Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

12oz Bottle $19.99 4-Pack Sam’s Marcey 2007 Bottling 13% The ’07 Bourbon County Stout pours black as a moonless night. Not a shred of light can fight it’s way through the blackness. An aggressive pour yields only a small crown of tan foam which is to be expected with the massive abv. The head settles to a ring and leaves patches of lace after each sip. As you take your first whiff you’re hit with a big dose of vanilla from the barrel aging. Traces of bourbon come next followed by a mellow oakiness. The barrel aging runs throughout but is greeted and embraced by a big roastiness, caramel maltiness, and a smattering of dark fruit. There’s even a ghost-like smokiness floating around in there. There is a great stout in here but the barrel aging makes it world class. All the qualities from the aroma are right here in the flavor with the bourbon, vanilla, and a touch of woodiness working throughout. If this beer was aged any longer the bourbon would overpower everything else, if it was aged any less the bourbon wouldn’t have been able to stand up to such a big robust stout. A slice of heaven in a glass. Thick and rich mouthfeel but exquisitly smooth. The carbonation is on the sluggish side which lets this silky body glide through slowly and coats every tastebud. The alcohol warms the throat on the swallow. I can’t give a stout this big abv wise a perfect score for drinkability but this is as close as it could get. A sipper without a doubt but one to sip and savor all night long. One of my favorites from Goose Island and one of my favorite stouts. The barrel aging sets this beer apart from the other great stouts. Absolutely delicious. 1/20/08

The first time I tried this one was with jarspag, too bad his gf spilled half the bottle on the carpet...noooo! Thanks to Sephiroth for gettin me another bottle through trade. Pours a very silky pitch black, & I mean black! Minimal red-beige head that coats the top layer in my snifter, with good lacing. Wonderful aroma of bourbon and oak wood, with vanilla, espresso, licorice and currants. Flavor blew me away, wow! Tons of coffee, roasted malt, stained oak wood, vanilla and black cherry. Very well balanced with the nice hint of bourbon at the end of each sip with a warming alcohol finish that coats the tongue. Great smooth and chewy palate, you can really dig your teeth into this brew, and the taste lingers on...and on...and on...Gets even better with warmth. Nice!

Poured jet black with brown head. Strong aroma of bourbon and coffee with some chocolate and vanilla hints. I could smell this all day. Extremely strong alcohol taste with bourbon, coffee, and chocolate hints. Also some fruit present. This brew is definately made for sippin.

2005 vintage consumed in February 2008. Whoa! This brew screams bourbon! As soon as I cracked the top, a massive nose of kentucky bourbon laden chocolate and nougat malts hit me like a ton of bricks. The thick, syrupy, opaque mahogany liquid exudes fumy notes of vanilla and burnt caramel over the silky dark chocolate malts and omnipresent bourbon. The aroma is nothing short of fantastic, and it transitions perfectly into the luxurious, intense flavor. Dark chocolate and caramel caress the tongue, while the intense bourbon melts perfectly into the fold. There is a perfectly complimentary smoky taste that sticks to the roof of the mouth and the edges of the tongue. This brew is masterfully crafted in its use of massive amounts of malt to balance out the huge bourbon notes. I can’t believe how well this has held up after nearly three years. My only knock is on appearance, which would certainly garner a perfect score save for the lack of a head or lacing, a condition that is most likely due to the brew’s age. A thick viscous body drinks incredibly smooth for such a huge beer, though it falls just short on carbonation levels. I will revisit this beauty as often as possible, as this is truly one of the classics. EXCELLENT!

Very complex beer. The flavor is like walking through a very old forest, where light and shadows plays, sounds of birds and bugs, aromas of earth, trees and brush and decay demand attention. It is hard to focus on everything at once, and several of the things you sense may on their own be unpleasant, but taking in all at once, concentrating on the whole and not the parts, is an experience not soon to be forgotten. I am happy to have experienced it, but also will not desire it again, at least for a very long time. (The time has come to re-rate. My first was 3.8, and either I was crazy, got a bad bottle, or have just changed. I love this one, and have put up a few. Huge malted milk ball flavor with hints of bourbon. Alcohol well hid, but with pleasing warmth. Great aftertaste, like what is left in your mouth after a fantastic chocolate malted mild shake.)

poured form bottle into matilda "M" glass. pours pitch black with minimal lacing. I think all of these were bottled the same day, but this one had 10-11-07, 105 on the label. rasins in th enose with a thick almost tobacco like taste. hints of teh wood come through as it warms, very chewy and leather-like. slight saltiness, alcohol warming is minimal. an awesome beer!

Bottle. Pours deep black with a thin brown head. Looks great, pours mean and appealing. Smells of sweet burnt malts and chocolate. Taste is complex, robust. Subtle notes are picked up with each sip. A treat.

12 oz bottle 2007 vintage. Black black black thick oil black with a tiny dark caramel brown head and ring. The milky way of lace is swirling around the black universe. Nose is booze and cocoa/chocolate and raisins and vanilla and I’m in love. Brown sugar and caramel. Lovely. Taste is cocoa and malt and booze. Nose burn from the alcohol. Bitter afters. Getting too much alcohol overpowering a lot of it. Sweet dark fruit comes through in the beginning. Super gooey sticky loogy making in the back of my throat. Have to decide later how good I think it is. 2008 Redux. Damn this is one tasty effing brew. Thick like oil. Sweet and spicy. Still lots of alcohol, but better balanced. Beautiful. Nose is sharp sweet and spicy. Allspice and cardamom. Plums. Taste is thick gooey goodness.