Bourbon County Brand Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

malcontent

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2006 version

Pours a light-devouring black from which the thick tan head materializes a few seconds after pouring. The thin head sticks around for only a moment before becoming a ring of lacing around the edges.

This is one of those brews that if I couldn't taste and only sniff I'd still come out better than having drunk a mediocre beer. Lots of vanilla with a bunch of toasted oats, rye bread, and traces of chocolate. The alcohol is detectable but only faintly which is an impressive cover-up for the ABV. Mmmm.

A sweet initial taste that is a strawberry-short of Neopolitan. Complex malt with outstanding bourbon characteristics on the finish. Undercurrents of coffee (although less so than many stouts) and smoke. Rich and simply sublime.

Looove the mouthfeel as it completely coats the tongue, which, when packing the flavors this does makes for a luxurious experience. Creamy, thick, and possessing an unexpected level of carbonation.

Drinkability was almost a "5" until I got to the end and realized I was nowhere near as sober as when I'd started. Still, for the incredible way this warms while simultaneously covering the alcohol this is crazy quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2006 17:13:11 | More by malcontent

chadspivey

Texas

3.95/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

thanks to whoknew for the opportunity. tried the 2006 version, so it's not aged.

A: dark as hell, pretty much black. very little carbonaton.

S: dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, smoke. This smell is really weird and almost offensive at first, but grows on ya.

T: There's something really weird going on here. Not bad, just weird as hell. It's a beer you've gotta get used to for sure. It gets way better with the finish, dark chocolates, and caramel, vanilla.

M: very impressive mouthfeel. velvety, smooth, quite nice. alcohol warms the throat.

D: There's no way i'd drink more than two of these. I actually felt the alcohol after a couple of sips, and i'm no lightweight. Besides, this is a double stout and the flavor just doesn't allow for drinkability. But considering the style, it's not so bad.

Overall: Maybe I'm just not ready for a double stout. I thought I was ready for any beer. At least I know I haven't come to a plateau with beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2006 05:18:22 | More by chadspivey

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 ounce bottle sealed with a crown cap decorated with a black, gold & white logo. A small tight neck label is cream colored with a black border and a year 2006 above a row of four stars, well the third star is in fact replace with a goose head. The main label is very Spartan; the words “Bourbon County Stout” are set into a wealth of smaller black text on the cream colored background. Strength Listed at 11% ABV on the front label with a ‘Bottled On This Date’ of 070306 with a recommendation that this will keep for over five years.

Appearance: Gelatinous thick black body which seems to embrace and contain the dissolved carbonation to such an extent that it refuses to let it out on the pour; only when it settles does some of conditioning escape to form a short-lived thin dark brown covering, but that too soon disappears leaving only a prune juice appearance. Subsequent top-ups reinstate a thinning head but sadly this brew never benefits from a real head to speak of, that said, the swirled look in my Stone Russian Imperial Stout Glass is still one of a great brew and the accompanying aural “fizz” from each massage of the glass is fantastic. Funny thing is (I just returned to this part of my Review) the final top-up produced a fine looking dark tan head that only lasted for 30 seconds or so.

Nose: Intense aromas; soft bourbon trails a stronger vanilla and higher Coconut with some dark chocolate too. Cocoa beans, burnt toast and roasted coffee linger in the finish. A strong nose that develops complexity as it warms.

Taste: It is hard to part from the tastes on the initial sip, as the nose is pummeled by the strong aromas at the same time the mouth experiences the wonderful flavors. Trapped in a thick black liquid glass volcanic lava flow there is a rich dark malt base swirled with coconut shavings, molasses, vanilla, bonfire toffee, dark chocolate, raisins, dark rum, cigar smoke and bourbon chasers with some peat laden smoked oak casks to add a parched dryness to the finish. Complex and intense with a deeply entrained assortment of rich, thick, strong tastes. Superb!

Mouthfeel: Thick syrup flows onto the palate with an intensely warming backdrop to the swallow. Slick and oily, viscous and sly, rich and rewarding. It s 11% but the strength is on the back drop to the warming heat in the gullet.

Drinkability: It was a slow partner overall, but it never disappointed and at times I found myself slowing down with this one, such was its gorgeous cross-section of flavors that needed closer inspection.

Overall: This was a monstrous offering, an immensely warming brew that comforted. The whole 12 ounce sipped like a fine Brandy and lasted the whole 90 minutes whilst I watched Saturdays EPL footy match between Manchester United and Manchester City all over again. This feels like one of those brews where the closer you are to danger the further you are from harm.

