Matilda - Goose Island Beer Co.

    Matilda is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale in the series of Belgian Style Ales created by Goose Island Beer Co. which is located in Chicago, Illinois. I saw this beer in the singles cooler at a local liquor store and had to try it after my previous experience with Goose Island's Sofie.

    The ale pours a light brown color with a fluffy, two-finger head which lingers for an extremely long time and leaves a thick lacing on the glass.

    Matilda smells extremely interesting. There is an obvious Belgian yeast scent to the ale, though it is lighter than that found in other Belgians. There is a light peppery scent to the ale, adding to other earthy scents. The main stars of the aroma are the fruity scents such as pear, citrus, and apple.

    The Belgian Style Ale is medium bodied with a medium level of carbonation. The beer's texture is extremely velvety and smooth. The first word that came to my mind when drinking the beer was "soft" if that tells you anything about the beer's mouthfeel.

    Matilda's flavors are as interesting and varied as its aroma. Flavors of biscuity malts and the sweet Belgian yeast set a background for the other, more interesting flavors. Fruit flavors such as pear, nectarine, apple, and white grape are amazingly noticeable. The beer has a fruity, nectar sort of flavor about it.

    I'm finding more and more that, while I still don't quite enjoy the stronger Belgian Style Ales, I'm really enjoying the lighter, Saison style ales. Especially ones such as this and Sofie which feature an amazing variety of fruit flavors. Beer like this is comparable to fine wines in which you can pick out the flavors of many different things.

    Matilda is an extremely complex, yet still very enjoyable, and not overwhelming beer. It's very nice to see American brewers showing a mastery of the Belgian styles as well as putting their own spin on the classic style.

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