Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

From a bottle in Sätila New years evening 2011. Black beer with a tanned head. Bourbon aroma with amlt, vanila. licorice, tar. Bourbon oak flavour with vanilla. licorice in this beers big flavour palett. Lovley beer :-)

pour opaque black, letting no light trough, with a ring of tan bubbles as head. Aroma is so packed, with chocolate, roasted coffee, loads and loads of vanilla, some licorice, some dark fruits (soaked in bourbon?) molasses, syrup, caramel, toffee, wood. The lots. Well done, with the bourbon present all the way through, giving a little heat at the end. Taste is dominant sweet, but not overpowering, (to me), almost feels like drinking marble syrup. Full thick oily body, with more carb. than i expected. (still not much)

Bottle. 2011 vintage. Pours engine oil with almost non-existent tan head. Smells great. Sweet woody, bourbon. Flavour is enormously complex. Very sweet. Vanilla, chocolatelight coffee rind bitterness and the whole thing soaked in bourbon like some sort of trifle. There’s a bitterness midway which quickly makes way for a syrupy finish. A real treat.

From notes. First reviewed 12/19/2008. Had to have two of these before I felt comfortable reviewing it. Poured from a bottle into a goblet. It is amazing how thick this stout actually pours - a chocolate brown, nearly black. A dark caramel color appears around the edges of the glass, but there is no chance any light is going to make it through. Quite a smoky smell overlaying the other aromas: chocolate, molasses, and some soft vanilla. Overpowering. The power bourbon county stout employs is phenomenal. The smokiness is the overlying characteristic of the entire sip, but flavors abound. The chocolate my nose devoured is slightly less apparent in the taste, but strong caramel, some light coffee, and vanilla flavors are all present. The toasted malt is stronger than any other flavors for the first few seconds. Finally, the bourbon comes through, with a strong alcohol taste. The 13% ABV definitely makes itself known, and it burns a little as it slides down my throat. The strong smokey flavor ensures that I finish my sip out on a toasted, almost burnt malty note. Incredibly intense. As thick as a milkshake, it has a creamy feel with low carbonation. This stout is so thick it actually takes a few seconds to melt in my mouth. This is defniitely one to sip on. The brewers don’t know of a cigar that can hold up to the bourbon county stout, and I could not pick anything, much less a cigar, that does. Everything fades in its presence... I have not encountered a beer with such an intense flavor. I took almost 2 hours to drink the first one, and the second one was not much quicker. Impossible to session, but extremely enjoyable as a single glass. It is very difficult to rate this beer, as it is very different than other beers I have tasted. I am also curious how it will age; will the flavors become more subtle, and will the bourbon flavor blend with the other tastes? Overall a fascinating beer.

#1615 Bottled on 12/18/2009. Poured an oily black with a very thin dark brown head that disappeared to nothing almost immediately. The aroma was strong with a great bourbon aroma with some vanilla and a good amount of dark roasted malt. The beer was nice and creamy with good smooth bourbon flavor that lasted all the way to the finish. Some licorice flavor develops and some dark chocolate. The longer the beer sat in the glass a more sweet roasted flavor of dark fruits and caramel came through and mixed with the mellow bourbon flavor and a very good alcohol warmth. Excellent beer!!!!!!!

I am thrilled to announce the popping of my BCBS cherry: Many thanks to MordorMongo on BeerAdvocate for this, and so many other phenomenal beers. Pours a dark, ominous sludge. A thin fizzy cap of light chocolate head dissipates to a ring within a minute. Smells dangerous. Surprisingly little booze that I notice, even at a relatively low temperature. Sweet caramel, molasses, toffee, sweet bourbon of course, earthy foundation. Here we go. God DAMN. The best part hits you right off the bat - thick, sweet cloying caramel, chocolate, fading into a sweet bourbon burn with a candy-like oil slick finish. The mouthfeel is so perfectly in line with the taste that it’s nearly impossible for me to consider the two independent of one another. The feel is perfect in my mind - tons of substance, really appropriate for the taste. I love nothing more than experiencing the way that brewers utilize and grapple with high alcohol content - these guys have absolutely nailed the art of it. I now see why this beer is a definite must. Cheers!

2nd bottle out of my 4 pack I got this year. Pours jet black with a small dark brown head. Lots of bourbon in the nose, roasted malt. Incredible flavor in every sip. The alcohol has mellowed a little in this one, but its still pretty prominent. Overall, just fantastic though. If you like big stouts, you’ll love this. Can’t wait to open another bottle.

TAP. Tasted in a flight with BCS, BC Vanilla and BC Coffee. BCS is amazing. Tons of bourbon, but balanced with caramel and smoke. Oily palate.