Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

On tap at Paddy Longs, black pour with almost no head. Bourbon, oak, and vanilla and chocolate aromas. The taste is extremely similar to regular BCBS, but a bit sweeter. More vanilla on the finish. Glad I got to try this on tap, look forward to opening my bottle soon.

From a bottle in Sätila New Years evening 2011. Black beer with a minimal tanned head. Valilla, sweet licorice, tar chocolate and a lot more aromas. A really nice falvour palette with vanilla, coffee, licoricw, whiskey, raisins, Lovley beer :-)

Bottle kindly shared by abemorsten, thanks. Pours pitch black, no head. Aroma of vanilla,chocolate, bourbon, coffee, very complex and intriguing. Taste is all the good things promised by the aroma, and then some more, loads of lovely sweetness, dark malts, syrupy mouthfeel, lingering malty goodness. Holy Cow.

Vintage 2010, shared bottle at local tasting. ABV is 13%. Black colour, hardly any head. Intense aroma of concentrated malts and fusel alcohols, vanilla and bourbon. The fusel brings the aroma score down. Intense and complex flavour, much better than the aroma, loads of vanilla, chocolate, roasted malts and bourbon, sweet but not too much.

TAP. Tasted in a flight with BCS, BC Vanilla and BC Coffee. Strong vanilla but not in an over-the-top way. Balanced with oak, chocolate and bourbon.

22 oz bottle. Saved this rating for #200; shared with my brother-in-law for Christmas 2011, aged 1 year. Pours a dark opaque black with a tiny tan head that fades out quickly. Smells of bourbon, vanilla, bourbon, hints of chocolate, a bit of alcohol, and bourbon. Tastes of a ton of bourbon, with the fantastic multi-layered facet that sends the bourbon as the first flavor, then tempers it with a vanilla aftertaste. The alcohol bite is present, though would probably be weaker if aged further. Very full bodied, sticks to the mouth, and leaves you with the pleasant vanilla taste at the end. Overall a terrific beer that is definitely worth the money. Would hope that Goose Island continues to make this in the future.

22oz bottle, 2010 Vintage (bottled on 11/05/10). Pours a black body with a thin, creamy, dark brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is big chocolates and molasses with a nice vanilla that isn’t as heavy as I anticipated, but this is an older bottle. Some nice roasts, caramel cookies, and a moderate oaky bourbon. The wood really opens up as this warms. Flavor is quite nice. Lots of vanilla showing up in the beginning, but its very soft and inviting while blending with the big, rich chocolates, molasses, and caramel cookie malts. A solid roast in the middle with a touch of raisin. The oak also comes out more and gives off a bit of a toasty coconut. Nice bourbon towards the end as the vanilla stays ultra smooth and this finishes creamy, rich, and sweet, but slightly bitter and balanced from the oak and roast. Lengthy aftertaste with a pleasant vanilla-bourbon and alcohol warmth. Full, very smooth body with a light carbonation. Overall, an extremely tasty version of this beer. The vanilla is very smooth throughout and really balances the rich and sweet malts, roasts, and oaky bourbon. Very creamy and round. I think I may like the flavor on this version more than the coffee, but the aroma fell a tad short in comparison. Impressive beer and I hope to try a fresher version soon.

Enjoyed on New Years Eve. Poured into a snifter. Poured an ink black color with thin tan head. Aroma of sweet vanilla, bourbon, oak, chocolate, roasted malt, and dark fruits. Taste was very sweet, with a oily mouthfeel that coats the tongue and mouth and leaves a film on the side of the glass. Very sweet, very smooth, and very delicious!