Sofie

This is described as a "Belgian style farmhouse ale" but I taste almost none of that farmhouse flavor, as compared to Matilda! It is like a white Belgian, but then sour, as if blended with a sour ale. This is another good one. I've avoided these Goose offerings for years, assuming they would disappoint, but surprisingly these are some of the best beers I've ever had from GI! ID+

~12oz draft, 6.5% ABV
Goose Island Brewing Company
Chicago IL
purchased at Goose Island O'Hare Airport

Matilda

A yeasty farmhouse sort of taste, but either I've gotten used to this, or this is another unique tasty one. I'm surprised that I like this as much as I do. Maybe it's because this is the start of a week of vacation where I could be buzzed up for a week nonstop! MB-

~12oz draft, 7% ABV
Goose Island Brewing Company
Chicago IL
purchased at Goose Island O'Hare Airport
en route to Last Vegas!

Murphy's Stout

Hard to believe I haven't rated this, but a search of the blog seems to say no. This Irish stout is every bit as good as Guinness if you ask me, but a bit cheaper. And there is this other tinge of sweet spice that the more popular stout doesn't have. I used to drink lots of Irish stout, but not so much now that there are IPAs almost everywhere. But after a steady diet of hoppy beers lately, this tastes good! Whether alone, or as the driver in an Irish car bomb, this is good dry stout! ID+

14.9oz can
Heineken UK Limited
Edinburgh, UK
purchased at Kenwood

Myrcenary Double IPA

Grainy, with a heavy sweetness. Substantial hop bitterness, but maybe not enough? You can tell it's a pretty heavy hitter. The hop flavor doesn't stand out strongly, but blends together with the heavy malt. It works pretty well and packs a punch. ID+ish

12oz can, 9.3% ABV
Odell Brewing Company
Fort Collins, CO
gifted from Steve K.

Two Brothers 21st Anniversary IPA

An unusual flavor. A bit sweet with floral tones. The hop and malt flavor are so perfectly blended I can't separate them. When I think of the taste of the shit I drank in highschool to try to touch an 8% ABV, and how truly delicious this is, wow. We live in the golden age of beer. MB

12oz can, 77 IBU, 8.2% ABV
Two Brothers Artisan Brewing
Warrenville IL
purchased at Binny's

Sweetwater Blue

Nice blueberry flavor, but I'm not happy with the malt on the back. So each sip starts nice and fruity, but ends a little bit, eh. I'm a Sweetwater fan, but this is disappointing. ID-

12oz can, 4.6% ABV
Sweetwater Brewing Company
Atlanta GA
purchased at Binny's

Red Eye IPA

Has a slight whiff and a pretty substantial coffee flavor. Yet it's a hoppy IPA too! I've had something like this before. It's weird but good. The coffee makes it a bit spicy. So is this an upper or a downer? It's just damn interesting! MB

12oz can, 60 IBU, 6.7% ABV
Two Brothers Artisan Brewing
Warrenville, IL
purchased at Binny's

Elvis Juice Grapefruit Infused IPA

Huge grapefruit aroma, and substantial flavor. At first taste I found this too bitter (can you believe that!), not hop bitterness but grapefruit bitterness. But today, again not focusing on wanting an IPA, I'm digging this as basically a grapefruit "shandy". But better than a real shandy, it has an IPA backbone, rather than wheat or lager or something inferior. I love IPAs. Let's flavor an IPA with practically anything, and I'm probably gonna think it's good. I've also been on a ginger kick lately. I need to find a ginger IPA. Or maybe a lemon, ginger, mint, green tea IPA! Let's swing for the fences, brewers! Soooo much grapefruit on this, I really like  it! "A zest zenith on the nose" the can says, and that is 100% on point. MB

12oz can, 6.5% ABV
Brewdog
Canal Winchester, OH
purchased at Binny's

Tangy Dank Juice

Ok, this one is weird! I had to look this up online because for whatever reason Odd Side is putting this in blank cans with a sticker instead of a fully painted can with the usual description. I've never seen this before but ok. This is Dank Juice cut with a sour, hence the "Tang". Dank hop flavors and sourness. I didn't like this at first, but it's growing on me. It is just a substantial departure from the dank IPA I was expecting. It's medium sour, and with a really soft mouth feel. Serve it a little warmer than fridge temp to accentuate the flavors. MB-

12oz can, 7% ABV
Odd Side Ales
Grand Haven, MI
purchased at Binny's