Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Why do I open good beers when I’m in this state? Alcohol/bourbon and chocolate in the nose. It ends up being a bit too astringent. Pure caramel (I like DAAS’s description of it as being like a snickers bar) A lot of sweetness here and a lot of alcohol.

Bottled 8/15/05. Pours pitch black with a small, receding tan head. The aroma is bourbon, oak, slightly sweet, dark fruits, lots of chocolate. The flavor fairly sweet, plenty of alcohol present, sugar plums, chocolate, lots of roast, slightly boozy bourbon, vanilla. Man, this one had me until I tasted it. Just too much booze. Mouthfeel is soft, oily and sticky.

From a 12 oz bottle with a bottled on date of 081605. Poured in to a Duvel glass. Pours used motor oil black, and almost as thick. Very pretty brown head formed, but faded quickly. Bourbon, oak, vanilla are all present as advertised. I get some dark cherry notes. Man this beer is gonna kick my ass. This beer has tons of body for as much alcohol that’s in it. Each drink comes with the burn of a shot of bourbon. I’m guessing that it is still pretty green, so in six month or a year. I’m going to be a very happy man.

Bottle from NPDEMPSE. Pours with the viscosity of overused motor oil, thick and syrupy. No real head formation to speak of and no lacing. Aroma is great! Molasses, hints of vanilla, a little alcohol. Thick and coating mouthfeel. Sweet initially with roasted grain bitterness gaining strength slowly. Bourbon notes with vanilla being predominant. Hearty alcohol presence warms the gullet nicely. Well done.

12oz bottle. Bottle on date:081505 1208. Whatever the last four digits mean? Batch? Anyway...Pitch opaque "inky"(somebody mentioned it somewhere tonight, catchy) Tight ring and slight spiral beige head. Roasty vanilla cherry aromas. Vanilla cookie with dark fruit jam. Bigger carbonation compared to the previous(KBS) rating. Sharper and seemingly lighter(comparatively) body. Bigger burn, and bigger acidity overall. Lesser oaky vanilla flavor, but more smokey and burnt. Acidity and alcohol higher. More fruity. Almost vinuous. More cloying, less tingling. And on a side note, this is the first(maybe second) time that I have given an appearance score higher than a 3. Strickly based on how nice it was to use the word "inky". This is the type of beer you share. Both because of the gravity and strength of the brew and that the flavors are so intense that 6oz is quite enough to smack around your taste buds. Fun and memorable.

Bottle. Very dark rusted red color, no head. Big whiskey and alcohol aroma. Coconut. Whiskey dominates the palate. Chocolate and cream in there too. Finish is smooth and bitter, something that is usually not seen in hot beers like this one.

Extremely dark brown with a minimal tan head. No carbonation. Very sweet aroma with some muted liquor notes. There’s molasses in there, too. Very heavy wood/liquor flavor with a sticky-sweet aftertaste and feel. I enjoyed the barrel flavor, but the overall taste is way too sweet. Re-rating 3/5/2006, bottle. What was I thinking back in ’03? I tried the beer at the JoeM500 B-day gathering at FFF, must have been the cold affecitng my palate. Black body, tan head. Alcoholic chooclate cake nose with woody bourbon notes. The flavor is consistent throughout - dense chocolate/pale sweetness, a sharp alcohol kick, and smokey-ham bouron. Nice mouthfeel on this one - sips with a velvety smoothness that compliments the alcohol well.

Bottle as Bourbon County Brand Stout. Pitch black body with a creamy longlasting light brown head. Lots of bourbon in aroma with roasted malt in front. Notes of oak, vanilla, prunes, tobacco and caramel. Smooth and creamy body. Wow. The bourbon is absolutely in front in flavour with a definate alcoholic kick. then comes the sweet roasted malt, caramel and ripe fruit. Great complex brew!