Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Bottle. Opaque black pour with no head although some head rises when stirred. Aroma is bourbon, oak barrel, butter, roasted malt, and a hint of alcohol vapors. Taste is ... a loss for words. Vanilla, oak and cocoa but joined with a mouthfeel that is so extraordinary, in it’s creaminess and fullness. It only loses a few points to its not quite entirely hidden alcohol that makes it kind of prickly. Best beer I’ve had so far.

Bottle. Fast fading head, maybe the appearance should be reduced one more grade as the lack of head makes it looks a bit less appealing. The colour is pitch black. Aroma rich with bourbon, wood, tar, fruits,VANILLA and unfortunatly a bid too much alcohol. The flavour is chocolate, coffee, vanilla, cherries, bourbon, licorice and dark fruit, this beer is perfectly balanced, so intense and satisfying to drink. However the beer is so overwhelming, it is almost too much to drink a bottle alone. Shared with Anker and Andreassen11.

12 oz. bottle. Bottled on 10/28/08. 13% ABV. ....Pours a thin short lived mocha head, with absolutely zero lacing, over a blackish brown (SRM 38-40) apparently clear body.....nose is vanilla, molasses, coffee, Bourbon, chocolate....taste initially chocolate, toffee, caramel, sharp alcohol, then coffee, molasses, coconut, finish is initially sweet then bitterness from roasted malts and a tiny hop addition.....mouth feel is thick, huge body, light carbonation. Considering the forces in it, this is an amazing creation. It is a bit too sweet overall for my palate, but it the best of the extreme "big beers" I have tasted.

12 oz. bottle from Riley’s Wines of the World in Madison, WI. Black pour with a light brown head. Bourbon, vanilla, oak, and espresso nose. Incredible vanilla, roasted malt, and dark chocolate flavor. Velvety smooth texture. Slight alcohol burn but not as much as expected given the ABV. Absolutely incredible.

Bottle. No head. Color is pitch black. Aroma and taste are rich with bourbon, wood, tar, fruits and alcohol. A bit disappointing to me as balance in my opinion was way off. Nice initially but glad I had someone to share it with.

12oz 2007 vintage. Thanks Stan! Pours near black with small deep brown, small lacing head that quickly fades. Huge aroma of thick caramel, dark fruits (raisins), bourbon, and alcohol and finishes creamy. Thick, malty body that is sweet at the start with bourbon throughout. Wonderful! Wood is very present, as is bourbon.

12 oz bottle dated from ’07 thanks to my brother for sharing it. Pours jet black with a small dark mocha head. Aroma of heavy bourbon, dark chocolate and cocoa, coffee, vanilla, almond, coconut, very nice earthy and woody. Flavor is just a perfect balance of the bourbon being strong enough without killing the other flavors. Chocolate, molasses, dark cocoa, a bit of nuttiness, dark fruits are abundant, along with the raisins and coconut. The flavor continues to develop for two minutes after swallowing. Full bodied, nice and sticky with almost no carbonation. Amazing stuff, can’t imagine what the reaction must have been when it was first presented as a pioneering bourbon barrel aged imperial stout.

Bottle with huge, enormous, exuberant thanks to coyotehunter. 2008 vintage. Pours black with a tiny lacing of cherry-tan head, that is gone in a near instant. Aromas of bourbon, cherries, anise, and vanilla. There is also a pleasant, if faint woody aroma. What a big-smelling beer. The booze pervades, but doesn’t overwhelm in the nose. First taste is incredible... chocolate, coffee, vanilla, cherries, bourbon, licorice... almost too many flavors to mention. The complexity is evident and impossible to do justice to. Yes, there are raisins here too. The booze is actually very well-disguised, until the smooth burn on the way down, and even then, it is not astringent in the least. Creamy, succulent mouthfeel, bordering on the perfect beer. Creamy, dark, smokey and sweet. If this beer was a woman, I’d do dishes, laundry, and toilets with pleasure just to taste of her charms. Awesomeness, with no exaggeration whatsoever. Just flat-out awesomeness. Good thing I only have one bottle or I’d... wait, bad thing I only have one bottle.