The froth has barely settled since Goose Island tapped into six new beers only two weeks ago, but the local brewery is already months ahead of us. We caught up with Brewmaster Greg Hall last week to get the lowdown on what to expect in the upcoming seasons.
Pepe Nero
Looks like another cold, dark month, so the March release of the black saison style beer, Pepe Nero, will be a great compliment to eating steak while hibernating in the back of your favorite gastropub. Expect black, caramel malty flavors backed by the distinctive taste of black pepper. The draft-only pour will be available in select locations such as The Beer Bistro, Publican and Hopleaf.
Bourbon County Breakfast Stout
Did the other three variations of Bourbon County Stout do nothing for you? Do you have a questionable reliance on coffee? Are you curious about drinking beer first thing in the morning? All of these questions and more will be answered come April when Goose Island releases the Bourbon County Breakfast Stout. A limited edition 22 oz. bottle, this version of the stout will be chock full of coffee flavor from Intelligensia, who share their roasting space in the same building as the Goose Island brewery.
White City
Named after the first World's Fair, Hall describes this Imperial White Ale as being like the Snow Wit, but bigger. If it has any of the malty and citrus flavors of Snow Wit, the anticipated May deadline will be a fitting spring beer. Fleur Reunited and it feels so good. If you missed out on this seasonal ale last summer, this summer is your chance to hop to it. This yeasty beer hits the right notes for summer with floral notes and kombucha. Kombucha is good for you, right?
Collaborations
We recently reported that Hall and new Head Brewer, Jared Rouben, have been hopping around various restaurants, collaborating on small specialty productions such as the Snow Wit for Mado and most recently wrapping up a dark, hoppy wheat beer with Paul Vivrant of Vie that will be released within the next few weeks.
