Goose Island Beer make a splash in England

Great news for our local brew!

And Goose Island IPA from Chicago, on sale in Britain, may just be the best beer in the world.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/drink/story/0,,2044475,00.html

It kills me that we can't get it here in DC- I'll be in Chicago soon enough though

mhill95149 wrote:Great news for our local brew!

And Goose Island IPA from Chicago, on sale in Britain, may just be the best beer in the world.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/drink/story/0,,2044475,00.html

A bit of an overestimation of a fine offering from GI, but great to see nonetheless!

Goose Island's new chief operations officerTony Bowker is English. Coincidence?

Probably has more to do with Bud distribution.

I have seen some other accolades re GI in British press, and the guy who wrote the linked snippet notes on his beer site that GI is available at some trendy-looking gastro pubs. Brits, particularly Londoners, seem to really dig Chicago, always have (regularly rating it as favorite US city). So the Chicago connection probably helps.

That must be why the GI prices went up. A 12-pack of Honkers used to be $12 at Dominicks with a card, now it is $16+.

I've never been one for the bottled Goose, but I certainly earned my MBA a pint at a time. The Goose for me is the types of beer that are produced at the pubs, not the mass market stuff (though, I won't refuse it when offered). It is also that the Hall's can be frequently seen sitting at the bar or talking with customers. That is what makes Goose Island great... The Kudos from the Guardian is wonderfult non-the-less and is a gem in the crown for them.

btw, first post...

Check out excellent podcast interview between MJN and brewmaster Greg Hall:

http://www.hungrymag.com/

In a couple of stints living in the U.K., I was always amazed at how many Brits did not take advantage of the fine British beers. Amongst many in the trendy subset of 20-35 year olds, Budweiser was the drink of choice. My wife and I always sought out and drank at Sam Smith's pubs, and the average age there had to be 50+.

This is certainly not to put Goose IPA on the same level as Bud. It's just that there's a whole lot better on offer there.

Matt wrote:In a couple of stints living in the U.K., I was always amazed at how many Brits did not take advantage of the fine British beers. Amongst many in the trendy subset of 20-35 year olds, Budweiser was the drink of choice. My wife and I always sought out and drank at Sam Smith's pubs, and the average age there had to be 50+.

This is certainly not to put Goose IPA on the same level as Bud. It's just that there's a whole lot better on offer there.

I think many, myself included, would say Goose Island beers in general compare favorably to Samuel Smith's offerings.

I can not comment on beer tastes in the U.K. but I do understand that a lot of the craft beer in the U.K. is very local and focuses on real cask ales that are never bottled. I suppose just like here in the U.S. only a small percentage of people take advantage of the amazing beers available from smaller local and regional brewers. Though I am surprised that Budweiser would be so prevalent.

KSeecs wrote:I think many, myself included, would say Goose Island beers in general compare favorably to Samuel Smith's offerings.

I can not comment on beer tastes in the U.K. but I do understand that a lot of the craft beer in the U.K. is very local and focuses on real cask ales that are never bottled. I suppose just like here in the U.S. only a small percentage of people take advantage of the amazing beers available from smaller local and regional brewers. Though I am surprised that Budweiser would be so prevalent.

I suppose with the proximity and phrasing, it looked as if I was trying to draw a distinction between Sam Smith's and Goose; I wasn't -- just trying to make the larger point that a whole lot of good beer goes largely unnoticed in Britain, particularly by the younger generation. The Sam Smith pubs we frequented generally were great for two things outside of the quality of the beer -- low prices (generally under £2 a pint) and the setting (generally more traditional decor and settings, with less or none of the loud music and video-poker and other gaming machines that are ubiquitous at other pubs). I also greatly appreciate and endorse the single brewery pub concept (probably in some sort of abstract romantic sense of that being good because it's the way it used to be -- which, come to think of it, probably also explains my preference for the more traditional decor).

As to the quality of Sam Smith's versus Goose, I suppose the best comparison is bottles to bottles or draft to draft. I haven't had a Sam Smith bottle in years outside of the occasional Winter Welcome, but recall preferring the Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout to the Goose version. Can't comment on Goose IPA v. Sam Smith India Ale, the breweries' respective nut browns, etc. My preference in Sam Smith pubs was for the cask ales that are not available here either as draft (casks/kegs) or bottles. From what I understand, though, fewer of the Sam Smith pubs are still carrying casks -- lots more kegs now, apparently.

As to the Budweiser thing, I admit to great surprise as well. According to A-B's own claims, Budweiser is the "best selling premium packed lager in UK bars, pubs and restaurants" (whatever "premium packed lager" means). When I was in London in the mid-90's as a student, it seemed like lots of the younger set preferred lagers to other beers, with Grolsch, Stella Artois and Carling among the most popular. When I was back five or six years ago working, the lager preference still seemed strong and it seemed to me that Budweiser was really all over the place. Not sure whether that is a matter of true trend or just perception.