Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Rare

Formerly brewed at Goose Island Beer Company (AB-InBev)
Style: Imperial Stout
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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Massive aromas of chocolate, roast and vanilla. Oooo lots of bourbon, vanilla, chocolate! Lingers impressively on the palate. Overall Wow! Thanks to Dave for sharing!

22 oz. bottle from Wine and Cheese Place. Bottled 11/19/10, and I didn’t pay attention to the number on the bottle (but it was high enough to indicate this isn’t completely rare). Pours a dark, oily, opaque brown color- basically black- with a tiny tan head. Aroma of bourbon and vanilla immediately emerges from the glass, then backed up with notes of chocolate, caramel, molasses, oak, and coconut. The flavor delivers the same vanilla and bourbon immediately, along with caramel, roasted malts, chocolate, oak, molasses, and just a hint of earth and dark fruits. Full-bodied, with minimal carbonation and an oily-smooth mouthfeel. I’m surprised at how full and rich this was after spending so long in the barrels. The alcohol is present, but more muted than in new BCS, which can be hot in fresh bottles or on tap. Everything here is so balanced and so smooth. My feeling is that this beer is not going to get any better with age, and that you should open it sooner than later if you have one; I’d be surprised to see it still drinking this well beyond a year from now. I promised myself I’d be honest in my assessment after spending so much on a single beer, and I feel that I am: this is absolutely amazing, and exactly what I want in a barrel-aged imperial stout (which is pretty much my favorite style to drink as it is). It was fun to watch the reactions of everyone I tried it with last night- the consensus was that this is a special beer that lives up to its billing and is clearly better than the regular BCS. Is it worth $38-$50? Probably not, and it’s hard to say that any beer is. But this is certainly great enough to seek out any way you can.

Jet black pour with a vivacious tan head. The nose is unbelievable- massive vanilla bourbon, caramel, toffee, milk chocolate, cocoa nib, oak, nutty roast, and booze. The flavor is also otherworldly- huge vanilla bourbon, chocolate, coffee, toffee, caramel, and angel dust. The palate is rich, thick, oily, and silken with a super roasty dry hot finish. One of the best ever.

22oz bottle, #4265, generously shared by Doug, thanks
Appearance: Poured thick black with a medium sized dark tan head, it left a nice brown coating on the sides of the glass
Aroma: Bourbon, roasted malts, vanilla and chocolate
Taste: Smooth and full mouthfeel. Dark malts, chocolate and bourbon
This was an awesome beer. I enjoyed and savored every drop.

Saved for two years for my son’s graduation from law school. Oh the malt, oh the chocolate malt, oh the chocolate malt with toasted marshmallows. Oh the smooth warmth, the silky finish. I am divided between being thrilled and honored to have tasted this beer, and crestfallen that I will never taste it again. I am not divided in saying this is the best beer I have ever tasted.

Did this side by side with the 03-10 BCS, Coffee, and Vanilla. Pours super dark with a nice brown head. Rich aroma of fudge, bourbon, toffee, burned sugar(in a good way), oak. Flavor is rich, oily, sweet, heavenly. Damn fine brew. Rare? NO! Delicious as shit? HELL YES!

Review #400 Pulled this guy out of the cellar. Bottle #574 split with friends at my engagement party. Bottled 11/19/2010. 22 oz. bottle served in a Deschutes tulip. A: Pours a pitch black color with a dark wood head forming on the pour. It recedes quickly to a thin ring and leaves some splotchy and sticky lace down the glass. S: Wonderful sweet bourbon, roasted malts and dark fruits are harmoniously all wafting out of the glass. Some light oak and chocolate come up as the beer warms. It’s a very smooth and delicious smell. T: Just simply divine. Deliciously smooth bourbon, this Pappy 23 is so smooth and sweet. Nice dark fruit malts with a little dried, salted plum flavor. A nice mix of savory and sweet. Once the bourbon flavors die down a little the actual barrel comes out with nice mild, woody oak and a bit of char. Sweet caramel and smooth vanilla. Nice brownie flavors with some bittersweet chocolate and great roasted malts. M: Smooth and creamy with medium to low carbonation, but it is a tad thin even for a barrel aged beer. I would have liked a bit more chew, but it just goes down so smooth with a mild warmth it’s really a nitpicking complaint. O: Basically perfect. There is no overt alcohol flavors that are offputting, just the deliciously smooth and sweet PVW barrel. Decadent flavors with an awesome combination of sweet and savory this is a must try for any stout fan. It was my only one, but I couldn’t imagine sharing it with anyone but my friends on a really special occasion. Hopefully I can try this beauty again some day! Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 06-07-2012

UPDATED: DEC 9, 2011 Bottle @ home, courtesy of TheAlum. He is such a generous dude to trade me this brew for a six pack of Bud Ice and a case of Bud Dry. Hell of a deal! Thanks again, Adam!!!!! Deep black appearance with a dark brown head. Awesome, sweet, smooth, oaky goodness with dark roasty malts in the nose. Sweet, creamy, chocolatey, very nice bourbon beginning. Unbelievable, roasty, awesome flavor. So smooth, so very nice! I thought this beer was probably all hype but this is legendary!!

Bottle # 11,838 Dark black pour with a dark brown pour. Bourbon aroma and vanilla. Taste is bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, oak, creamy. A damn fine beer. Coats the mouth, esophagus and stomache as well as the glass. Flavor intensifies as it warms. The alcohol becomes more noticable. The beer clings to the glass like motor oil. I can’t wait to see how it ages in 1 year time, and in 2 years time. That is if I don’t drink the other bottles sooner.

22 oz. bottle, pours jet black with a small ring of light brown head. Aroma is uber-complex and decadent, with the finest bourbon barrel presence I’ve detected on a BA-stout nose, underlain with vanilla and molasses - uber-complex. Flavour is incredibly complex, rich, deep, decadent... wow. Perhaps never tasted a BA-stout so complex and so finely affected by the barrels. Listing off flavours won’t do this justice, but it contains uber-complex bourbon barrels, light vanilla, molasses and a quite noticeable alcohol sting - slightly more so than the regular BCS. Finishes with vanilla, bourbon and alcohol. Masterpiece of a BA-stout, (though I actually still prefer the coffee version of the BCS) - surely a treat.