Goose Island Class of '88 Belgian Style Ale

This 11.2% ABV ale is made with grapes and aged in muscat wine barrels. It is from the Goose Island Beer Company of Chicago, Illinois. It was bottled on January 14, 2013 and the bottle says it develops in the bottle for up to five years. The "Class of '88" series of beers came out in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of several grand-daddies of craft beer, such as Deschutes, Great Lakes, Rogue, and Goose Island, who all got their start in 1988.

The beer pours copper, amber and apricot, shiny and gem-like. There is a short head of off-white foam that immediately fizzes away to nothing at all. The aroma is deep, fruity, both sweet and tangy, vinous in a muscatel way. The taste is powerfully tart, dry, a bit woody, lightly fruity, but mostly tart. If muscatel wine rules the aroma, then Portugese vinho verde rules the taste. I can’t believe the difference between the aroma (loads of sweetness) and the taste (loads of tart). I much preferred the Deschutes version of this beer.