Within the past few weeks I’ve reviewed several of the Goose Island Beer Company’s products, and nearly all of them have passed my stringent quality test to enter into this beer lover’s pantheon of acceptable and respectable beers. Strangely, in the process I realized that I had yet to try Goose Island’s flagship beer, known as Honker’s Ale. This is the beer I see most commonly from Goose Island. It’s on tap at loads of Chicago bars, and I see six packs for sale throughout the Midwest and on the East Coast when I travel. Clearly the people are enjoying this beer, so when I came to and decided to give this one a try, I knew I had to pay particular attention to it to discover just why it’s so popular despite the company’s limited distribution.
For starters, this beer has brought home to Chicago a couple of prestigious awards. It took home the bronze medal at the World Beer Cup in 2006 and another bronze in 2003 at the Los Angeles County Fair Competition. Not bad at all for a little brewery from the Windy City.
The Honker’s Ale is a solid example of the classic English-style Pale Ale. Often replicated yet rarely well executed, the pale ale is a gamble even for seasoned brewers. Goose Island seems to know exactly what they’re going for, however. When I ordered a pint of this the beer entered the glass to display a bright amber color with brown hues. The carbonation appeared to be appropriate for this style, with the bubbles rising to the top of the glass at a moderate pace. The head is nothing to write home about, but this is a pale ale after all, not a Belgian wheat beer. The aroma hints mostly of citrus with some hops lingering in the background and a notable sweetness at the end. The flavor follows suit, demonstrating the perfect use of hop quantity control to bring a mild bitterness over the toasty malt bottom layer. This beer finishes fairly dry, which is exactly what I’m after when I’m on the hunt for a good pale ale. Well done, Goose Island. Well done.
