Goose Island’s Sofie and Juliet

Photo: Martha Williams

GOOSE’S GOLDEN EGGS Greg Hall doesn’t have to prove anything. The Goose Island legacy he and his father, John, have built over the last two decades is solid, with massive distribution, brand recognition and a bustling brewpub. But lately, it feels a bit as if the younger Hall has launched Goose 3.0, hiring chef John Manion to revamp the brewpub’s menu, changing up the packaging of various bottles, and releasing two new beers this week that are among his best work. Sofie is a saison, reminiscent of the great Belgian brewery Dupont’s take on the style, a farmhouse ale with enough yeast to last through spring and summer into the next brewing “season” and fantastic carbonation; the real Champagne of beers. The citrusy notes come from organic orange peel, the complexity from 20 percent of it getting time in oak barrels then being blended back in. It’s so food friendly and easy drinking, it should come free with the purchase of a Weber grill. The other release, Juliet, is a characteristically sour, funky lambic that spends six months in wine barrels with farmer Peter Klein’s Seedling blackberries, produced only when the berries are ripe. Fans of sour fruit beers will love it—the rest of you can wait for whatever Hall has up his sleeves next. Try: Sofie for $10, Juliet for $15 at graham elliot (217 W Huron St). Buy: Sofie for $8, Juliet for $16 at Binny’s.

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