Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale Review

Name: Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.4%
IBUs: 30

I know what some of you are probably thinking: Hey sweet, it's a new offering from Goose Island. How cool is that? Well, I got some news for you, it's not brand new. Yes contrary to being new to the Minnesota (and the national market at large), this beer has been in existence for a few years now. How do I know this? Because I had this back while I was living in Chicago.

Yes, as you may have guessed from the name, this beer was once exclusive to the Chicago market on draft-only. For whatever reason, they've decided to expand this to a national scale but it may because they're discontinuing their 312 Urban Pale Ale. However, Chicago's supply of Green Line will be made in Chicago, while the stuff everyone else gets will be coming out of New York.

As for the name itself, every native of Chicago is familiar with the "L" train system and there's a line called the Green Line, which runs from the near South Side through the loop in downtown, and then west to Forest Park, a suburb of Chicago. I took the Green Line a few times while I lived there but I mostly took the Red Line to get to and from work.

Appearance - Fairly clear yellow color with a moderate amount of visible carbonation. The head is on the thinner side but is somewhat foamy and leaves behind a good amount of lacing along the sides of the glass.

Aroma - Getting some pale malts and yeasts with a decent amount of floral hoppiness. I'm also picking up on some pilsner-like grassiness, primarily towards the back.

Taste - Floral hops and yeasts upfront with some pilsner grassiness and pale malts towards the back along with some light barley notes.
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I remember Green Line being good at best and that is the same case with this beer, with the exception of it being slightly lighter than I remember. Still, having this reminds me of my late night outings with friends in Evanston or going out for a Saturday afternoon drive along Lake Shore Drive with the sunroof and windows rolled down while blaring some Wilco & Don Henley. I'm a sentimental guy, what can I say?

All that aside, it's got a good floral hop, malt, and yeast profile that help keep one-another in check. It's nothing special as far as pale ales are concerned, but if you see this, it certainly doesn't hurt to check it out and maybe, just maybe...........it'll bring back memories of days past.......or not! Just try this beer out if you see it.

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale - 8/10