Mild Winter Ale

Tried mid day Sunday after cleaning up after the honorable celebration party of Matthew Bowman and his All-American title. I tried this previously at one of my visit to Goose Island on Clybourn in early November.

Appearance: Snifter poured. Mahogany brown that lacks much of an appetizing color. Medium white fizzy head. Carbonation visible, but mostly nontransparent from clouded darkeness.

Aroma: Sweet and slightly sour with a brief malt character and a bready pumpernickel character at the nose. Roasted coffee is extremely slight, but still present in the aroma accompanied with a nutty caramel aroma

Taste: Taste is a lot lighter than expected, lacking some flavor yet still bold with the toasted rye and pumpernickel flavors. Initially the beer comes off as quite spicy and almost tart from an underlying fruitiness that presents itself near indistinguishably with the caramel/toffee malt. The beer finishes slightly bitter but balances the sweetness well with an indistinct hop character.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a smooth texture. Carbonation is limited, but still just enough to enhance some of the flavors on the tongue

Overall Impression: Decent, but certainly not a favorite from the Goose Island line-up. It's nicely balanced, but I find a confusion in a beer that comes off very flavorful but is missing a body or even more sweetness. Balance is fine for what it is, but it lacks something..

76/100