Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

On the first sip, I was seriously worried this might supplant my long-running all-time favorite beer! Poured a rich, velvety black. So thick the surface didn’t ripple under a pour, it *folded* in waves. Dark brown head was a little difficult to coax out, and slowly disappeared. No real lacing, but this stuff is so thick that sheets of the beer itself lace the glass when tipped. This stuff smells heavily of vanilla, bourbon, and oak. A thick, sweet smell. This stuff is just double-stout heaven! Intensely complex. Starts as an espresso double-roast, and instantly turns into an explosion of vanilla, oak, and roast. Slowly fades into a bloom of grapefruit-like hops that stay with you. Each sip brings out more flavors than the last. This stuff is thick, and massive. Just barely enough carbonation to keep it from intimidating your tongue into hiding. If only all stouts could be so! I have to be careful, as this is the only bottle I’ve ever had, and this stuff isn’t sold locally for me. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. I think I just may weep when I finish this glass.

2006 I poured this violently into a Duvel tulip to get all the head I could out of it. Ended up a couple fingers from the top. Black dense body with brown bubbly head that sticks around for a while and lasted to the end. Smell was a smack in the face of coffee, chocolate and rasted malts. Flavor is a strong chocolate-vanilla with just enough bitterness. Very smooth mouthfeel for the viscosity of the brew. So drinkable for such a high alcohol and thickness beer. Need More!

the color is black with hints of chocolate brown. the nose is that of subtle smoke, dark chocolate, vanilla beans, and toasted nuts. the palate has tons of chocolate malt, thick mouthfeel, and some residual alcohol burn. a delicious example of an aged, flavored imperial stout which will only improve with age.

12 oz bottle, pours a rich black, with tan head, that dissipates mostly. Incredible aroma of bourbon, coffee, oak, vanilla, and chocolate...but mostly bourbon. Rich flavor of bourbon, oak, and roasted coffee. Rich, creamy mouthfeel, with light carbonation. An amazing beer!

I loved the balance. Complex but not in a needless or muddled way. Powerful woody, roasty bourbon note mixes well with chocolate, vanilla, tobacco and coffee flavors. A smokey, hoppy bitterness. Great mouthfeel, nose and aftertaste.

Re-rate after over a year of aging. What a difference a year makes. Same perfect thick-as-molasses black pour, but this time the alcohol took a back seat. Before I was so overwhelmed by the alcohol in both the nose and the flavor it took me an hour to drink one bottle. It was honestly like an imp stout with straight bourbon poured in. This time the 13% abv takes a back seat letting the oaky, smoked coffee, chocolate and light whiskey come to the front. Unbelievable complexity in all aspects and cannot stress how happy I am to give this a second try. My previous score was a 3.9 if you can believe.

After trying for quite some time to acquire this beauty, I finally managed to get 2 4-packs from my mom for the holidays. If this is worth half the hype it will be worth it. 2006 bottle. Pours as black as I’ve ever seen with barely any head. Temperature starting out around 50F. Aroma is a masterful mix of oak, vanilla, butter & thick cream, alcohol, with some chocolate & coffee. Taste is a thick mixture of chocolate, cream, wood, vanilla, and several others that I can’t even distinguish yet. This is an amazingly thick & tasty roller coaster ride of a beer! My only complaint is that its a "tad" hot, but that is to be expected since its only a few months old. I’m excited to try this one as it ages! 1/23/2008: Cracked open another 2006 bottle - man has it mellowed nicely! 2/10/2008: Couldn’t help myself - had to try one of my 2007 bottles. Wow - this is intense. I definitely prefer an older bottle that has cooled off a bit, but this one is still packed with intense aroma and taste. Bourbon-woodiness is very prominent and quite tasty. Wonderful as always.

Opaque black, light brown head that is thin and recedes to a thin layer. Aromas of dark rum, anise liquer, oak vanillins, and pudding. Palate is assaulted with chocolate pudding skin, perhaps a touch of butterscotch pudding, anise liqeur, and a heavy coconut character. Full body, viscous, and a little on the boozy side (but certainly not revealing of actual abv). Finish is almost unending, increadibly smooth & soft, with more anise & pudding flavors.