Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Land of Lupulin

Illinois may be known as the Land of Lincoln, but Goose Island wouldn't mind if you thought of Illinois as a haven for IPAs. Lincoln himself probably wouldn't mind either, since most people probably think of Illinois as "where Obama's from...either there or Kenya". Goose Island has gone so far as to name their new DIPA "The Illinois", though after drinking it I'm reminded more of an east-coast style DIPA- heavy on the malt. There is plenty of hop presence (Chinook, Cascade, Citra, Meridian in the hop bill) and 95 IBUs to boot, but the malt makes for a very drinkable DIPA, especially when you consider that it is 9% ABV. Goose Island isn't a major player in the IPA battle, but they never had to be. The Bourbon County lineup was enough for me to love them, though they have won many awards for their English-style IPA. The Illinois is definitely an American version of a DIPA, but I suggest you drink it fresh...and you can, as the version to hit shelves here (Jubilation, Total Wine) was bottled 2.7.14, and retails for around $10 a four-pack.

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