Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Bottle sampled with stegosaurus care of a faro99 trade. Deep black pour with a thin beige head. The smell grips you right away. Bourbon , possibly oak and chocolate. The taste was pure heaven. Yes, I sported wood for a minute and gave the cerimonial humping of the bottle. The taste was roast, coffee and bourbon. Beautifully blended. AMAZING !.

2006 vintage; huge thanks to my buddy Russ for holding onto this one till I could get back to Chicago. Pour is pitch black; a bit thin, and has the thinnest of a dark tan head; almost non-existent. Aroma has strong hints of bourbon, vanilla and lighter hints of milk chocolate and brown sugar. Very heavy mouthfeel, the first thing that comes to mind is ’Amazing’! I’d wager that about 4 out of 5 times I go after a beer I’ve been yearning to try, I leave disappointed, but not this time! This sludge almost does the opposite of what I expected...hits up hard early with the bourbon, vanilla, smoky/tobacco and dark chocolate flavors and mellows just beautifully mid-drink, turning very soft with light chocolate flavor, sugary malts, and a beautiful, mellow warming at the end. Do yourself a favor...just hold some of this on the tongue for a bit and enjoy the beauty! Dare I say this is the first heavily hyped and desired brew that has actually exceeded my expectations. Minimal burn, especially for an 11% ABV and wow, what a wonderful sipper...damn near a perfect 5, but still leaving some room for improvement

Re-rate: 2007 vintage...much livelier, stronger bourbon presence, especially on palate. Tobacco notes more pronounced. Alcohol much stronger presence. Beer still excellent, but not the ’oh my God’ I had with the one-year-aged 2006. Leaving current ratings pact as I plan to re-rate again in future after 2007 vintage ages for a year

Poured, as expected, a thick, oily black. Amazing -- so full bodied, heavy roast on aroma and taste. You can almost chew this brew -- better than Dark Lord IMHO. Lots of chocolate, roasted coffee, vanilla, and vinous notes. Bourbon touch is just right, not too much and not too little. Alcohol is there, but isn’t overwhelming. Sweet, endless finish: it coats the mouth and tongue with sweet nectar. Love this one.

Pours dark black with a slight foamy tan head. Roasty aroma, lots of sweet bourbon, caramel, brown sugar, wow. Upon taking a sip, the alcohol warms you to the core without making you cringe... very well covered. Smooth palate... it’s really perfect, but not quite perfect enough to make my top 5, so I had to dock points somewhere. Worth any amount of trouble and money that you have to go through to get it.

Just a hair strong on the alcohol or this would have been perfect. Wow. That will kick you right in the ass! Dark chocolate, espresso, plums, and Kentucky Bourbon in the aroma and taste. Wow!

This review pertains to the 2005 vintage. Pours pitch black and completely opaque without even the slightest of lighter colored edges when held to a light source. Completely still with no head at all. This looks like a goblet of oil. Aroma is dominated by a ton of oaky bourbon with hints of vanilla. Also, I’m picking up a lot of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee bean, burnt toast and bourbon, bourbon, bourbon! Heavy full chewy viscous mouthfeel with such a smooth creamy body that I can’t believe this beer is 11%. The alcohol heat is excellently masked. Lots of wooden earthy oak notes and bourbon flavor with hints of subtle vanilla. Also a good bit of roasted chocolate malt, burnt toast, coffee, oatmeal and Bourbon! So creamy, smooth and well balanced. This beer is incredibly mellow afte the three years of aging. Nice alcohol warmth in the finish with some subtle hops. This beer is absolutely fantastic. I want to get a few more bottles so I can try it fresh and age a few for a decade or so. ISO more bottle!

2006 bottle. Wow! Thick jet black with tan head that settles quickly, good sudsy lacing on the glass. Notes of vanilla, caramel, nuts, dark fruit, and of course lots of smoky bourbon. Flavor explosion ....all I can think of is bourbon balls at Christmas - dark chocolate, bourbon, vanilla/caramel, smooth smokey bourbon finish... Excellent. Nice mouthfeel, rich but not too thick. Very close to a perfect beer. Living in Kentucky, I’ve tried many bourbon stouts, but this is the best hands down. Anyone that still has the 2006, drink now.

Mother of God is this beer awesome. The lingering aftertaste of the bourbon is amazing. Extremely flavorful. It does have more flavor in one sip than in other entire cases of beer. Had it in a 12 oz bottle at the Goose Island brewpub