Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Woah!!!! Maybe Noah, I mean this is one big F-ing beer. Very little head very little lacing. Nose is of what else but bourbon, vanilla, caramel, mollases, a little coffee, and American oak. One drink and you can tell this beer is something different, something big, and something special. Enormous amounts of wood but in a very good way adding complexity too the brew. Prune, dark unsweetened choclate, mollases, pure vanilla extract, and alcohol glide across the palate in a race for the most complex brew award. This is a very big, very masculine beer. I’m going to have to try the other Bourbon brews from the Goose because this one has won me over. Cheers.

I was presented with the opportunity to try this one on tap last evening at El Bait Shop in Des Moines. I had a bottle of this a couple years ago, and I jumped at the opportunity to try it on tap. I was particularly surprised at how tasty this was considering how not long ago I thought it was a little bit "overdone". This beer pours a jet black and has a big tan head that settles to a swirl on the top of the beer and leaves some lace. The aromas are of vanilla, oak, whisky and alcohol. The flavor is remarkable it starts off fairly intensely of roasted, almost burnt malt, which gives way to what can only be described as a strong mocha character displaying plenty of the chocolate and vanilla malt sweetness balanced very nicely with nutty flavors of oak and whisky. This is indeed best when sipped slowly, but there is virtually no alcohol burn, and this is remarkably smooth for all of its character. The only complaint I have is that everything tastes like water after drinking this one.

2008 bottle. Pours a pitch black, opaque body with a very thin, dark brown head. Complex, sweet aroma of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, and burnt sugar with hints of oak, smoke, and cocoa. Flavor is similar, although more toffee and caramel flavors seem to come through along with notes of dark fruits and espresso. Solid, thick body with a smooth and slightly oily mouthfeel. Bourbon and coffee finish with a light alcohol warmth.

pours a flat out motor oil with no head whatsoever. Aroma is heavy with alcohol, bourbon, fig, raisin, vanilla, caramel- exquisite. Flavor is unbelievable- starts with heavy cream and caramel notes, then the sticky sweet dark fruit notes come through, with an incredible finish of wood, cream, vanilla, and cane sugar. Phenomenal palate, a candy of a beer, incredible.

Pours almost black with almost no head. The nose of toffee, vanilla, bourbon and some smoke. Comes across the palate as vanilla, coffee, dark fruit sweetness and bourbon balance; that also has a mild coffee lingering after taste. Very thick much like a traditional stout. Very good!

This stuff pours like syrup and is ultra dark. It sort of smells like dark chocolate and a little whiskey warmed up together. WOW! it tastes like it smells. I will have one of these instead of dessert, please. Awesome.

BCS Rating #1000 Bottle 2008. A ultra dark thick black color body with a very thin chocolate colored head,little to no carbonation,lots of sticky sheeting and lace. Aroma of Vanilla, chocolate covered cherries, oak, tobacco,and brown sugar.Flavor is HUGE dark toasted malt ,chocolate, coffee, licorice, raisin, smoke, vanilla, and molasis, a full body with a thick creamy mouthfeel,slightly boozy ,burbony but in a very good way,long milk chocolate,and alcohol finish. This is the bomb !

This one is a wow. It’s almost like drinking a peaty, single-malt scotch. Great with cigars.