Goose Island Lolita American Wild Ale

I recently had a Goose Island's Lolita, their American Wild Ale. This sour beer came in a wine bottle that was trying to make the beer have a classier feel with a white label and even a white wrap around the cap, like the one you would find on a wine bottle.

The beer came out a deep red and I could tell right away that this beer would be an interesting experience. I first noticed the smell as it confused my nose. I couldn't decide if the smell was good or overwhelming. I took a sip and was summarily punched in the mouth by the flavor of this beer. I was hit by the fruit flavor with an infusion of raspberry and hints of a wine. This is understandable because the beer spent the fermentation process in an French oak barrel that had previously been used to make Cabernet Sauvignon. While this wasn't my first sour beer, this would be a good beer for those that want to try a good sour beer to get their feet wet. The only hesitation would be that the beer is $20 for 765mL or a little more than a wine bottle's worth.

I will be looking for a more affordable starter sour beer in the near future. If you know of one let me know!

Goose Island Brewery is a brewery that has quite a few similarities to Boulevard. Goose Island was founded in May of 1988 in Chicago after it's founder John Hall went to Europe and experienced the regional beers of the different countries he visited. Demand for their craft beer grew and they had to expand rapid. By 2011, Goose Island attracted the Attention of Anhueser-Busch and InBev, so much so that AB/InBev acquired the Chicago company. Since then it appears the company has kept its quality beer and identity.

I give the beer a 7 out of 10 mostly because of the price even though it was all around good beer.

My next post will be about a dessert beer I found last weekend, Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout.