Over the past few weeks, I’ve reviewed a number of Goose Island Beer Company products, and almost all of them I’ve reviewed for my limited quality to enter the beer lover’s pantheon of accepted and honest beer. In the process I surprisingly realized that I had yet to try Iceland’s flagship goose beer, known as Honker ale. I see this beer from Goose Island very popular. The tap is in loads of Chicago bars, and I see six packs for sale throughout the Midwest and on the East Coast when I travel. Obviously, people enjoy this beer, so when I came to this one I decided to give it a try, I knew I had to pay the most attention to discover why it is so popular despite limited partnership distribution.
First of all, this beer brought two great choices back home to Chicago. He took home a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup in 2006 and another bronze medal in 2003 in Los Angeles. County Fair Competition. Not at all bad from Windy City.
Alea Honkeri is a solid example of Pale Ale. It is often replicated, however, rarely well executed, alepale also a seasoned brewer. The island goose seems to know exactly what is going on, though. When I ordered a pint of this beer, I entered the glass, so that it showed an amber-yellow color. Carbonation appeared to be suitable for this style with 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 beer after all, not a Belgian wheat beer. The aroma is very citrusy with some hops lingering in the background and a hint of sweetness at the end. The flavor follows suit, showing the perfect amount of hop used in moderation, as a gentle bitterness is layered over a toasty malt base. This beer finishes quite 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.
