Drink: Goose Island Sofie
Selling out the brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBev is, in the eyes of craft beer drinkers, the equivalent of ditching Gryffindor for Voldemort and the Death Eaters. So it's no wonder Chicago's homegrown Goose Island has taken the beer-geek heat since its sal
Selling out the brewery to Anheuser-Busch InBev is, in the eyes of craft beer drinkers, the equivalent of ditching Gryffindor for Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
So it's no wonder Chicago's homegrown Goose Island has taken the beer-geek heat since its sale to the Bud Who Shall Not Be Named in 2011.
The good news: since production of Goose Islands' mass-market brews (like 312 Urban Wheat) have been moved to Colorado and New York for a national rollout, there's more room at the original Chicago brewery for its more interesting efforts.
And its Belgian-style "Vintage" line is still worth talking about. I love the balance of fruity notes and power in high-octane Matilda. But I'm partial to Sofie, a citrusy, peppery, and tart farmhouse-style saison that gets funk and style from aging in wine barrels with wild yeast and orange peel. That it's become more available here on draft and in bottle is, surely, a result of its association with you-know-who. Ultimately, that's not so bad . . . is it?
- Craig LaBan
Goose Island Sofie, $4.49 for 12 oz. bottle and $13.59 for 22 oz. at Food & Friends, 1933 Spruce St., 215-545-1722. Bottles also available at Hawthornes and Monde Market. On draft at McCrossen's, Sampan, and City Tap House.