After flirting with beer for years, without being able to commit, I may have found my perfect match. Goose Island, a much-loved family-owned brewery in Chicago, has developed a line of Belgian-style ales that have more in common with wines than typical brews. Brewmaster Greg Hall says the reasoning is simple: "I like to eat as much as I like to drink." Each of his Reserve beers can be likened to a different type of wine; not in the way they taste, but in the way that they interact with different flavors and ingredients. For example, the Sofie has a citrusy aroma and light effervescence similar to champagne, which makes oysters a no-brainer, while the Matilda is more like a white burgundy, so you could pair anything from shellfish to pork. Even the look is more in line with wine than your typical beer: gorgeous labels, oversized 650 ml bottles, and finicky brewing times (when I asked when one variety was going to launch, Hall said, "It's ready when it's ready).
Hall isn't done yet. Both he and his head brewer (a CIA grad who left a
job at Per Se to come work for Goose Island) have been working on exciting new launches, including Madame Rose, a special Kriek made with Michigan-grown Schaarbeek cherries
and the funky sounding Fleur, which is fermented with kombucha cultures
and hibiscus. And, in addition to throwing beer dinners at their own
brewpubs and Chicago restaurants, Goose Island has started inviting
chefs to come create their own blends. Here's betting someone tries to
throw some bacon into the mix.
Good beers!but they 'll be bestsellers with koozies! Thanks. Do U think so?