Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Coffee

Brewed by Goose Island Beer Company (AB-InBev)
Style: Imperial Stout
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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This beer is a masterpiece. Worth the hype and praise. An absolute contender for the BA #1 beer in the world.

Samples from a 2010 bottle and a 2012 bottle, side by side, at Cam’s BCBS tasting. Huge coffee nose, some bitter. A lot of coffee still there in the ’10, too. Dark brown / red clear-still color. Thin off-white head, couple dots of lace. Light, soft carbonation. Good chewy texture. Dry finish. Bitter taste. Light alcohol burn in the finish on the ’12. More dark fruit flavors evident in the ’10. Burn is barely mellowed in the older vintage, if it all. Some raisin. Very enjoyable, tasty stuff. I prefer the ’12. Bigger coffee note helps to mask the general coffee bite. Good long, coffee aftertaste.

22oz bottle from JMRSN. Reviewed from notes. A: Fizzing pour yields an obsidian black body with a geyser turbulating the middle of the surface. There’s an acceptable ring of dark mocha colored head, and legs leave a brown stain on the glass. N: Loads of vanilla and caramel. Bourbon and wood are pronounced. Chocolate cake with a touch of soy sauce. There’s a touch of espresso. Alcohol soaked raisins. T: Raisins, vanilla, chocolate, and a coffee acidity. Some roast, but this is mostly sweet with a little spice like that of rye whiskey. Some salt. M: Coating and yet some wateriness at the end. Lots of alcohol. O: I expected more coffee out of this vintage. This also has a quality I don’t recall from the 2010 vintage, and as such, it’s good, but it’s not the best of the lineup. Still worthy.

bourbon county stout with coffee flavors.... basically tastes as advertised.

2012 bottle. Very similar to the BCBS rating I have. Phenomenal nose of fresh coffee, bourbon, chocolate, and some roast. Taste follows the nose with some vanilla sweetness as well. Outside of Vanilla (and I guess Rare) this is my favorite variant. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

bottle shared by mr. hoppypocket, thanks! pours inky black with a small dark crema, some retention. nose is mostly filled by bourbon, toasted and burnt coconut, booze and vanilla. some coffee seeps through at first sip for a bittering short to medium long coffee finish. dark roasted malts, some burnt notes, woodiness, smoke. cloying dark molasses. soft carbonation, medium to full body, sticky. no subtlety here.

Bottle - thanks Jeremiah! Pours opaque black with a small brown creamy head that dissipates with nice lacing. Aroma is very rich with notes of coffee, bourbon, dark roasted malts, and molasses. Flavor is the same, medium sweet, lightly bitter, some chocolate. Definitely bourbon BA, but it is not overpowering. Full body, creamy mouthfeel. Very very nice. A light warming finish is the only way that the 13% ABV makes its presence felt.

Thanks bytemesis for sharing! Black color, decent head for a stout, nice and sticky on the glass. Rich aroma, molasses, figs. Flavor is also rich up front, chocolate, molasses or syrup, nuts, and coffee roast rising in the finish. Some alcohol from the bourbon finish. Excellent brew.

Bottle at home. Pour is deep, viscous black with a frothy brown head and good legs on the side of my snifter. Big bourbon, cocoa, oak, a hint of vanilla, green coffee, light soy, raisins, toffee, and brown sugar in the aroma. Taste is big coffee - but more like fresh green coffee, as I am picking up light pepper notes - chocolate, oak, whiskey, espresso - a hint of vanilla through the sweet middle - caramel, figs, and candi sugar with a light alcoholic burn on the finish. Slick/syrupy mouthfeel with medium-to-soft carbonation. The alcohol in this one isn’t overpowering and I dig the coffee variation, more than the original, although, I would have liked to see a more restrained use of coffee, as it is a little too much on the green side. Still an awesome stout!

Bottle 22oz. Pours blac with low beige head. Aroma is of coffee, roasted malt, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, alcohol. Taste is of roasted malt, coffee, vanilla, wood, alcohol, bourbon. Pretty complex. Palate: Oily. Full bodied. Overall: Quite impressive, a very good and serious beer.