May 2011

In April there was a fair bit of uproar in the beer geek community when it was announced that Chicago's much -loved Goose Island Brewery had been purchased by Anheuser-Busch-Inbev: the drinks multi-nationally responsible for Stella, Budweiser and many other beers too horrible to name. It is easy to understand how the thought of a respected, innovative microbrewery in the hands of a soulless corporate behemoth enraged many; but, occasionally, the marriage of small-scale talent and corporate muscle can work to mutual advantage.

In the late eighties, Interbrew (Inbev's previous incarnation) acquired a Belgian brewery by the name of Hoegaarden and, in the process, made the brewery's founder, Pierre Celis, a very wealthy man. Over the next few years a lot of care and attention was invested into the promotion of the brewery's flagship wheat beer. By the mid-nineties, no swanky bar was complete without more than a few drinking Hoegaarden from oversized pint glasses, complete with a slice of lemon.  For many people it was their introduction to continental beers, in general, and Belgian beer in particular. It was  noteworthy for many reasons: it was different, imported & sold at a premium, creating a market for similar beers.

It is now in a bit of a decline. Aficionados complain that the quality has taken a bit of a dip and the brand has been contaminated by new releases which have upset purists without enticing enough new drinkers.

But despite this, the brewery does still produce some exceptional beer. Foremost among them has to be the Forbidden Fruit (In Flemish Verboden Vrucht), a rich, full-bodied, heavily-spiced ale. Brewed to an original recipe by Pierre Celis and adorned with a lovely Rubens depicting Adam & Eve, the beer pours a deep, muddy, brown amber, sitting beneath a mound of the fluffiest, creamiest candy floss head. The aromas are beguilingly sweet and fruity with plenty of raisin, cherry and mulled wine. These characters dominate the heavy-ish palate where they are knitted together with a bit of toasted caramel and loads of vanilla. Despite the beer’s weight and 8.8% a.b.v., it is seriously neck-able, even more so when paired with chocolate sponge. Full credit to Inbev for keeping this excellent beer in production and fingers crossed they look after the more interesting beers from Goose Island in the same way.

(As a final aside, it is worth noting that Pierre Celis, who passed away in April, spent his final years in Texas after establishing his own brewery and becoming a major player in the American craft beer scene.)