(Chicago, IL) – Want a rundown of what’s new and changing for Goose Island in 2012? Here you go. You can get most of this right on the freshly-minted schedule though I’m adding a few ‘insider’ notes.
No current plans to re-brew (though not necessarily retired forever):
Nightstalker
Big John
Demolition
King Henry
Fleur
So the Extreme Ales line is pretty much being abolished save for BCS and BCS variants.
New/Re-introductions:
– 312 Urban Wheat cans are coming in March.
– Nut Brown Ale will return year-round beginning in March with a new “Goose Island Classics” label. The beer will be available in 6pks, 1/6 bbl & 1/2 bbl kegs.
– Marisol Latin-style White Ale will be introduced in the Vintage Ales line but release date is TBA. The beer currently has label approval for 1/6 bbl & 1/2 bbl kegs. A 22 oz. bottle label with “2011” on it also came through last year.
– Gillian will join the Vintage Reserve Ales line. Release TBA.
– Wheat Whiskey Bourbon County Stout. Release TBA.
More info on Gillian: Inspired by an amuse bouche often prepared by one of our Brewer’s wifes, Gillian brings white pepper, strawberry, and honey to a harmonious blend of “mouth amusement.” The ingredients are added at different stages to a Saison, and fermented with a normal Belgian yeast as well as a Champagne yeast. One of our favorite brews of the past year with many levels of complexity and character.
Other Changes:
– Look for Sofie and Pere Jacques on draft year-round instead of only in certain seasons.
– Pepe Nero will no longer be available on draft.
– I’m told to expect more BCS & BCS variants and more of the wild ales (Lolita especially). I take this to mean more production. A few random beers not listed in the schedule are likely to trickle out as well.
Goose Island –
“No current plans to re-brew (though not necessarily retired forever):
Nightstalker
Big John
Demolition
King Henry
Fleur”
Tim Augustin – “No current plans to drink Goose Island (though not necessarily retired forever).”
That is not entirely true, unless the quality suffers I will still drink it at a bar if it is the best thing on the menu or it is given to me. Furthermore, I would never turn down the opportunity to purchase a BCS, a flavored variety of BCS or any wild ale. And so, I guess I am caught, I am a bit curious about some of the newer releases as well. However, I am still not happy about the loss of the aforementioned beers!
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Think it is early to look at that as an indication of the extreme ales being abolished, those particular ones are definitely on indefinite hiatus, but most were only made to be one shot deals.
I think they should reconsider for NightStalker and I’ll tell you tonight if they should reconsider for King Henry after I try it 😉
As always it will be interesting to see how this brewery and its relationship with the parent company go, if I had to guess and perhaps it is naive ABinBev sees this type of arrangement as more of an asset stemming losses vs something they are going to burn into the ground as a total crash.
The reality for them is that an entire generation (those born since 1990) is now coming of age when craft beer was not simply an inconvenience to their market share, it is front and center in their mind share. And the thing that the big brewing companies relied on so so heavily, mass advertising, has fractured like an exploding star. My guess is they are going to legitimately attempt to balance off the banality of Bud Light and where that fits in the consumer space (and face it, it does fit) with those who are simply not going to drink anything but perceived higher quality beers.