Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

thanks to jcapriotti for this bonus brew.(talk about a bonus brew!)ok here we go.the b.c.s. pours a super black body with a nice small chocolate looking head.my nose was gifted with aromas of molasses,brownies,chocolate chips,and roasted malts.talk about an inviting aroma!the first sip slid down my throat.the palate and texture is super thick on this one,just the way i like it.i then took a second sip to see what i could really gather as far as flavor.brownies,molasses,and alcohol were all in the mix,including a tiny bit of raosted malt.this is very tastey although i think the alcohol and sweetness are a little overpowering.still though,this is one serious/delicious impy stout.2006 BOTTLE RERATE:smells like heaven.vanilla,oak,molasses,almonds,chocolate,roas malts...the aroma goes on forever.flavor meets the expectations of the aroma.vanilla,oak,butter,caramel.chocolate,coffee, malt...man o’ man this thing keeps movin’.plus it sticks to my tounge and reminds me of how awsome it is 30 seconds after a sip.i really think this year is head and shoulders above last years.

12 oz. bottle from tjthresh. Bottled on 070306. Pour is all black, with a tiny khaki head that vanishes all most instantly. Almost completely still. The aroma is strong, didn’t even need to lean in to get roast coffee, licorice and some hop bitterness. Definitely get the bourbon and oak in there as well, even some heat. Tons going on already. Taste is absolutely enormous, big black licorice in the start, semi-sweet coffee / big roast through the middle and a gigantic oak (wood) / bourbon / alcohol finish. Truly overpowering, and a bit much, really. Tons going on in the flavor, but really didn’t come together for me. I’ll give this another go if I can get a bottle with some age on it.

2006 12oz bottle Pours out a sweet black topped with a small dark tan head. Great aroma of roast bourbon and sweetness. Tast is WOW so good. Sweet chocolate, vanilla, and wook. Thanks so much to FOOTBALM for sending another GEM.

After trying for quite some time to acquire this beauty, I finally managed to get 2 4-packs from my mom for the holidays. If this is worth half the hype it will be worth it. 2006 bottle. Pours as black as I’ve ever seen with barely any head. Temperature starting out around 50F. Aroma is a masterful mix of oak, vanilla, butter & thick cream, alcohol, with some chocolate & coffee. Taste is a thick mixture of chocolate, cream, wood, vanilla, and several others that I can’t even distinguish yet. This is an amazingly thick & tasty roller coaster ride of a beer! My only complaint is that its a "tad" hot, but that is to be expected since its only a few months old. I’m excited to try this one as it ages! 1/23/2008: Cracked open another 2006 bottle - man has it mellowed nicely! 2/10/2008: Couldn’t help myself - had to try one of my 2007 bottles. Wow - this is intense. I definitely prefer an older bottle that has cooled off a bit, but this one is still packed with intense aroma and taste. Bourbon-woodiness is very prominent and quite tasty. Wonderful as always.

From a 12 oz bottle this poured a very opaque black and when held up to the light let nothing though. The head was a light brown and the lacing was almost non-existent, and seemed to slide off the side of the glass like olive oil. The nose greats you with a huge amount of bourbon. Only bourbon itself smells more like bourbon. But there is more there as well---vanilla, ripe fruit, and chocolate. The mouthfeel is very rich, heavy, and full bodied. The flavor is simply amazing, with bourbon of course, but like the nose also showing vanilla, chocolate, floral hops, roasted caramel, burned oak, coffee, and the finish is sweet with traces of the floral hops. This is one of the most amazing beers ever, and is one you want to sip very slowly and enjoy each and every nuance.

Courtesy of Pailhead. Dark oily black with huge beige head. Coats the entire glass. Aroma is very sweet, lots oc chocolate malt, vanilla, bourbon, a little alcohol. Initial flavor is blended vanilla and cocoa, turns to bourbon and a little coffee in the finish. Big warming alcohol presence in the finish. Hard to believe this is only 11% with the big alcohol presence.

Thanks so much Phil for hooking me up with this one, much appreciated. Opaque black pour with a thin ring of mocha head. Initial blast of dark chocolate and an assault of vanilla with burnt wood and dark rum, all fill the nose. Very heavy on the vanilla in flavour, robust coffee chocolate, with burnt toast notes. But the booze comes through, and almost puts up a blockade. I mean, this is tough to even sip. Finish is almost all booze, with a little dark rum and chocolate. Perhaps a little too one dimensional. This is very good, just not exceptional. Really glad I got to try it though, thanks P-dog!

(Bottle, thanks Ughsmash) Pours totally black. Roasted dark malt, vinous aroma with a lot of oak wood, bourbon and vanilla. Dark chocolate and cherries also present. Some dark dried fruits and Madeira like tones with raisins, blue grapes and prunes up front. Smaller notes of dark bread. Dark roasted malt flavour with strong notes of Madeira, oak wood/bourbon, salt liquorice and dark chocolate. Oily, thick long lasting mouthfeel. Fiery, peppery alcohol warmth on the aftertaste with notes of dark malt, dark fruits and bourbon. Deep and complex overall. The wine-ish tones is almost a bit port like both in the aroma and flavour. Medium bitter with a dryish sting. Full body. Helt stört bra!