A Bourbon Barrel Aged Thanks to BigHuge for this super treat!!!

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2006 05:22:43 | More by TheLongBeachBum

tjthresh

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From a 12 oz bottle with a bottled on date of 081605. Poured in to a Duvel glass. Pours used motor oil black, and almost as thick. Very pretty brown head formed, but faded quickly. Bourbon, oak, vanilla are all present as advertised. I get some dark cherry notes. Man this beer is gonna kick my ass. This beer has tons of body for as much alcohol that’s in it. Each drink comes with the burn of a shot of bourbon. I’m guessing that it is still pretty green, so in six month or a year. I’m going to be a very happy man.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2006 02:34:10 | More by tjthresh

Redrover

Illinois

4.72/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz brown longneck. Great story on the label & clear freshness dating.

Poured into a wide mouth pint, the beer is jet black with a ¾ inch brown head. Sticky lace patterns form on the sides of the glass.

Big aroma of roasted malts, raisins, brown sugar, coco and a bit of smoke. There is a whiff of alcohol as well.

Wow, there is a lot going on with the taste. Charred malts, sugary dark fruits, roasted coffee, and wood smoke. There is a bit of sweetness and a rich coco taste as you work through the beer. Some vanilla & molasses cookie taste late. There is a nice complexity to the beer that revels itself as you drink it. I’m impressed by how well the alcohol is hidden.

The mouth is suitably thick and creamy This is an easy sipping sort of beer. What a great way to wind down after a week of work. I would love to try this on tap or cask.

Well done Goose Island!!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2006 00:31:16 | More by Redrover

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bourbon soaked Chocolate Brownie, in a glass, with nuts

this is the 2006 vintage, opened and left to warm up a bit

pours flat and black. treacly alcohol smell.
magical taste. creamy mouthfeel.

chocolate, liquor, roasty, a little nutty, warming.
strong and rich and sweet.

Worth the price.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2006 03:54:11 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

SacoDeToro

California

4.97/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks to KAME for sharing a bottle at the 10th Annual SD Strong Ale Fest.

The beer was a dark coal black with a dense brown head.

The aroma of the beer was of roated coffee, intense malt, licorice, chocolate, vanilla, and alcohol.

The flavor of the beer was intesely malty. Chocolate, coffee, chewy malt, and notes of licorice made up the bulk of the flavor. The bourbon notes peaked through with some vanilla and oak accents. The hops hit towards the finish and helped balance out some of the sweetness of the beer.

The carbonation was perfect. The mouthfeel was heavy and almost oily thick. This beer coated your mouth with intense flavors that seamlessly cascaded from one to the other.

This is a magnificent beer with as much complexity as any wine or fine boutique bourbon.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2006 18:58:51 | More by SacoDeToro

dirtylou

Washington

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, bottled 7/3/06 but just found its way to the Wisco storefronts...been waiting a long time to finally find this one and I will enjoy it while watching the ugly ugly bears-vikings game

appearance: poured into a snifter...body is a bold dark mahogany/black, big creamy chocolate head forced with the pour - very little retention and minimal lacing unfortunately. solid appearance but nothing extraordinary sticks out, still a solid 4

smell: great aromas right off the bat...smooth bourbon aging comes across immediately, big roasty aromas of chocolate, mocha, coffee grounds...vanilla, booze, bittersweet dark chocolate, cream, charred wood

taste: as anticipated this one is delicious...served near room temperature. charred oak and a smooth but potent bourbon kick take control upon first sip. bursting with roasted malt make this a thick syrupy monster. bittersweet dark chocolate is abundant, vanilla and oak compliment nicely, heavy cream

mouthfeel: extremely rich and filling, syrupy and thick, boozy and creamy, moderate bitterness

drinkability: tis a sipper

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2006 19:36:28 | More by dirtylou

dogfooddog

Panama

4.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

received recently from MABZ, thanks again for the chance to try this.

Pours with nearly no head into a pint glass. initial appearance and nose remind me greatly of the harveistoun OEO special reserve, unsurprisingly.

nose is of beer-soaked bourbon (it is a distinct nose when you have seen it before), and a hint of cookies as well. Assuming wood was used in this beer (I assume, don;t know) the tannins and vanilla-like notes are quite apparent along with the whiskey.

taste clearly carries whiskey in the front end, pretty much buries the rest at first but it isn't overwhelming. as it passes I am left with this more typical oak-aged stout, not very roasted but very heavy, until the aftertaste, where the whisky comes back into prominence. The 11% is invisible, I didn't even know it was that strong until I wrote these words.

