Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Dark beer with ruby hues. Thin brown head with a beautiful nose of ripe dark fruit and bourbon barrel. This is like the essence squeezed from the heart of some rare animal killed in the prime of its life. Sharp on the tongue but not overpowering. Nice bourbon kick on the exhale. Lots of caramel, toffee and burnt sweetness. Really a very hypnotic beer.

Bottle. Pours a viscous thick black body with a smallish mocha head. First of all, the aroma is fantastic - lots and lots of vanilla here among smooth chocolate, toffee, and toasted malt. Unfortunately the flavour is overwhelmed entirely by alcohol and it’s very difficult to drink...I had a half bottle sample and it took me upwards of an hour to drink. Burnt malt and again there are notes of vanilla but it’s really difficult to get past the alcohol burn. I’d like to try this again in two years if it were to mellow out. Thanks for sharing this, Len.

2004: Flowing molasses with maple highlights. Sticky, creamy copper froth. Lively bourbon aroma with notes of tannins, melted fudge, butter, candied pecans, and vanilla. Oxidized wood caresses the rich chocolate and portlike undertones. All emphasis is on the fudgy malts and bourbon, leaving only a glimpse of dark fruity esters. Soft and viscous on the palate. Velvety, spongy carbonation. Immensely complex notes of vanilla and dark chocolate, trailed by a mild vinous tingle and a touch of toasted wood and raisins. Grainy caramelized sugars cushion the rich chocolate and soft vanilla to perfection. Finishes shockingly rich yet balanced by a mixture of black malt char, bourbon, oak, and caramel. Fudge and molasses notes coat the tongue as the bourbon lingers to seal the deal. Extremely luscious. (9,5,9,4,18)

2005: Something has drastically changed. Both the foam and body are doubtlessly on the lighter side. Carbonation is also less dense than the 2004 and the silky viscosity is no longer evident. Charred barrel character is still in full force as it acts as the anchor, but the finish is overwhelmingly brash with alcohol, medicine, and body-thinning tannins. And it’s overly sweet, mushy, and rampant with sweet and husky corn notes. No definitive vinous notes or fruity esters, whatsoever. Good, but this is not the gem that it was a year ago. Among other things, this particular batch needs a lengthy slumber in the cellar to tone down the alcohol. Currently it comes across as just another mushy, oversweet, bourbon-saturated makeshift Imperial that has only suffered by being aged in a bourbon barrel. (6,3,7,3,12)

2008. pitch black with no head, no lacing, and no carbo bubbles. big vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, molasses aroma. velvety smooth palate. flavors of vanilla, caramel, oaky wood, dark chocolate, soy sauce, raisins and other sweet dark fruits. sticky mouthfeel with almost no carbonation.

Pours thick and oily. Black, no head. Total whiskey aroma. Alcohols rise out of the glass. Espresso, chocolate and vanilla flavors plus bourbon notes. Earthy aroma as well. Thick palate - coating. Bittersweet finish. Highly roasted. Acrid, challenging. Licorice comes through as well.

This one surprised me quite a bit considering I was expecting a bourbon bomb. Pours thick and oily black with a dark brown head. The aroma has heavily roasted malt, milk chocolate, vanilla, traces of bourbon and cream - very hearty and full. Thick and full bodied that is rich and velvety with a small amount of carbonation. The taste starts with a load of very roasted chocolate malt, vanilla, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dark fruits, anise - there is a lot going on here. The finish has a heck of an alcohol kick, but it words for this big beer. There is bourbon in the flavor, but it is not in the forefront as with many, it is more of a supporting role. Very well done imperial stout.

Very black in colour, thin tan coloured head that quickly dissipates into a ring around the glass, light lacing along with some alcohol lacing. The aroma is very bourbony, some chocolate, lots of vanilla, cream and lots of alcohol. The flavour wasn’t as alcohol filled as I would have thought, the vanilla doesn’t hide itself, extreme sweetness, very malty, lots of chocolate. Surprisingly smooth and creamy mouthfeel, medium/large body, medium carbonation. Finishes with lots of alcohol, very long and very sweet. Pretty alcohol, very overpowering at times. I don’t think that the alcohol will ever mellow.

355ml bottle obtained in a trade with <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank>OhioDad, thanks Scott.
Opened on July 27, 2007.
Brewed on August 16, 2005.

2007 bottle - Pours black and oily with a thin tan head. The aroma is of bourbon and roast malt with vanilla notes. The flavor has very apparent bourbon, but it doesn’t overwhelm the big roast malts and the coffee and vanilla accents. It’s full bodied and very tasty. I’d vote for dialing back the bourbon just a little bit, but it’s an excellent brew.