Goose Island "Next Coast" IPA

 The Goose has simplified their can design, and it is quite fetching. I try to ignore the fact that     Anheuser-Busch purchased this brewery in 2011 because it's not like they made a lot of changes. It seems like microbreweries like Goose Island and Lagunitas benefit from the scale of their parent company without having the onerous need to reduce quality, and I love that trend.

Slightly hazy and yellow-gold, the beer doesn't produce much of a head, but what there is consists of tiny bubbles that cling to the sides admirably. The head may not be significant, but it's resilient enough to leave a good, fluffy top on the beer even after it settles. The aroma is scrumptious tropical and citrus fruits with a bread malt, and I just want to drink the whole thing. I will, however, just give it a sip at first.

First sip is sweet and tart with tropical and citrus fruits all over the place. The sensation of fruit meat (very much orange and grapefruit) is strong, and the sensation is... sensational. It seems like it's just the right amount of refreshing, sweet, tart, and bitter. The combination of all the sensations is just really, really, good. But things often change when you gulp, and that's what comes next.

Tip-in is bitter grapefruit and orange rinds. The middle sloshes in with carbonation nettles spreading across the mouth as the sweet fruit meat is downed out by all the sizzle, and I can't even tell if there is a malt. The finish is a wave of bitterness followed by the tart-sweet and a fruity finish.

Bottom Line: Sip it well, and it will treat you well.

3.25/5