I did the Hazy Beer Hug a long while ago, and I can't remember anything about it. I know that I gave it a pretty good review, so I guess I remember that about it. What I'm going to talk about in this opening paragraph, however, is the idea that breweries put more than one location on their cans. I hate this. Just tell me where you brewed this beer. This one. Not where you brew in general, or where you may brew other stuff. Tell me where this beer was made. How hard is that? This is Goose Island, and it should be from Illinois. I don't know why it's also in Fort Collins. Is it just because they're owned by Anheuser-Busch?
Well, the other one was called hazy, and this one definitely is not hazy. This is a clear gold, but it is a rich color that any macro brew would be quite jealous of. The head pops out very white, and it fizzles down to a 55% covering on the top of the beer. Yes, there's a strong ring around the sides. I'm starting to think I shouldn't have to say that anymore. For the giant word tropical on the front, the actual tropical smell is somewhat sedate. I have definitely had beers labeled juicy or the like that had smelled more of tropical fruit, but I like a relatively demure beer. This could very well be a good one.First sip is pretty relaxed. The tropical fruits mix with citrus very nicely, and the malt is pretty much staying out of the way. The result is a delightfully placid beer with nice, laid-back fruits. I think the main problem that I'm currently having with the beer would be there fact that the flavor is not doing a particularly good job of concealing the 9.9% ABV. The resulting beer has a much more boozy quality to it than I would expect from either a regular IPA or a double IPA. Maybe sipping just isn't the way for this.
Tip-in is mild carbonation tingle with tropical fruits very up front while citrus lingers in the back. The middle sends carbonation to the roof of the mouth while the fruits mix playfully in the center without getting too bitter, but bitterness is not too far away. The finish is a bit more bitterness as the alcohol stops being restrained and pine enters the picture for a somewhat disjointed, albeit muted, trail off.
Bottom Line: It's not bad, but it's just not jiving with me.
2.25/5