Goose Island Rare Bourbon County Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle provided by Mike for our tasting tonight...Black pour with light carbonation, typical bcs...The aroma is pretty light, especially for a bcs, I’m shocked. Its not hot at all where is rare for a bcs beer, even one of the older aged ones. While I don’t love the heat, I miss it a little. The aroma of vanilla and bourbon is nice, just not enough of it to get me really excited...The taste is really smooth, lightly creamy. Lots of vanilla is really nice, makes this really easy to drink. Light bourbon and alcohol, flavor palate just doesn’t have a ton going on. An aged BCS, smooth, but the aging makes its loses a lot of its character. Worth trying, but not worth the price tag.

Recent bottle with alittle cellar time thanks to Todeon. Black with a small brown head leaving sticky tears on the inside of the snifter. Big multi dimensional aroma and flavor of sweet chocolate and heavy soy sauce balanced by a cookiedough-like bourbon character which also provides a fine liquer-like fruityness in combination with the thick dark malts. Smooth fat body with a softer and more pleasant carbonation than some of the more fresh BCS bottles I have had.

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.

Sample from a bottle, thanks a ton to Mike (from Zip’s). Nice pitch black color, little brown head. Very nice aromatic rich bourbon and dark malt nose - smell. Just sniffing it is enjoyable on it’s own, even before taking a taste. Excellent rich, sweet and bitter taste. It’s like a booze-infused chocolate cake, very decadent. Big body, very light carbonation. Dry texture. Nice, long aftertaste to savor all the complexities with. Rich dark chocolate cake aromas. The perfect amount of bourbon barrel. Very smooth. Bit of alcohol warmth, but it’s hidden very nicely. Excellent stout.

Bottle. Excited to try this and was not let down. Bourbon is very present and i love it! Sweet vanilla with chocolate and malt. Very well balanced and one of the best beers ive had.

Bottle @ The Local Pub (tasting) Totally black pour and really small brown head that disappeared immediately the aroma comes strong with bourbon,chocolate,raisins and licorice Taste is strong and complex with the bourbon and the chocolate taking lead the raisins following and hint of vanilla in the immediate aftertaste all surrounded with a well balanced malt flavor and an overall sweetness carbonation is almost flat and the mouth feel kind of sticky an excellent beer i felt lucky to have tasted !

UPDATED: APR 5, 2012 Pours a dark black with a small tan head. Aroma is complex vanilla, bourbon, licorice, chocolate. Taste is sweet caramel. Chocolate, vanilla and mild booze. Very good palate, lots of heat. Overall an excellent brew.

Bottle shard by BenC at his massive BCS tasting - Pours black with a thin tan head. Nose has a good deal of sharp alcohol--the nail polish kind--and huge butterscotch notes. Surprisingly the maltiness is hidden behind the barrel sweetness and the sharp booze. Taste is big sweet caramel and butterscotch, dark malt, medium roast, a touch of charcoal, and just...smooth. Very warming in the belly, though it’s not particularly hot going down. Thick as hell, and not very carbonated. Just not my thing anymore--I’m glad I tried it, but if this is the pinnacle of imperial stout, then I guess I really don’t need to have anymore imperial stouts. I feel like I’ve either moved on from or burned out on the style.

Hands down the best beer I have ever had. Period end of review. Oh well just for fun, the aroma is incredible two years of sitting in a bourbon barrel will do that. The appearence is pitch black darkness. The taste is money huge bourbon lots of sweetness. For how boozy it smells it is incredibly smooth. Overall as I said the best beer I have ever had.

UPDATED: MAY 15, 2012 Oh boy! Pours black with no head. On the nose I got all the nice stuff you want from a imp stout on bourbon barrels. Lots of coconut, lots of vanilla, woody notes, warming alcohol, chocolate, dark toffee, dark ripe cherries, liquorice, the characteristic dark sweet fruits and burnt figs fresh from the oven! The taste is just big creamy and smooth all over. Along with all the components from the aroma, the taste add that salty quality to the beer, also an actual whiskey taste. Pretty heavy on the boozy side, but I think it "wears it pretty well".

Bourbon County Stout by Goose Inland Bottled on 10-9-2009 #1936 13% abv My sister saved this one to share with me I must say it was the best Bourbon barrel aged stout I ever had and I wont more. Very dark brown or light black color, very little head, Strong notes of caramel, bourbon, and molasses, chocolate, Taste bourbon Carmel sweet malts very smooth diffidently alcohol taste. Thank You Goose Inland