Goose Island 25th Anniversary ESB
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.
3.5
249 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
Pours a dark copper brown with a nice head. Aroma is malt, caramel, and some fruit. The taste is fruity and lightly hoppy with a decent malt backbone. Unfortunately, there’s a metallic taste in the finish that’s really unpleasant. It’s just an ok beer before the finish but the metallic taste makes it not very enjoyable for me.
Hazy dark golden colored pour. Big off-white head with plenty of lacing. Peppery malt aroma with sour ale kind of presence. Sweet malty flavor with a carbonic dryness. Dry finish. Not bad.
Pours clear, very light brownish amber. Medium frothy white head, mostly lasting with good lace. Aroma is very inviting. Floral hoppy, light caramel/toasty, light fruity, soft pine, bit of earthiness. Medium body. Nicely developing palate. Semisweet, fair bitterness, dry finish. Quite good. Very well-made. Exceeded my expectations.
aroma-hoppy, a bit bitter, some fruit and flowers.
Taste is fairly smooth, but with some pine and a tiny bit of bitterness. Malt, some floral perhaps.
Bronze appearance. Nose is earthy and mild with cedar and nutty notes. Interesting floral taste up front, hit immediately by a striking candy corn bitterness and sweetness. I’ts not bad but also nothing too challenging.
12 ounce bottle
A run of the mill ESB could pass muster at a pub in England. Otherwise it isn’t anything particularly special. This is one of those beers that has enough flavor to be interesting but after a while fades into the background.
Aroma / Appearance - The carbonated bronze base supports a foamy head of eggshells. Peppery malts, brown tea, and mild noble hops are soothing. This is pretty average for the style overall.
Flavor / Palate - Honey, almonds, crushed walnuts, and a dash of white pepper throw off the palate for the first few sips. This is slightly atypical until it is about halfway gone. At that point it becomes more of an average ESB. At 6.4% it is not exactly sessionable but it would not be hard to drink a few. That said I am glad I only had the single bottle in the fridge.
Bottle from SJ. Very nice notes of Earth, bread, caramel malts and hop. I’m becoming a huge fan of Goose Island.
Bottle. Pour is clear orange amber with cream colored head. Aroma is rich roasted malt, deep fruit notes, some light floral. Taste is deep rich fruit, plum and orange, malt, some light spice, a yeast character, slight funk, a mild bitterness at the end.
Pours a dark amber color with a lacy yellow head. Notes of burnt caramel, chocolate hops, floral hops, and orange citrus. Very nice
Bottle from shelf aroma, nutty english garbage water, some caramel offered. Taste is chewy caramel, bready. Low carb, sweetish finish. Standard ABInBev Macro swill. No.
Bottle. Amber body with a frothy, off-white head. Aroma of caramel, pine twigs, herbs, toasted grain, molasses, earthy hops. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Lots of caramel and earthy hops in the taste. Some peppery notes. Dense, muddled, disappointing.
Bottle. Pours orange with some head/ lace. Aroma is light fruity, light toasty,caramel, sweet grass. Flavor is fairly resinous, medium toast, moderate sweetness, earth, well rounded. Feel is full, dense, but lively. This is unexpectedly good and really works.
Bottle. Moderate malt aromas of roasted, nutty and caramel, light to moderate pine for the hops, light dough for the yeast, with hints of date and faint smoke. Head is average size, frothy, light beige with good lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is slightly hazy copper. Flavor starts lightly sweet and acidic, then finishes lightly acidic and lightly to moderately bitter. Palate is medium, slick, with a soft to lively carbonation. A nice Premium Bitter and a great drinking beer. I could drink quite a few of these.
Bottle. Cloudy, amber gold color. Medium head, good lace. Aroma is very well balanced. Taste is malty on the front taste with a great hoppy finish.
Nice caramel malty aroma. The flavor has some floral notes to it and a bit of fruit. Earthy with a hint of wood and smoke. Finishes quite dry. I keep wanting to dislike this brewer solely for the InBev connection but they keep turning out quality stuff.
