Goose Island Bourbon Imperial Brown Goose (Bottled)
Bottles for this are listed as Imperial Brown Goose but are the Bourbon Imperial Brown Goose
Please note that this is a Fulton creation of a blend of 2 Christmas ales aged in a bourbon barrel. The label calls it Imperial Brown Goose. Current version for Michael Jackson’s Rare Beer Club is 8% and spent 9 months in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels.
Please note that this is a Fulton creation of a blend of 2 Christmas ales aged in a bourbon barrel. The label calls it Imperial Brown Goose. Current version for Michael Jackson’s Rare Beer Club is 8% and spent 9 months in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels.
3.7
173 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
Tasted on 12/19/10 from a 750mL bottle purchased at Lush West Town with the AZ Crew. Pours cloudy brown with a thick beige head that slowly settles into spotty lace. The nose is dill oak with some bourbon and brown malt. The flavor is brown malt with vanilla, oak, whiskey, and brown sugar. The body is medium with lots of carbonation and a long bourbon finish.
Bomber poured a clear reddish brown with a small lingering tan head. Aromas of bourbon, oak, vanilla, carmel, cocoa and light fruittiness. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of bourbon, oak, vanilla, carmel, cocoa and light fruittiness with a smooth lingering fruity finish.
I wanted to try this for so long, then I heard it was getting kind of crappy.... so I didn’t really want to try it. But I was all over it when the Goose Island rep brought it out at Des Moines Brew Fest.
Pours a deep reddish brown with a good head that leaves a lace and has a good retention. The aroma is nutty with some bourbon, some molasses, some iodine, and some chocolate. The flavor has some cherry, some bourbon, and a lightly tart character. The beer is earthy and woody with notes of chocolate and port with some mild spiciness.
Turned out to be pretty good!
25 oz bottle, 2006 batch. Dark brown with a smooth off-white head. Nose is bourbon, wood and brown sugar with a touch of cardboard. Medium light with foamy carb. Taste is raisin, cola, brown sugar and bourbon. Finishes woody with burnt sugar. Quite vibrant for its age but the base beer doesn’t hold up to the barrel.
A: The pour is a darkish amber color with a moderate off-white head.
S: There is a nice bourbon and booze note to the beer, but it’s not overwhelming at all. A nice vanilla and almost honey like aroma on top of a bit of malt.
T: A bit of oxidation on this one--mild stale brown sugar taste. Certainly some bourbon and vanilla, along with a nice malty sweetness throughout.
M: Medium to full bodied with a soft carbonation.
D: A very nice beer. The bourbon and barrel contributions are there but not overwhelming nor too subtle. Nicely done all around.
GABF ’09.
Pours a deep brown with a thin body and an aroma of alcohol-infused iced tea. Flavor is saccharin-sweetened tea and malty biscuit floating in water. Watery mouthfeel. Awful.
Sample courtesy of markwise, thanks. Pours ruby red - amber with thin tan head. The aroma is sweet rich bourbony goodness mixing with some chocolate, caramel and then oak. A few more whiffs and the aroma pretty much takes on nothing but bourbon, a pretty nice smelling bourbon too. The taste is all bourbon with a faint sense of chocolate and caramel sweetness. It tries to roll into a bit of malt roastiness from time to time but it doesn’t really get there. Great smelling beer. The taste only seems to deliver bourbon as the beer flavor is squashed underneath.
Bierkraft 22oz bottle @Tampa Wkly Gathering @BT Thanks Markwise-pours an off white head and copper color. Aroma is bourbon, medium malt-caramel. Taste is bourbon, sweet medium malt-caramel, secondary earthy hops.
Bierkraft botle courtesy fo markwise.
pours brown, thin off-white/tan head.
aroma caramel malts, and lots of bourbon goodness.
flavors, wonderfully fresh, bourbon bomb just insane how it blends perfectly with the imp brown. The bourbon really took over the beer, none the less the caramel malt aspect was nice and present. Finish keep a sweet vanilla/coconut palate, lots of bourbon heat.
