April Beer of the Month: Goose Island Honker's Ale

April sees me back in the brewery and trying quite a few of my own beers. That and family-life keep me quiet on the beer hunting scene. Life is good but the beer selection is up and down. The beer of the month, Goose Island Honker’s Ale, is a solidly world class ale - an American interpretation of the classic English strong pale ale.

My notes (also posted at ratebeer):

Tasted 16/04/2006. 330ml bottle from Rumble’s, Wellington. Pale copper, bright, lightly carbonated, with a foamy light-tan head that laces a little but doesn’t linger for long. Barley sugars and nutty grain on the nose, a hint of citrus and an appealing, faint and slightly musty, yeast note. Dry toffee-like malt up front, in the mouth, with a mild lolly sweetness. This is followed by citrus hop flavour and a strong, pepper and grass, bitterness. The malt profile holds all the way through the bitter finish. Slightly hard water but not quite as much as some English pales, like Taylor’s Landlord. Soft-medium carbonation in the mouth, medium weight. Great beer, well crafted. A classic strong pale ale, which I’m surprised hasn’t scored more strongly on Ratebeer. Perhaps a little too subtle for the US market. 4.3/5.

Other notables beers (marks out of 5, in brackets) from an up and down beer month in March:

• Goose Island IPA (3.9)
• Mort Subite Gueuze Lambic (3.7)
• Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale (3.2)

All notes, as always, at yalnikim on ratebeer.