Ever since Goose Island struck their distribution deal and then were subsequently bought by ABInbev their beer has been unfortunately wrapped up in all sorts of beer nerd politics.  They’ve farmed out some of their production of their mainstays to far flung Anheuser Busch breweries on the East coast.  What has this brewing behemoth done to our beloved home town craft beer?

The answer (so far) in my mind is nothing but make it better.  They’ve made room to start the most aggressive barrel aging program I know of and are churning out more interesting beer than ever.  If 312 cans are brewed in Baldwinsville, New York (or wherever) and that means more great beer in Chicago I’m all for it.  I’m not naive to what Inbev has done to some great historic beer brands – a recent trip to England gives a pretty good picture (Bass, Boddington’s, etc.).

But I digress, this post is supposed to be about our beer of the month,  Goose Island I.P.A.  It was called the best beer in the world by British beer writer Roger Protz back in 2007 and one thing the British seem to know about is flavorful beers you can drink a few of.  This falls into that category, a crisp and drinkable beer with layers of bitter and medicinal hops you can dig into if you really want to think about.  That’s not the point of this one though.  Sessionable beers aren’t meant to be thought about too much. Just drink, enjoy, repeat.

Cheers.