Goose Island Gillian

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (owned by AB InBev) in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 765ml bottle bought at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled 9/12/2013)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Sour/Saison, 9.5% 

Reported IBUs: 20

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend. My weekend was busy, so I'm happy to kick back with some fancy beer. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

Goose Island's Gillian (formerly known as "Scully") is one of the brewery's "vintage" beers. This Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale is brewed with white pepper, strawberry, and honey. The final blend consists of beer partially aged in wine barrels, and the beer is fermented using Belgian Ale yeast and Champagne yeast. The malt base includes 2-Row, Pilsen, and Torrified Wheat, and this one uses Amarillo hops. Let's glass 'er up and see what we got.

Goose Island Gillian

The beer pours into a hazy, melon/peach/orange-tinted body, and kicks up two fingers of rapidly dissolving white head. The head peaces out, but there's a ton of effervescent carbonation rising upwards and crackling away in this. Bright light confirms much of the same, highlighting a white ring of lacing on the edge of the glass.

The aroma on this beer is super complex, with tons of tart funk, delicious fruit, and vinous white wine. I'm pulling off strawberries, peaches, mandarins, hints of tart/acidic orange, grapes, and berries. There's also some big lactic character on the aroma, with some [?] Brett funk. I'm getting wood and oak on the aroma as well, with lots of wood tannin, and vinous, white wine elements. There's some more orange and mimosas...that's what I'm getting. This smells like mimosas. It must be the champagne yeast.

The taste isn't quite as magical as the aroma, but it is still fantastic. Where the aroma implies lots of fruity complexity juxtaposed with the wine and funk, the taste dials up the malt sweetness, honey, and alcohol. This is still really good, with strawberry, melon, peaches, oranges, and mimosa all showing up in the taste. You also get tons of bready malts and honey. There's pepper in the mix, which definitely goes with the Farmhouse Ale theme, and some very balanced white wine flavors with grape, gooseberry, wood tannin, and some barrel character showing up. The 9.5% is totally undetectable, minus some warming on the back.

This is a medium-bodied beer thanks to the fruity tartness and slightly dry finish. It reminds me of champagne, or a mimosa to be more exact. There's lots of lively carbonation, and it is refreshing. But 9.5%, oh man. That will get you drunk. This is a very wine-like beer, which is not a bad thing at all. More on that in a minute. Palate depth and complexity are both outstanding. You get some tart kick up front, with big orange and mimosa; that rolls into the malts, honey, and bread, with some peppery spice and floral complexity, and more fruits; the back adds some of the wine flavors, and you get the wood tannin. The booze and warming shows up at the end. Good stuff.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I gotta go with a Strong Above-Average on this. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for that might take this beer to the next level...maybe some time in the bottle to funk up? That's the thing though, I'm having a hard time justifying the purchase of another bottle. This one was selling for around $30 dollars a bottle....which is understandable given the aging process, and I get that. For me, this is a food beer meant to be enjoyed with a meal. Pair this with some mussels in a white wine sauce, or some calamari, or some white pasta. Seriously, do it. If you don't pair this beer with food, you're going to be missing out. The barrel character and light tartness can cut through oils and cheeses, so go savory and decadent. 

Random Thought: Oh man, the Bears laid an egg today. After today's crapfest, they deserve not being in the playoffs.