Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

courtesy of Laurent Mousson - very dark brown colour, little dark beige foam; complex aroma of wood, nut and molasses; thick and oily, full-bodied and hugely bitter, a touch of acidity; solid carbonation; long bitter roasted and nutty finish leaving warming alcohol notes - spectacular!

Vintage 2006
Black oil, thin head. Intense aroma, very sweet, of vanilla, oak, roasted malt, tar, leather. Full mouthfeel, thick, oily, sweet, malty, with a very nice roasted malt line, some liquorice, cookies, vanilla, dark chocolate. Strong final, with a clear presence of the roasted malt, sugars and vanilla, salty dark chocolate 99% cocoa; toffee and rubharb; the alcohol starts warming the mouth

Bought for 10$ at New Beer Distributors, NY, it’s a great beer to celebrate Milan victory in the Champions League tonight!

2008. Very bourbon-y on the nose, it was evident without looking at the name. No head, just thick black liquid with bourbony, alcoholy fumes. Full rich Impy flavor, just doesn’t hide the alcohol or seem to make any attempt to. Seems I’ve had something very similar to this before - maybe Dogfish Head WWS except more bourbon-y?

Original review date 10/29/2008. 2007 vintage into a Cab glass... Deep, dark, espresso/motor oil/tar...needless to say, quite viscous with wisps of pumpernickel head up top - very small wisps. Creamy vanilla with a lot of oaky feel to it - bourbon sweetness with hearty chocolate tones...a nice smokiness as in ultra-seared steak char. Heavy, boozy caramel...more bittersweet chocolate - almost too much to mention here. With further warmth, grassy hops emerge. It’s got it all, baby...$#!+ dog! Whooo hooo...complexity abounds. Bourbon, vanilla, oak, coffee...ultra-dry bitter coffee/chocolate mega-roasted malt...austere grassy hops complement the bittersweet malt quite nicely and after a while balance out the bourbon booziness. This cools off nicely with a fair amount of warm alcohol remaining. All over the place - this has bittersweet grassy hops in Beautiful Chemistry with chocolate/coffee huge malt and mellowing bourbon. Port-like tones on deep background. Definitely something to seek and savor. More motivation to visit family in the Chicagoland area more often and to bring some back for the cellar. This could even out with a little more time but even now it drinks down much more quickly than anticipated. A classic.

Even though I balked at paying 7.50 for this in a store, I had no problem forking over 12 in a bar… go figure. Thick pitch black beer with dark brown head fading to lace. Aroma is very sweet and malty, dark heavy salty roastiness. Soy character along with all of the sweetness. Warming brings out the sweet bourbon and vanilla character. Dried plums and prunes. Charcoal smokiness and lots of heavy bitter dark chocolate. Soft tobacco herbal character as well. Very complex nose. Flavour is just as impressive, dominated by dark chocolate and heavy roast, there are also notes of smoke, soy, charred oak, followed by soft vanilla and bourbon on the finish. Bitterness is quite herbal and quite assertive, combining with all of the roast to keep the sweetness in check. Lovely brew, bourbon doesn’t dominate, but just adds background complexity to a beer that would have been excellent anyway. Didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did.

Sampled @ GABF- One of my favorites, what a brew! Pours a jet black color, nice sized tan head. Aroma is full of bourbon, vanilla, butterscotch, chocoltate. A great sniffer. Flavor is more goodness, the barrel hits strong. Tastes like double chocolate coffee cake soaked in fine whiskey. Perfect finish.

Oh my God. This was a fantastic beer. Bottle. Served cold. Poured oily black with a thin, lasting brown head. Aroma is coffee and sweet malts, as far as my undeveloped nose can tell. Taste is lots of chocolate, very sweet and delicious. the true greatness, obviously, is the back-end of the palate, the hint of bourbon \that warms your entire mouth. It’s a fantastic brew.