The aroma is booze, fruit, sour, malty, very nice. The appearance is dark red/brown, opaque, tan head. The flavor is lik ethe aroma, with bourbon taking the lead, malts, fruits. The finish is light hops, and an alcohol warming in the throat. The mouthfeel is medium/thick. Very good beer overall.
Bottle 2006 Pours out a brown with some mahogany highlights topped with a light tan head. Aroma was of oak, bourbon, vanilla, and sweet rich malts. Taste was very nice more of the sweet vanilla, bourbon, some rich malts. Thanks Toby for this treat.
Thanks Eric for bringing this to the Goose Island and Lunar Brewing Imperial Brown Goose Tapping. We were able to compare the latest 09 draft version with this 06, 750 ml. bottled version. 4+ ozs. were poured to an "on the rocks" cocktail glass, showing darkest brown color, with off white foam that reduced rather quickly to film, a thin ring, and modest lacing. The aroma was dark fruit, oak and bourbony alcohol. Combined, it gave me an initial impression of aged vinous qualities. A touch of roastiness, brown ale nuttiness, and a hint of vanilla rounded out the aroma notes, with some brown sugar sweetness appearing in the nose as it warmed. The flavor followed the aroma notes well. Medium+ body and a nice follow up treat to the 09 draft offering, displaying a smooth richness made possible by 3 years of good cellaring.
Thanks a ton to 17thfloor for opening this one and sharing! Pours a deep brown with a slight red hue and a gigantic fluffy off white head. Aroma is lightly bourbon, sweet toasted malt, toffee, lightly vanilla, a nice soft nutty character that lends just a right amount of sharpness. Flavor is where this one is at. While the aroma hints at good beer, the flavor is great. Lots of juicy nuts, almonds, coconut oils, sweet dark fruits, vanilla, nice bourbon in the finish that provides a rich alcohol and light chocolate finish. Medium to full body and a decent tickling carbonation. Lovely flavor and a rich bourbon note, surprisingly only 8 percent as it tastes really heavy.
750ml bottle that cost a pretty penny... 2006 8%. Pours a gorgeous very dark purple/red, clear but dark, very tall foamy off-white froth with long staying power and great lacing 4.5. Aroma is distinct goose, big barrel, vanilla and coconut, leaning more towards a suntan lotion-like strong creamy coconut, some light fruit mixed in but mostly nostril coating creamy milky coconut. Flavor follows aroma, milky oily coconut, literally tastes like a freshly cracked open coconut, very milky, long beautifully mellowed bourbon and light coconut aftertaste, with an even longer rum and coconut pina-colada-like aftertaste and even longer than that rich vanilla aftertaste, it evolves.. ha. The sugars are super sweet and bright but without adding a whole ton of flavor. Medium bodied, active somewhat sharp fluffy carbonation, quite airy, actually fairly thin and very far from sticky or syrupy. Interesting but not as good as the naughty goose based versions. Definitely tastes hotter than 8%. Somewhat vacant. Sugary sugary sugary...
2006 Bottle - Thanks Toby! - Man, I’m getting tired of rating all these bottles after Doug...Pours a thin dk brown with a small white head...aroma is massive barrel aging, bourbon oak, sweet creamy malt, little bit of roast...flavour is sweet and smooth, like bourbon cream...some folks would say it’s too bourbony, but I found it to be delicious... warming and loving some age...
An awesome bottle shared by Toby as his insane throw-down. Thanks man. Pours a dark red-brown hue with a small white head. The aroma was a pure smack of bourbon, some toasted malts as well. The flavor continued to be dominated by a huge bourbon barrel aspect, some sweeter caramel and malts also. Somehow, this beer was smooth and very drinkable. Nice.
This $30 bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a medium sized head of foamy tan colored bubbles that were mostly diminishing and left behind a semi-opaque dark brown colored body and an excellent lacing. The aroma was of brown malt and strong bourbon. The mouth feel was tingly at the start and strongly tingly at the finish. The flavor contained notes of strong bourbon and vinous malt. A wonderful best in class brew.
