Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Where to start. As other raters have said this stuff is thick and dark. I swear it pours in clumps! This would make a great marinade for a thick filet mignon. Seriously. There are a lot of flavors going on here. The aroma is interesting but hard to pinpoint. In the taste, I get Merlot, a warm fruit brandy, mild hints of chocolate, and yet somewhat astingent notes of coffee. You really can mix this with a macro and create a more "normal" stout, as someone else suggested. I took Schlafly Pilsner (12 oz) and mixed with 6 oz of Bourbon County Stout. It was still totally opaque but became slightly thinner in texture. It totally absorbed the flavor of the pilsner. Invasion of the Beer Snatchers!

Big thanks to beer handy for this. This is #1,450 for me, and I hope to have 50 solid beers leading up to 1,500. This one pours dark as the night, with minimal tan head. Aroma of malt, big prunes, dark fruit, chocoff, molasses, scotch, oak, bourbon, berries, vanilla. Higher intensity aroma than Heresy. Tastes wonderfully malty, with an oatmeal, blackberry, graham cracker, molasses, chocolate syrup, prune, licorice flavor. Yes, this is a bit cloying due to its amazing thickness, and the alcohol appears as it warms, yet it remains smooth. Up there with the DFH Worldwide Stout as far as thickness and intensity of flavor goes (although not as thick or alcoholic). Gets a bit heavy toward the end, but damn! this is a good beer. Lightweights, or non-stout fans need not apply. Beers like this make me proud to be a ratebeerian. Major props to Goose Island! JPDIPSO, I agree with your marinade idea. I may save a few ounces of this to marinate some steak or pork with. I’ll bet it would kick major ass! Not as smooth as the CWBBS or Speedway, not as complex as Dark Lord (but just as thick), yet amazing in its own right. The bourbon doesn’t overpower the beer, it just accentuates it. Stouts like this don’t come along very often. I’m a hardened, 16 year-veteran beer drinker, and as my last beer of the night this one is intimidating even me! Bravo, Goose Island.

Big thanks to biggreen (BA) and KAggie97 for bringing this to the 2nd Houston Tasting. Dark as night pour with a gorgeous mocha head. Beautiful nose of bourbon and dark pitted fruits. Wow...the taste on this is incredible. Big heat, but the bourbon, smoke, chocolate and vanilla tastes are just amazing. I love this beer.

bottle, thanks to santa for this one. pours black with a huge brown creamy head. aroma is whiskey smokey oak taste is oak vanilla, molasses, it is smokey with a light alcohol warming at the end there is so much going on in this it is simply amazing.

2006 12 oz bottle from discount liqour in Milwaukee. Opaque black color with very thin burnt red/brown head that I had to beg to come out, but it was oh so beautiful when it did. Fantastic smoky bourbon aroma, with sweet malt, caramel, dark chocolate, darklord in quality. Flavor is roasted malt, vanilla bourbon, the darkent belgian chocolate, some fruit, like cherries, alc is there but not overpowering. Full body, no carb, maybe a little syrup. Overall an amazing brew that knocks down most impys out there. So good!!

’07 Bottle: Pitch black, viscous pour with no head. The oak and bourbon hit you right up front on this with only subtle notes of brown sugar, dark chocolate and molasses coming through on the nose. Silky smooth, this has much more body than I was expecting but I’m not complaining one bit. This tastes exactly like these chocolate covered bourbon balls that my family makes for the holidays. Some brown sugar and espresso bean flavors come through as it warms. A bit hot at this point but still excellent. I can’t wait to see how this ages.

thanks mcbackus what a great stout great barrell notes in this dark dark beer chocolate and woods dominate flavor is great taste and aroma match perfectly not much better than this

Strong bourbon aroma, roasty, tobacco, toasty, chocolaty. Pitch black, some creamy head. Thick as hell. Strong alcoholic bourbony flavor. Spicy, sweet.