Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Chicago, Illinois USA

Bottle, 2007 (fresh). Very strong alcohol on the nose. Loads of bourbon taste. Oak a bit heavy for my liking. Vanilla and caramel hints a bit overpowered by it. Mouthfeel is very alcoholic and smoky. Feels like you just left a cigar bar. Still a decent brew that might vastly improve with age. Luckily I picked up two so we’ll see when it makes it way out of the cellar. Bottle 2008 (101/29/08). Midnight black with a slow moving motion. Very thin burnt color head that laces ever so slightly. Strong strong bourbon nose, German chocolate cake (now I want a piece of cake) and some notes of cherry. Maybe I don’t need the cake the flavors do the trick. German chocolate cake flavors, coconut bittersweet chocolate, some real nice vanilla flavors too, caramel malts. Really smooth, rich, and warm feel. This beer is strong but very enjoyable. Have a couple more to age a bit.

Amazing. Delicious... This mammoth stout pours with a black as night, oily, intimidating appearance with a small, dark brown head that forms a short-lived ring around the body. Not much in the way of lacing, but this beer has long, viscuous, sexy legs that cover the glass after each sip. The first scent is a complex, nutty coconut aroma, with vanilla, blackberry jam, molasses, almonds, rich, smooth bourbon and an alcoholic punch. I can hardly find the words to explain the extravagant complexity of the taste. It is delicious, rich, warming, and fulfilling. A strong coconut flavor covers the tongue, complemented by a rummy, sticky, coffee liqueuer and chocolate bourbon-ball delightfulness. I can’t use the term "rich" enough here. It is rich, rich, rich- filling and bursting with tongue tingling, warming alcohol. Still, for 13% abv, this is ridiculously easy and fun to drink. A thick, velvety, blanketing mouthfeel overwhelms the senses and finishes strong, bright and delicious with lingering coffee, bourbon, oatmeal and almond notes that stick with the tongue for quite some time to come. This is, so far, the best stout I’ve layed my lips on, and a beer to be enjoyed slowly and lovingly, especially on a cool, cloudy night.

Bottle from New Beer Distibutors, NYC. Pitch black beer. Lovely bourbon/vanilla aroma. Smooth stout base. Well composed, well balanced, well executed.

Bottle. Ill start by saying that I think my bottle had gone flat since Goose Island insists on using screw top caps for some reason. Nonetheless, the aroma and taste were very sweet and balanced. Strong flavor of alcohol as well. I really enjoyed it.

I was presented with the opportunity to try this one on tap last evening at El Bait Shop in Des Moines. I had a bottle of this a couple years ago, and I jumped at the opportunity to try it on tap. I was particularly surprised at how tasty this was considering how not long ago I thought it was a little bit "overdone". This beer pours a jet black and has a big tan head that settles to a swirl on the top of the beer and leaves some lace. The aromas are of vanilla, oak, whisky and alcohol. The flavor is remarkable it starts off fairly intensely of roasted, almost burnt malt, which gives way to what can only be described as a strong mocha character displaying plenty of the chocolate and vanilla malt sweetness balanced very nicely with nutty flavors of oak and whisky. This is indeed best when sipped slowly, but there is virtually no alcohol burn, and this is remarkably smooth for all of its character. The only complaint I have is that everything tastes like water after drinking this one.

12 oz bottle, 2007 vintage. Opened it up for the second presidential debate. Pours black with no head. First aroma is alcohol, but after that there are deep sweet aromas of dark chocolate, bourbon, dark fruits and cherries. Flavor is sweet chocolate with some roasty coffee, vanilla, bourbon, smoke. The alcohol is there as well, but it’s mostly a pleasant backup to the other flavors. Syrupy palate. This is a great beer with huge flavor.

Bottle dated 7/3/06 - Pours black as night with a motor oil type body. NO carbonation. Nose is all alcohol and some candied fruit. Palate is dominated by alcohol and some bourbon...still!!! Good, but had to share a 12 oz bottle with the wife. Couldn’t have had much more than that.

Pours with a black body topped by a thin, brown head wtih a little lacing. It’s sweet and full of vanilla and bourbon notes as well as a slight hint of roast. The bourbon notes are overpowering and take away from the stout flavor istead of complimenting it. Full bodied, smooth and warming.