Goose Island Sox Golden Ale
Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have won the Super Bowl, what do you, Chicago sports fan, have to look forward to? With both the Chicago Bulls (19-31 at the time of this writing) and the Blackhawks (24-21-6) are on the outside looking in at the playoffs (my god the NBA Eastern Conference sucks) as the calendar turns to February, four familiar words will sound.
“Pitchers and catchers report.”
It’s time for baseball! Chicago is unique in that it has two baseball teams, but with one intent to cry poor, trade/piss off their championship core and their big signing is pitcher with a fish and shrimp food truck this offseason, there’s really only one team with some hype and excitement behind it – the Chicago White Sox.
The Beer
Never one to shy away from both hype and excitement, Goose Island is getting in on the ground floor of what hopes to be the beginning of a long run of winning baseball on Chicago’s South Side by debuting Sox Golden Ale this season. (Full disclosure – the Goose Island Brewhouse also makes a beer called Cubby Blue. We’ll conveniently ignore that for the rest of this post.)
The Sox Golden Ale is meant to be an easy drinking and flavorful beer that goes along with watching baseball all through the summer months in Chicago. To achieve this, Brewmaster Keith Gabbett leaned heavily on Brewers Gold hops, with some additional aromatics provided by some Cascade and Amarillo dry-hopping additions. Some rye is even present to add a little spiciness (very little) to the proceedings as well as a kiss of malty sweetness.
Here’s Keith, Todd Ahsmann (Goose Island President) and Ozzie Guillen (World Series champion 2005) talking about Sox Golden Ale:
Goose Island nailed what they were going for – a summer crusher. The tasting lasted for about 30 minutes and in that span of time I had about 2.5 12oz pours of Sox Golden Ale. It has enough bitterness to bring you back for another sip, but it’s not so aggressive that you need to take a break. It’s crisp, clean and definitely an alternative to whatever else is pouring at most of the stands in the ballpark. (I’d still recommend getting to the park early and hitting up both the Craft Kave and Revolution #SoxSocial taproom first, then settling in with the Sox Golden Ale, provided it’s available at many locations throughout the park.)
Packaging and Availability
Goose Island absolutely nailed it. An all-black with the Sox logo on one side and the Goose Island logo in a baseball diamond through a white stripe on the other. Check out the time-lapsed 5-foot version of it:
Sox Golden Ale will be available starting March 26 at Comiskey Pa… Guaranteed Rate Field (that’s opening day, FYI). Both 4-packs of 16oz cans and 12-packs of 12oz cans should be hitting shelves in March (graphic says March 1). The twelve pack holder has the added bonus of having the pinwheels from the scoreboard on the holder as well, making me wish the cans had incorporated it as well! Sox Golden Ale is Chicago-only with both sides (North and South side) getting in on the action.
Sox Golden Ale will definitely sell at the stadium, if not on the shelves. It’s a beer you bring to summer events and parties that everyone can enjoy – even Cubs fans! So get yourself a ticket to watch the White Sox and settle into the 5th inning with a pint of Sox Golden Ale. Hopefully it’s priced to move!
Scroll down for more pictures from SoxFest!
