Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Cinco de Mayo, 2007: Re-rate: Sampled at Dark Lord Day 2007, 4-28-07. Very bourbony aroma, rich, high alcohol. Fully opaque body with a yellowish, tan head. Wow. Excellent. Dark Lord doesn’t have that much on this brew. Why is it that people line up and pay $15 a bottle for DL and there’s very little hype for BBS? Granted I don’t think this is quite a good as DL, but it’s not far enough away for the disparity in attention. Perhaps only being available one day a year at the brewery will do that for a beer. Ar 8, Ap 4, Fl 8, Pal 5, Ov 17. 3-28-06: MN Ratebeer Winter Get Together. Bottle. Rich, milk chocolatety aroma. Opaque body with no lace. Light brown head. Engine oil consistency. Syrupy. Wonderful caramelly, rich. Excellent.

Damn, this smells like bourbon sweetness on a chocolate bar. It’s got sweet floral notes, candy sugar, vanilla, molasas, honey, strawberry, raisin, and all sorts of other smells going on here. This thing needs to calm down, my senses cant take too many smells floating around in one glass. Flavor is offensively bourbon-tastic. It’s strong a chocolatey, but then its sweet and bourbon flavored. Now really, did they completely empty the casks before putting the beer in there. I imagin taking a glass of expedition stout and pouring half a shot of Old Forester and letting it air out for a while would produce something similar. OK, I’m joking around, but this stout seems to really be developed with the bourbon qualities more than anything else. I think if this beer were a bit weaker it would be perfect because the alcohol bite is the only thing that gets to me. The complexities come through wonderfully when this beauty warms up, but still get sidetracked from the heaft of alcohol. Still, it was worth it for the $4 a bottle.

This one pours a very dark color with a small head that doesn’t stick around long, but leaves a little lacing on the glass. The aroma is sweet and has some chocolate, vanilla, and dark malts. The flavor is much the same. Lots of chocolate and bourbon notes along with some other dark malts. The body is as thick as it gets. I couldn’t drink more than one because it’s so filling. The beer just sticks to the insides of your mouth. Wow. The drinkability suffers only from the fact that it’s so thick.

Many thanks to tjthresh for sending this one my way. Pours opaque with spare fizzy brown head, diminishing with spare lacing. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of head. Aroma is heavy malt (molasses, caramel, coffee, toasted grain), average hops (perfume), average yeast (dough, fresh leather) with notes of average alcohol, prunes and smoke. The aroma is very inviting and the alcohol is just noticeable but not overwhelming; nice maltiness that balances everything else. Average duration, heavy sweetness partly imparted by the bourbon and partly by a hint of vanilla, harsh acidity accentuated by the alcohol, heavy bitterness. Full bodied, alcoholic texture, average carbonation and bitter finish. The alcohol is very apparent in the flavor and mouthfeel yet remains less dominant in the aroma.

Bottle courtesy of Hogtown Harry. Pitch black, deep black, no head. Stunning aroma - roast, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, alcohol - so rich, eye watering - lovely. Taste follows suit - rich chocolate, cocoa, roast, vanilla and COMPLIMENTING bourbon (thank you for restoring my faith in bourbon). So rich, yet fairly light on the tongue relatively speaking. Up front it is bitter and strong, but in the end the sweet vanilla and roast comes in. Rich, silky, lovely. Sip, contemplate and enjoy. Big thanks to Harry for this one.

Very thick black like coffee with a similar taste. Like drinking an espresso almost, coffee, sweet, creamy. Then you get the taste of oak, alcohol, very nice wood taste. Bourbon only wishes it tastes this good!

This beer was wonderful. It pours real thick and clings to the glass for a long time. While 11% alcohol, the alcohol was not noticable. The aging in the bourbon barrels gives a wonderful flavor and aroma. This stout was great from first sip to last. Wondeful marriage of malt, chocolate, nuts and bourbon.

It finally made its way to San Diego! And it is everything I heard it was. Pours midnight black, with a short tan head. Rich, full aroma of choclate dipped in bourbon and wrapped in leather. The taste is soooooooo good. Chocolate and roasty malt topped with caramel. More bourbon and oak with hints of smoke, vanilla, and coffee. The prevalence of the alcohol only enhances the flavors. I love you Bourbon County Stout.