Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Re-rated - 12oz Bottle 2006: Pours oily black with a deep brown head. Aroma is smokey, barbeque sauce, lots of peat notes, tobacco, wood, bourbon whiskey, dark chocolate, vinegar, and paint thinner. Flavor is very rich and salty. Tons of sweet sour mash, vanila notes, smokey oakey/whiskey. There’ plenty of earthy peaty notes followed by a long rich roasty finish. A rich and unique Stout.

[1706-20080912] 355mL bottle. Sweet bourbon oxo beef cubes aroma has lots of roasted wood malt and vanilla hints. Black brown body with a quick creamy red brown head. Heavy roast beef roast malt flavour. Full body is smooth. Heavy booze but well-integrated, very nicely made.

Bottle: Courtesy of Duane via trade. Big bourbon and vanilla presence in the aroma. Chocolate is there, but is somewhat dominated. Definite alcohol presence in the nose. If you take a real big whiff, it burns the nose a little (I only got this from the first bottle I had). Pours a dark brown, with no transparency, and a quickly fading tan head. Like the aroma, big bourbon flavor with a good dose of vanilla. Moderate caramel and chocolate is light. Finishes with some moderate coffee and light alcohol flavor, but pretty big warmth. As I drink, chocolate begins to make it’s presence more known. Excellent beer! 10-4-9-4-18

Bottle (2007): Outstanding aroma of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, bourbon, maple syrup, toffee, light alcohol, and very faint coffee. This really has to be one of the best aromas for a beer. Pours virtually black with a minimal tan head that quickly fades to a fine ring along the outer edges of the glass. The flavor starts with lots of chocolate, some caramel, and light vanilla. There is sort of a faint fruit and raisin combo in the middle. It finishes with maple syrup, bourbon, and very faint roasted coffee. Tastes big, but 13% is masked very well. Thank you GI for finally getting this stuff to Michigan. 10-4-10-4-19

Appearance: Pours an opaque black body with a large, lush dark tan head. Smell: Intense aroma of chocolate-covered coffee beans and bourbon, with all the companion hints of vanilla, wood, and dark brown sugar. Light whiff of smoke. Taste: Dark maltiness with chocolate, sweetened coffee, and dark caramel. Plenty of complimentary sweetness to go around. A bourbon flavor so exquisite, it’s hard not to get excited about it. At this level, you get astoundingly distinct, robust flavors of vanilla beans, brown sugar, and charred oak. Anymore bourbon would turn this beer into an abomination of beerkind. The beer gets very chocolatey near the finish. Mouthfeel: Full-bodied. Medium carbonation. Creamy, delectable mouthfeel. Warming alcohol presence. Drinkability: Very good! The first sip was a joy, as was the last.

Bottled on 081605. Pours to a black body with a fizzy dark brown head that disapates quickly to a ring around the glass. Lacing is non-existent or really hard to get. The aroma is vanilla, oak, bourbon, charred wood, butter, cherries. I like the charred woody aroma. The flavor is a smoky vanilla with lots of sweet malts, noticeable warming. Charred oak. There isn’t a lot of bourbon flavors, but strong malts are detected. The alcohol flavor isn’t noticeable, but the the warming surely is. Very creamy. A good bitterness. This is a good beer, but I think it’s a bit over-hyped. 8/3/8/4/16 = 3.9

I was able to sample a white labeled version of this beer that only had BCS 1402 printed on it. This bottle was per Todd, the non-rater beer buy. Thanks Todd! This edition/vintage was much better. It pours to a dark brown head atop a dark brown/black body. The aroma is hugely bourbon and malty chocolate, vanilla. More blended and smooth. The flavor is very rich and malty with chocolate, coffee, bourbon, and vanilla. More balanced than the 2005 version. I also got to try a 2004 version and it was better than the 2005 version. I recommend cellaring this for a couple years before drinking the first one. 8/5/9/4/17 = 4.3

Wow!! This is pitch black in color. Dark brown head. This is intense. The flavor of the bourbon is obvious as well as some oak. Not for the faint of heart, but this is just fantastic, definitely worth the $20 a four-pack.

Pours like thick motor oil (not thin motor oil!). Heavy opaque black color. Tan fizzy head that dissipates quickly. Alcohol in the nose, some roasted malt too. Creamy chocolately body, some licorice and definite woody and oaky notes. Bitter like bittersweet chocolate. Whiskey-like aftertaste. Warming alcohol effect in the throad after the swallow. Smooth for sure, but maybe too much alcohol. This is big big beer that should be used like a brandy: for sipping after a meal. Did I mention there is alcohol a-go-go in this one? Grows on you through the glass. Amazing....THANKS ARIANE AND LO!

12oz Bottled on 070306. Bourbon, smoked wood, chocolate, roasted barley and vanillia mutiple aromas here on the nose. Black oil body with thin chocolate milk head. Flavor had the texture of a chocolate milk shake. Chocolate and bourbon blend along with the chalky coco was the right mix. Somewhat dry coco chalk on palate but somooth with a heavy forehead afterwards. Alcohol will be felt after liquid is all but disappeared. My wife is one hell of a beer shopper.