully executed American Brown Ale, and a wonderful Christmas companion. It may not be the best Christmas beer, but for the style it is an excellent Winter/Christmas American Brown Ale.
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