My beer store just got in Goose Island brews, and after having enjoyed Matilda, I got Sofie to review tonight. A 22 oz ran me $8.50 for a 6.5% ABV beer. I'm not sure what style this is exactly other than that it's Belgian, but the bottle says it's 80% Belgian style ale, and another 20% Belgian-style ale that's been aged in wine barrels. Cool. The beer pours a very pale straw color that's just slightly cloudy, much like a white. The head is thick and fairly persistent.
The aroma is something like a white, but there's a hint of something I smell that I can't place. After taking a swig, it's grapefruit. This isn't like the grapefruit of the hops in, say, Arrogant Bastard. This is like real grapefruit. The grapefruit is fairly mild but distinct. This is kind of odd, because the bottle says it's been brewed with orange peel, not grapefruit, but this tastes more like grapefruit to me, along with some lemon. Unlike many whites, and unlike many beers that prominently feature orange, this beer is fairly dry and crisp. It may be the fact that this isn't as sweet that makes this feel more like grapefruit than orange. It's not nearly as sweet as, say, Blue Moon, or the Mendocino version I enjoy. That said, like the Matilda, I miss some of the spicy and yeasty flavors of other Belgian-style offerings from other brewers. It does have a light wheaty malt much like the Allagash white, my favorite white, that's delicious, but it's still a little short of perfection for me. This is a good beer, but it's more crisp, light, dry, and subtle than the stronger, sweeter, bombastic beers I most often go for. The grapefruit is fairly distinct, though, so this gets some points for uniqueness. For me, it's about a
and a half
beer, but I could see giving it 4, depending on your preferences and mood. Unfortunately, the price means I probably won't be getting this again. There are other beers I prefer more consistently to this for the same price.
Goose Island Sofie | IL, USA | 6.5% |
MrWookie | 3.5/5
Last edited by MrWookie; 08-13-2009 at 12:16 AM.