Reviewing the Heaven's Gate from the Goose Island Brewpub (Clybourn) on out of Chicago, Illinois. Score: 95
Tap pour served in a nonic pint glass and enjoyed on 07/11/13.
Appearance: Orangeish amber color; not quite "vibrant", but far from dull. Served with a layer of frothy head that sticks around as a thin coating atop. Awesome lacing and retention. Nice fresh IPA appearance. 4.5/5
Smell: Super tropical fruity and hoppy. Mango, passion fruit and leafy hops with only a hint of pine-iness. Excellent mix of the juicy and hoppy in the nose. 4.5/5
Taste: Really juicy upfront with a lingeringly bitter (and mildly acidic) finish. Passion fruit, mango and tangerine juiciness throughout. Complementary, but not prominent caramel malt backbone. The hops really shine in the finish. A little spiciness too. This beer is not "balanced" in the sense that it melds together into one delicious flavor, but is has a nice balance in the sense that it has two extreme flavor characters that clash well -- the sweet and juicy versus the bitter and acidic. 4.5/5
Mouthfeel: Not quite medium bodied, excellent carbonation level. The bitterness is not sharp, but it layers nicely and sits heavy on the tongue. Somewhat slick and oily on the tongue too. 4.5/5
Overall: Passion fruity, tropical and bitterly hoppy. This is, quite frankly, the best IPA I have had from Goose Island to date. Provided you like galaxy hops, I highly recommend that you seek this out while it is still on draft!
Cost: $5 for a 16 oz pint, $16 for a 64 oz growler.
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