Bottle at Chris´grill party. Pours a hazy dark brown with a small off-white head. Sweet with malty aromas of caramel. Some alcohol notes. Also aromas of bourbon, vanilla and cask wood. Hints of prunes. Full bodied with a lively carbonation. Sweet and dry finish.
Murky brown pour with no head. Nutty and oxidation in the nose with subtle bourbon. Same in the flavor but even more subtle.
Awesome nose with lovely bourbon qualities. Great fizz makes for an exciting palate. Excellent, really compelling flavor prifile. Bottle shared at RBSG 2009 grand tasting.
2006 Bottle purchased at Lone Hill, opened at RBSG 2009. Nose is sweet with only light bourbon wood, brown sugar, milk. Color is lighter than expected - a very light brown and headless. Flavor is light pastry spice, a Seigneuriale flavor, again mild bourbon, oxidized sweetness. Much less big than I expected, but seems to have aged well, if slightly at the expense of the bourbon.
Finally. Finally. Finally. Damn this was worth the wait for me. Cloudy brown color. Tons of smooth bourbon on the nose. Some wood, vanilla, chocolate, caramel and brown sugar. Flavor is just sublime. Bourbon, vanilla, oak, toffee and caramel. God can I please have another bottle? PLEASE?????
750ml bottle (2006 vintage)... dark caramel brown pour, semi-opaque, with a thin milky white head....aroma of bourbon-laced sweet brown sugar and caramel malt. a little boozy as well... warm bourbon and vanilla with softer caramel malts. prickly carbonation with a lively effervescent mouthfeel. glad to try but nothing all that special.
how did i get to try this..Hans..by Gentleman .. .lots of bourbon and other sweet malts .. maybe slightly overdone, hold the sauce .. . pretty mellow .. . pours a dark tan, good foam ring .. . lots of bourbon and burning and burnt sugar... tastes like burning...not really, a good brew...
2006 bottle.
Pours a beautiful dark brown with a 3 finger off-white head that never fully dies and leaves extensive lacing.
Smells of sweet bourbon with pleasant waves of vanilla and hints of chocolate and oak. Beautiful.
Layers of bourbon and oak dance on top of a smooth layer of this imperial brown. The base beer seems to only serve as a staging ground for the bourbon barrel aging; that said, it works. Molasses, light candied fruits and a finishing touch of alcohol warmth round this out.
Mouthfeel is very smooth with a slight bit of lightness on the tongue. Just enough carbonation to keep the beer from dragging itself down. Nicely played here.
Drinkability is, all in all, quite good.
I’ve had many samples of this beer - but, only fresher bottles. Fresh, it is rich in bourbon, but there is no subtlety and no balance. With age, it appears that, while the bourbon is still the strongest player, the supporting actors finally get their voice and get to bring a promising beer to greatness. Age this one a couple of years, you won’t be disappointed.
Highly recommended (2+ years old).
2006 Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. a big thanks at that. poured brown/ruby with a beige head. aroma was great with bourbon, oak, vanilla, maple, dark fruit, and some caramel. flavor was bourbon, brown sugar, and oak. light body and high carb. this was some great stuff.
Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. The smell is very very bourbon like, vanilla, sweet syurp, and wood. The look is murky, clear, nice with a beige head. The taste is alcohol, malts, oak, toffee, vanilla, and wood.
(750ml bottle, 2006 vintage) Pours a dark brown body with a tall tan head. Aroma of strong bourbon, oak, toffee, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and banana. Flavor of bourbon, toasted grain, cola, vanilla, and toffee with a dry oak finish.
Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Pours a brown color with a a large light tan head. Nose is vanilla, bourbon, chocolate pudding and more rye whiskey. Taste is pretty much the same. Medium mouthfeel and a haunting finish. Delicious.
2006 vintage - Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Brown in color with a good sized tan head. Aroma is of bourbon, licorice, rye, and maple. Taste is of boubon, oak, malt with a dry wood finish.