Goose Island Debuts 2010 Vintage Reserve Collection; Releasing Bristol Collaboration Beer Thursday

Goose Island debuted the 2010 Vintage Reserve Collection at a private event at the Bristol Monday night. Brewmaster Greg Hall and head brewer Jared Rouben were on hand to premiere new bottlings of the "Three Sisters," Juliet, Madame Rose and Lolita, along with bites from chef Chris Pandel.

All three beers, packaged in 650ml bottles, each aged up to 13 months in barrels with fresh fruit from local farms. Juliet, which aged for 13 months in a mix of French and American red wine barrels, enjoyed the company of 55 pounds of fresh blackberries sourced from Michigan's Mick Klug Farms in each barrel.

The youthful Lolita also sat in French and American red wine barrels, but was accompanied by 50 pounds of Klug Farm raspberries. And the elegant Madame Rose mingled with 40 pounds of whole cherries from Klug and Seedling Farms for a total of 13 months. The beers will begin rolling out to the local market; you can drink them now but they all have some good aging potential, too.

In related news, a Beer Named Sue, the collaboration between Rouben and Bristol's Pandel that yielded a black I.P.A., will finally reach the public. Rouben tells us that the beer has been put into kegs and is ready to be tapped. Expect to see a Beer Named Sue at the Bristol and Goose Island's Clybourn brewpub by Thursday this week.
· The Bristol and Goose Island Team Up for Special Brew [~EChi~]