Appearance was deep orange amber with creamy off whitish diminishing 1/2 finger head, spotty lacing. Aromas are easy deep fruits, dough, pale, caramel, crystal malts, clean yeasts, no alcohol. Taste are sweet malts upfront, then the fruits of orange, cherry, honey melon. Hints of Hawaiian bread, smooth English yeasts with no alcohol. Palate are soft creamy smooth CO2 with medium body, then a fruity malty slightly dryish finish. I like this malty fruity brew.
Pours a dark amber with a medium, beige head. Aroma is malty with citrus notes. Flavor is caramel malt, orange and other citrus notes, marmalade, and some smokiness. Medium body with medium carbonation. Pretty good effort overall.
Cool "mahogany" pour w/ a nice tan head that leaves good lacing. The aroma is sweet & citrusy. The taste is surprisingly crisp & clean. The hops are nearly nonexistent which is weird but the smooth almost carmely finish is tasty & a great ending!
Sampled on 11/4/2013. This ESB pours a medium amber orange color from a 12oz bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is fruity and sweet, caramel and bready. A medium bodied Extra Special Bitter. The malts are fruity and sweet, caramel and bready. The hops are floral and earthy. Decent carbonation. Nice balance. Very drinkable bitter. Touch of fruitiness with some crisp dryness at the finish. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean, crisp and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter
Poured into a pint glass. Color is a deeper amber sunburst with a nice sticky white head. The nose is initially floral, hops with some biscuity bread notes that blend together well. The taste is bitter, hoppy at first but balanced very well with some sugary sweetness and malt flavors. This one surprised me, well done ESB!
12 ounce bottle, bottled on date of 25 APR 13. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a slightly hazy copper color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent. The brew smells like toasted malt, toffee, and candied oranges. The taste is similar to the aroma, but there’s the addition of some herbal hop flavor. I know this brew isn’t exactly fresh, but it’s still tasty. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s a bit slick with moderate carbonation. I think it’s a good ESB. Definitely worth a try.
Smoke, orange marmalade, licorice. Sweet and not very bitter. Good mouthfeel and interesting character. Nothing like any ESB I’ve ever had before, although I’m not very well versed in the style.
[Bottle (12oz).] Pours a deep orange-amber with an average size long-lasting frothy off-white head. Nice lacing on the glass. Nice aroma, it’s lightly sweet, fruity and pleasantly hoppy along with bready malt. Flavour of sweet malt, herbal hops and fruit -- lightly spicy as well and with a moderate bitter finish. Medium bodied. A well made, solid ESB.
12 oz bottle pours amber with a off white head. Aroma of malts and citrus and pine. Taste is sweet malts, and a nice citrus bitterness.
Bottle. Interesting murky, ruddy color on this, but little apparent head. Drinks with a delicious fall character, richly caramel malt with a nice pleasant floral hop flourish. There is an interesting garden-like essence to this, too. Good stuff. (#5303, 10/27/2013)
12oz bottle. Aroma is darker malt with with some sweetness. Appearance is a murky brown with some lacing. Taste is a light brown ale that turns a darker esb bitter. Palate is pretty neutral. Overall, a great esb. Would buy on draft fo sho.
Bottle shared at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Pours orange to brown hazy with a small head, aroma of marmalade, orange, a bit floral, flavor is bitter, floral, slightly smoked, medium bodied
Bottle at home. Peculiar aroma with some faint oaky, whiskey, and vanilla underneath. Sweet caramel and nut aroma up front. The flavor profile is very sweet, nutty, vanilla, mildly bitter finish. Weird, but not too bad.
Pours a dark, cloudy amber with an unusual yellowish, bubbly head, that dissipates quickly. Sour and malty, moderate hops. It’s okay but I still don’t really get the appeal of the style.
Bottle sample at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Thanks zvikar. Hazy copper, white film. Sweet, malt, candy and sweet roll aroma, sweet, bitter undertones and a delicate malt taste. Medium body, slightly bitter finish.