This is a very well-done beer, certainly the best of its class I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2006 23:07:22 | More by dogfooddog

mmcave

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Originally had straight from the cask, at the brewery this summer. Purchased this four pack of 12 oz bottles at Sam's. Poured into a nonic, a tan brown head developed and lingers a centimeter thick on surface of the body. I assume that my pour was at fault for that. The body is a dark coffee black brown color. Smells of intense sweet licorice, and raisons. The taste is very rich and sweet, not milky thick, but definitely substantial. Lots of sweet malts licorice not so much bourbon, like I'd hoped, but some seriousness all the same (its very strong). This is a very interesting beer, its more of a special occasion beer. I would not drink more than one in a session. It is well worth a try and well worth having around for special occasions.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2006 20:23:50 | More by mmcave

amatuerbeerguy

Oklahoma

4.1/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured out an almost opaque, but with a slight tilt and a strong light a ruby hue can be ascertained. Aroma of chocolate, roast, coffee, and a slight bourbon. Flavors of wood, dark chocolate, coffee, roast, with a slight top shelf bourbon. Mouth feel is creamy, almost like a milkshake, medium/high body, medium carbonation. It had a large head with a almost milk chocolate color, tan really does not do it justice. With being well balance, not too overwhelming in the bourbon character, but leaving a subtle hint of it. Very nice a must have.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2006 03:19:33 | More by amatuerbeerguy

hckyfn9999

Missouri

4.18/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a thick syrupy black color with a small tan head.

Aroma is of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, and roasted malt.

Complex taste consisting of bourbon, vanilla, dark coffee, and a huge roasted malt pressence and some alcohol as well.

Mouthfeel is very thick and creamy with a good carbonation level. Almost a little syrupy though.

Heavy alcohol pressence brings the drinkability down some. This is a very good beer and worth the high price tag if you are into intense stouts. Similar to Bell's Expedition Stout with the bourbon pressence in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2006 03:23:26 | More by hckyfn9999

carln26

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep, light absorbing black color topped by a mocha colored head. The nose has a sweetness that comes at you immediately followed by light coffee, and noticeable bourbon whiskey character. The finish has some dark fruit (dates primarily). The taste has some espresso up front, milk chocolate covered cherry, then the bourbon character, the flavor of the whiskey and the heat come across. lingering bitterness on the finish. Smooth and thick mouth feel. I just wish the heat wasn't there. Still, nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2006 16:38:07 | More by carln26

aforbes10

Iowa

4.65/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bought a 4 pack of this for 19.99 at Sam's in chicago. yeah, thats a lot, but i figured its a beer i need to try. pours like a stout soda...fizzes and foams but then no head forms. completely black. Small bubbles rising. Looks like bad news for other stout brewers. Smells like, well, bourbon. After opening the bottle i can smell it from across the room. Up close I can smell some bitterness and sweet malts. ok, time to taste it...Hoo! wow. five. five. FIVE. Jeses thats tasty. a lot of Bouron up front is superceded by malts and coffee flavors. there's a bunch of alcohol in there too that makes my tongue numb but its tempered by a milky vanilla, chocolate taste and a hoppy finish. this tastes phenomenal. heavy and thick mouthfeel, maybe a bit oily. i would drink this every day if it were available and i were rich. Ill be laying the other 3 bottles down for a while to see how it it changes as the alcohol settles down a bit.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2006 20:28:39 | More by aforbes10

ngandhi

Illinois

5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

In an era of great American stout, Goose Island's 2006 Bourbon County Stout is the world's greatest. It might be the greatest beer ever made.

Sure, the flavors are all familiar--dark chocolate, espresso, and maduro tobacco--but each is coated here with buttery oak that gives it texture available in no other bottled product on the planet.

I'm very skeptical of this new swath of bourbon-aged everything--including Scotch--hitting the market today. With beer especially, the bourbon tastes usually comes to dominate, which always leaves me wanting a glass of Noah's Mill or Blanton's over the rest of my pint.

That's why this is the greatest stout on the planet. Goose Island has done what no other brewery has figured out how to do, which is to use the oak to bring out more flavors in the beer, instead of overwhelm them. So the silky chocolate taste is really a flourless cake, the tobacco is really a 1926 Padron, and the espresso was just roasted this morning at Vivace to wake me from a long, wanton dream.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2006 04:56:32 | More by ngandhi

Sephiroth

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottled on 7-3-06. Pours black as night, faintly carbonated. Aroma of booze, bourbon, faint smoke, and vanilla.

