312 Urban Wheat - Goose Island Beer Co.

    312 Urban Wheat is a Pale Wheat Ale brewed by Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago, Illinois. I'm pretty torn when it comes to Goose Island beers as a lot of their distributed beers seem to mirror the low quality of Goose Island's owner, Anheuser-Busch's products. Their in-pub only brews, however, are on par with those of the best craft breweries in the country. We'll see what side of the coin 312 sits on in just a minute, though I already have my guess.

    312 Urban Wheat pours a pale straw color with vivacious bubbles swarming inside the glass. A two finger head forms at pouring, but quickly subsides into a thin layer of bubbles which lace the glass as the beer is enjoyed.

    Aromas of wheat malt and a bit of sour corn predominate the beer's smell. Very light, hoppy, citrus scents give the beer a bit of a grassy quality.

    312 has a light body and a high level of carbonation. There is a slight bit of wateryness to the beer that I could do without, though it finishes dry. The beer is sessionable at 4.2% ABV.

Goose Island's next Headquarters?

    Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat beer tastes of light wheat malts with a slight aftertaste of corn. Very light citrus hops give the brew a hint of lemon zest.

    I remember having this beer soon after it was first released and thinking that it was a pretty decent wheat beer. Now, at this tasting, I'm shocked at how much the flavor has chanegd. I wonder if production was changed to make for being able to sell the product to a larger market, and in the process the recipe was reformulated to reduce the wheat malt used in brewing.

    Whatever the change was, it's definitely for the worse. I would definitely look elsewhere for a beer with great, clean wheat malt flavor. If you want something light, 312 still wouldn't be a horrible choice, but you could find better...

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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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Sofie - Goose Island Beer Co.

    Sofie is a Saison (also known as a Farm House Ale) created by Goose Island Beer Co. which is located in Chicago, Illinois. I recently had the beer on tap at a local bar and loved it, so when I saw this bottle on a random trip to the liquor store I had to pick it up.

    The Saison pours a pale yellow color with a bubbly froth on top. There is a definite effervescence in the beer, the bubbles give the beer an appearance similar to champagne.

    Belgian yeast is prominent in the ale's scent as is the aroma of citrus peel. The smell is extremely bright and interesting with a tiny bit of spice backing the lemony aroma.

   Sofie is light bodied with a huge level of carbonation. Long after pouring, bubbles continue to dance around inside of the glass. The ale is very crisp and pleasantly tart. With an alcohol content of 6.5% ABV, Sofie has little in the way of alcohol flavor nor warmth.

Bubbly and sweet, I've never wanted to date a beer so much before!

     Goose Island's Saison has many light flavors which work together to create an invigorating bouquet. Fruit flavors such as lemon and pear mingle with the fruity tasting Belgian yeast to create an interesting sweetness. There is very little bitterness in the ale, and what bitterness there is comes off as the tartness of citrus fruits. As the ale warms up, flavors of wheat and a flavor almost like that of wine begin to come through.

    When I first tasted this beer I remarked to my friends that I thought it tasted like a pretty girl. No, I wasn't admitting to cannibalism. I was merely trying to express what the Saison's aroma and flavor conjured in my mind. The citrusy effervescence and wonderful aroma bring to mind the flowery perfume of a beautiful girl in the springtime. Perhaps this mental image was shared by the beer masters at Goose Island Beer Co., explaining why the ale received a girl's name.

    I was incredibly surprised that I liked this beer as I do not normally care for the flavor that Belgian yeasts lend to beers. I took a chance in trying the ale and I am extremely glad that I did. The crisp flavors and high level of carbonation really make this Saison seem like a true champagne of beers.

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