Oh yeah, it’s about time to crack open another brew for a craft beer review.  Today, I’ve got the Goose Island 25th Anniversary Ale produced by the Goose Island Beer Company located in Chicago, Illinois in my possesion.

We all know about Goose Island, so let’s forgo all of the small talk and check out the website, gooseisland.com, for a commercial description.

Brewed as a collaboration between Goose Island Brewmaster Brett Porter, Senior Brewer Keith Gabbett, Pub Brewmaster Nick Barron and Alumni Brewmaster Greg Hall. Deep mahogany color, rich fruit aroma with notes of lilac, big malt body with touches of roast and a dry, crisp finish.

Let’s do this.

This beer came in a 12 oz. bottle with an ABV of 6.4%.

It poured a nice amber/caramel color.  Quite clear with some burnt orange highlights around the curves of the nonic glass.  A fairly easy pour produced a very light tan head that was smooth and creamy.  It wasn’t extremely large and the retention time was only so-so.  The lacing was a bit underscored and thin too.

The aroma brought forth a nice toasted biscuit and toasted bread crust profile.  A slight amount of toffee and a light waft of nuttiness tickled my nostrils.  I even discovered the most faint scent of orange peel.  It smelled really nice for the style and I thought it was very well balanced.

The taste had a very nice malty backbone.  Lightly sweet caramel undertones with toasted breads.  Some earthy/herbal, however mild, bitterness along with another noticeable shot of orange citrus and nutty goodness

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Smooth, kind of creamy, a wee bit chewy and mostly dry.  A good medium strength carbonation was to be had and even a feeling of warmth was found.  A nice shot of flavor was left behind on the palate after each sip as well.

Yeah, there is no doubt that this is nice beer.  Definitely worth a try.  It has a great malty profile that would suit the Fall season to a “t”.  It’s very flavorful and semi-complex, yet retains an ease of drinkability that couldn’t be denied.  I think I could set several of these down at one time without having too much trouble.  I may have to watch out though because at 6.4% ABV I’m sure it would get on top of me in a hurry.  Have you guys tried the Goose Island 25th Anniversary Ale yet?  If not, give it a whirl and see what you think.  I’d be interested in hearing your opinion.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.0 out of 5

Grade:  B+