This is the most complex barrel-aged stout I have had to date. And it's not about the number of flavors, but the way they are distinct and separate from each other. Chocolate, vanilla, oak, bourbon, smoke, and roasted/burnt grains. Mouthfeel is heavy and syrupy, definitely chewy. Insanely drinkable, though if you drink this quickly, you will miss some subtleties.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2006 22:28:44 | More by Sephiroth

Winter

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottled 8/14/05.

Pours black with a brown head. Aroma consists of vanilla, bourbon, oak, maple and not surprising at 11%... alcohol. The mouthfeel is thick and full-bodied. This is no doubt a bourbon laced stout. Oak and vanilla are noticed right from the start. The bourbon flavor seems to completely take over and dominate any other typical stout flavors this beer may have had. GIBCS is heavy and boozey. Even after 15 month this beer still seems unbalanced and needs more time to mellow out. The label does say this can age and change for up to five years and it would nice to set aside a bottle and forget about it, just to see what happens. Overall I was a little disappointed. I expected a smoother and more complex offering. I do enjoy the taste of bourbon quite a bit, but the flavor on this one is still a mess.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2006 23:29:41 | More by Winter

peabody

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Twist cap!
pours out a really dark purple black with slight tan suds that quickly dissepate.
Smell is chocloate coffee and fruits. Plum and cherry with a yeasty aroma abound.
Taste is a dark black sweetness that warms you up . The dark coffee fruityness with caramel sweets ends up in a warm alcohol blanket of hoppy bitterness.
Complex beer here and the mouthfeel is warm and malty.
Malty fruity black juice.
Can't drink a bunch of these at one sitting but this is a great brew when you can find it.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2006 00:43:10 | More by peabody

emerge077

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Year old bottle.

Drizzles into a wide chalice, poured very slowly, intentionally trying to create some foam. It works, some irregular bubbles stretch over the surface, that slowly succumb to the strength of the stout. A ring of milk chocolate froth clings to the rim of the glass. Served at a cool cellar temp.

Whiff of mild vanilla, and a hint of bourbon. Mysteriously, the aroma hides the onslaught of flavor that will roll out soon after. First sip is a slow burst of chocolate, vanilla, oak, and of course, bourbon. The barrel aging and cellaring has melded this stout symbiotically with bourbon in an unbelievable way. Alcohol has mellowed with time, which furthers the drinkability aspect. Bittersweet chocolate and coffee hang on the palate in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is silky, infinitely smooth and rich.
This is a rare treat.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2006 03:01:15 | More by emerge077

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.85/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Charred oak barrel black with a wee glimmer of burnt umber at the bottom edge of the glass. Light simply has no chance. The small, dark caramel colored cap isn't as creamy as expected, nor as sticky. I'm sure the 11.0% ABV has a lot to do with it, but I like a bit more eye candy. This is one serious looking stout, though.

The aroma is outstanding. This is exactly what a stout aged in bourbon barrels ought to smell like. An insane amount of heavily roasted barley greets my nose with every sniff. In addition, there's plenty of dark caramel, dark brown sugar, vanilla and glorious bourbon whiskey. With a bit more power and a bit more aggressiveness, it'd be perfect.

The flavor *is* perfect. Absofreakinlutely perfect! It doesn't hurt that I love bourbon because those 100 days in the barrel were 100 days well and efficiently spent. If bourbon whiskey isn't your thing, then I'd suggest drinking another beer. This one positively oozes that glorious spirit. Unlike some beer of this sub-style, the proportion of stout to whiskey is juuust right.

The flavor profile consists of bittersweet chocolate, brown sugar, dark butterscotch, crushed vanilla beans, charred oak, a splash of ouzo and a tendril or two of smoke. The whiskey adds a certain wee heavy character, although there's no peatiness since bourbon is the whiskey of choice rather than Scotch. It's amazing how each sip is better than the last. Where will it end?

I'm a bit surprised at the sweetness, but probably shouldn't be given the gargantuan amount of malt. The mouthfeel is full (without being ponderous), heavily silky, polished gemstone-like and nicely chewy on the back end. Carbonation must be present, though you'd never know it. Perfect score. Again.

