In addition to the tasty beer, another thing I love about craft brewers is the name game. Fearless and fun names like Long Dark Voyage to Uranus, Gedit D’faKenya, or Juiced AF come to mind. Today I am reviewing a Goose Island ” Beer Hug”. I thought my puns were lame* but when it comes to the name game this name is ultra lame. As lame as a glue factory candidate. Of course GI is an Anheuser-Busch brand now and with the 2023 marketing faux pas that resulted in a Bud Light boycott, I am sure they’re being extra careful when it comes to such things.
Let’s give Beer Hug the shrug and for a big brewer safe but fun name how about Goose Juice ( OK sounds a bit nasty), or The Goose is Juiced, or Island Time. Tame but not lame is my aim with the name. Enough rhymin’ Simon.
A BBQing mission, scorching some chicken into submission. The heat of the day and the grill find me looking for a chill brew to swill.** Despite the Haze moniker this Beer Bear pours semi-clear, a golden bear with a bright white daylight head line. A bubbly orsine, with a juicy citrus aroma and some hops in waiting.
Juicy yes, hoppy a bit, fizzy for sure. Pine bitters finish and a lingering aftertaste, something aftertastes are prone to do. If Bubbly made an IPA this would be it. An ever present evervesence. As it warms a bit everything fades except the fizz.
The beer is not as lame as the name but the type of fairly standard fare you would expect from a big brewer trying to appeal to the masses. Safe but not sorry, but beyond that the same old story.


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