Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

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.

Wow, this was awesome. I’ve had many bourbon barrel aged beers and most have been dominated by whiskey flavor, but this one has a complimentary bourbon flavor. Pours very thick and deep dark black. The nose is strong of whiskey and roasted malts. The flavor profile has hints of vanilla, cherry, sweet malt, and roasted malt followed up by a warming whiskey aftertaste that even non-whiskey drinkers (myself) would enjoy.

(Bottle, 2004 vintage) Pours a dark brown (almost black) body with a thin tan head. Aroma of bourbon, wood, chocolate, and marshmallow. Flavor of rich chocolate, toasted marshmallow, caramel, toasted coconut, and vanilla extract. Quite the delight!

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.

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.

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.

12oz bottles acquired in trades with beerhandy & CaptainCougar (thanks!). Poured a dark, dark black with an averaged sized deep brown head. Aromas start with stronger bourbon that give way to vanilla, oak, brown sugar, and dark fruits. Tastes of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and roasted malts. Warming alcohol finish. Nice smooth body. I start a 2 week vacation today and this beer was the perfect way to kick it off!