I expected one whole helluva lot from Bourbon County Stout. All the more amazing, then, that it blew right past those expectations as if they were sitting still. This remarkable beer is easily the best that I've ever had from Goose Island. It's a true American original and is the perfect marriage of double stout and bourbon. The next time I see BCS, I plan to clear out the store.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2006 23:27:44 | More by BuckeyeNation

Bierguy5

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on 081605. 11 % ABV. Pours pitch black with no highlights at all. Thick foamy mocha head disappears very quickly, leaving no lace, and not much of a collar either. Oaky, vanilla, dark fruit, chocolate, and coffee in the aroma along with some hot alcohol. Very thick and chewy, with almost no carbonation, which seems to fit in very well. Warming from the alcohol. Flavor starts out with chocolate, burbon and oak, it then fades into a bit of dark fruit, and finishes with a long dose of coffee that lingers for quite some time. The bourbon character has added a great touch, and has probably settled down a bit with some age. A very solid and complex brew here. The bouron works here, and is a great example of American craft beer at work. Big thanks to mcallister for giving me this one to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2006 02:52:47 | More by Bierguy5

demcorhip

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this one in a trade with Mynie, thanks bro! Enjoyed this one at the end of a mini-gathering session with fellow BAs chonyr and raider, and what a way to end a session.

Appearance
Black as coal with a light tan coloured head. Adequately carbonated, and no lacings.

Aroma
And what aroma! Buttery and nutty bourbon, oak, vanilla, burnt malts with scents of chocolate and coffee, and treacle.

Taste
Very rich, bourbon, vanilla, caramel and treacle and finishes with the chocolate/coffee flavours of the malts.

Mouthfeel
Insanely rich and balanced brew. The bourbon flavours wonderfully compliment the chocolate/coffee flavours from the burnt malts, and the sweetness, buttery, caramel and treacle nicely balance the bitterness of the burnt malts.

Drinkability
Pour this one in a snifter and i could sniff and sip blissfully all night long. Can see how this one actually lives up to the hyperbole on the label and that no cigar is a match for this one. We enjoyed 99% cocao chocolate with this one and they complimented each other very nicely. Hope i can find this one again. l

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2006 14:08:23 | More by demcorhip

alexgash

Connecticut

4.72/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark, pitchy black body with a glass-licking cushion of sticky brown head. Nose is complex and intoxicating. Sweetish dark fruits, brown sugar, molasses, licorice, bourbon (duh), and a dark chocolate bitterness. Sweet, sugary raisins and singed plums up front, with chocolate licorice and big time bourbon flavors. Wow. They must have aged this in bourbon barrels or something! Seriously, the bourbon flavor goes well with the dark fruits and the roasted chocolateyness. Very good. Warming, long, bittersweet, whiskey finish. Full-bodied and thick with a motor oil viscosity. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2006 03:38:15 | More by alexgash

bainard

Illinois

5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

From bottle to pub glass.

A - Hybrid of cough syrup and black hole with a khaki head. The first time I tried it, I knew I was in for it. Now, I just give in and let the smooth syrup soothe me.

S - Bourbon, as to be expected, caramel, dark cocoa, vanilla, perhaps a little coffee or cinnamon? No, it's just bourbon.

T - Oh my goodness. The wallop of the whiskey serves to make the drinker submissive enough to let the flavors (whiskey, malt, chocolate, butterscotch-caramel, molasses) take over. It's just shocking enough to grab your attention, and flavorful enough to keep you wanting more. Starts off with bourbon, the middle is a candy store, and the finish is a harmony of the two with a hard-to-pinpoint aftertaste that you get from any good stout.

M - I cannot wait to try this aged. The immaturity of the strong alcohol is a clever mask for a smooth, velvet-y concoction that provides an epiphanal experience. The carbonation is minimal, but enough to let this beauty ballet across your mouth. Thick, but manageable, consistency akin to 2% milk.

D - This isn't an everyday beer, nor would I ever want it to be. I was overwhelmed, and then I fell in love with it. BCS is my special occasion beer. It's been described by friends of mine as "life-changing". Ultimately, I hold other brews to this standard of sensory assault and surprising nuance. It's drinkable in the sense that when I want a rare, yet wonderful sort of beer, I go for this, no questions. It's not an easy beer, nor would I ever want it to be.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2006 20:15:03 | More by bainard

BigDaddyWil

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a snifter glass.
Bottled on 8/15/05.

Pours inky black, with some dark brown highlights. Maybe a half inch thick, caramel colored head, fades quickly. No lacing left behind. Huge aromas, dark fruits and roasted malts. Dark chocolate, vanilla and heavy molasses, not to mention some boozy smells. Very sweet tasting, lots of dark fruit flavors, bitter chocolate. Hints of vanilla and finishes with a heavy boozy bourbon taste. This is a huge beer. Very thick and chewy, and one of theses bad boys will fill you up. Lots of alcohol heat on the way down, maybe a little too much. Not a bad beer at all, if you like heat and strong boozy flavors this beer is for you.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2006 01:48:29 | More by BigDaddyWil