Goose Island at Blind Tiger Ale House

Goose Island Night at Blind Tiger Ale House

New York’s Craft Beer community was at it again this week as brewmaster Greg Hall took over 30+ lines at Bleecker St’s Blind Tiger Ale House for a very impressive Goose Island night. Greg brought a collection of rare brews, seasonal offerings and brew pub exclusives to the event, showcasing both the breath of his operation as well as a glimpse into the future of the Brewery.

While Blind Tiger Events can be a tight squeeze, we managed to find a good spot near the bar and run through a bevy of petite half-pours. From lambics to wheats to an array of IPAs and imperial stouts, each beer showed a unique complexity. Personal standouts for the night included the Pepe Nero, a black saison that combined the hearty body and drinkability of a black IPA but backed with more caramel hints and peppercorn spice rather than hoppiness. It’s Fulton Wood polar opposite, the White City was also quite nice. An imperial white, the White City held a strong even body along with lots of herbal hints of rosemary and time and a bit of citrus. This is an awesome beer for food pairing.

And finally, the night capped off with the much hyped Goose Island Night Stalker, in incredibly complex Imperial Stout based on their famed Bourbon County Stout. Here, however, the oak aging is traded for a massive amount of dry hopping which results in a complicated mixture of earthy bitterness, chocolate and heavy malt notes. This beer is best to be hunted down, sipped and savored.

Also noted by our crew was the Goose Island IPA served on Nitro which gave it a delicious smooth, creamy appeal as well as their biscuit-y Brew 4000 (described as tasting like the scent of a brewery) and the Midway IPA, a halfway point between an Imperial IPA and a traditional IPA. The only noted miss of the night was the Lex, a sweet lambic which – to me – aligned more with a Lindeman’s Framboise than a traditional lambic and I missed some of the complex funk and tartness.

Barry Wasser (@BitzyBrew) - http://craftbrewadvocate.com

Patrick Devine - http://pscookingfortwo.blogspot.com/