A Tale of Two Islands (Goose Island, that is)

Back in May, several pours of Matilda on tap at the Hyatt soothed a poorly timed break-up.

The four-pack which returned to Nashville just bewildered me - there was nothing wild about the yeast at all. My taste buds didn't betray me - Goose Island let me down, which they freely admit here. Matilda drank like an American take on Orval; this was just turgid, unoriginal amber. Since I won't get a refund, I feel no remorse about ripping Goose Island for letting this swill onto the market.

Demolition is a different animal, a Belgian-style golden ale which packs in the flavor and hits all the high points any golden ale should strive for. Straw-colored, it reminds me of a less harsh version of Grimbergen Blonde; the spice bouquet is slightly mellower, which benefits the beer. It's a little too strong for a session ale, but dampening the spice usually found in mass-produced Belgian blonde (see Grimbergen or Leffe) means I won't look at the bomber bottle and groan knowing I have 14 ounces to go.

Demolition's appeal comes from an alluring mix of Saaz and Chinook hops and Pilsen malt. Citrus dominates and as the brewer's tasting notes remark, there is a little honey flavor mingling before the slightly bitter finale.

Citrus sometimes extends to passion fruit, with a little mango - and possibly guava? - to go with the lemon, tangerine and orange. The great mix of fruits elevates this above the typical Belgian blonde, and most American versions as well.

It's interesting that Demolition is a temporary ale -- no bottle conditioning, Goose Island recommends drinking it within 180 days of bottling. Three months after its bottling date, it already fills the glass with fine sediment, but it's more decorative than destructive.

I like to think of Demolition as the ale which tore down my memory of that bad batch of Matilda.