-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout (2010)
Goose Island Beer Co.
- From:
- Goose Island Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 13%
- Score:
- 100
- Avg:
- 4.8 | pDev: 6.25%
- Reviews:
- 376
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 24, 2023
- Added:
- Oct 07, 2010
- Wants:
- 1,835
- Gots:
- 473
Aged 2 years in 23-year old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StonedTrippin:
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
4.71/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
4.71/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
a very special beer right here, with plenty of age on it now, and only good fortune allowed me to drink this. apparently aged in pappy 23 barrels, the bourbon character of this beer is like no other, but lets start with the look. packaging is gorgeous, velvety green box, regal looking, anticipation is high. the beer is extremely thick, viscosity to the max, shiny black liquid dances in the glass, producing a short espresso crema head on top. the nose is insane, and i stop and just smell this for several minutes before i taste. the bourbon is everywhere, char and oak and sweet vanilla marry beautifully with dense fire roasted malts, almost has a grilled property with what i perceive to be a touch of smoke, and then a raw brown sugar type sweetness, very little booze in the smell at all, i assume this has calmed down over time. the flavor is gorgeous too, with bourbon leading the way. im also finding all sorts of interesting accent flavors in the dense grain waves, from raisin to fresh cut tobacco and even coffee with a nice earthy body. speaking of body, this is a teeth coater, extremely thick and sticky lingering beer. it has some residual sugar, no doubt, but its never unflattering, and in fact beings out the bourbon even better i think. i havent consumed much pappy, been out of the budget for sure, but i can see why it has a place at the top just from its impact on this beer. ive loved all of the bourbon county stuff, but nothing has come close to this one in my mind. a perfect combination of flavors, stout at its finest. this is in some ways the final word on bourbon barrel imperial stout, i mean, where could it go from here?
Jan 18, 2015More User Ratings:
Rated by Beerbom from California
3.9/5 rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I’m sure this was a banger…..12 years ago. This was simply just past it’s prime regrettably.
Feb 14, 2022Reviewed by robbiemoy13 from Illinois
5/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Chocolate, vanilla, barrel. Very dark, thick color. Silky, smooth, gets even better as it warms. Slightly boozy, but still excellent.
Purchased from Lush in 2011 as part of a package.
Jan 05, 2021Purchased from Lush in 2011 as part of a package.
Reviewed by HIGHPA from Illinois
5/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The best beer I ever had. I had it at the opening of the Beer Temple in Chicago a couple years after it came out. I have yet to have a better beer. Especially a BBA Stout. Thanks Beer Temple for doing that opening, I will be forever grateful.
Dec 31, 2019Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
5/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bottled 11/19/10; drank 3/5/15 @ Tiny Lounge. Bottle# 7454.
Black appearance.
Almost no dark tan head; no lace.
Marshmallow, vanilla, milk chocolate & cherry nose.
Silky, medium thick mouthfeel.
Vanilla, milk chocolate, marshmallow & caramel flavors up front; booze heat & faint pineapple (?!) notes emerged as this warmed.
A truly remarkable beer that aged beautifully.
Aug 12, 2019Black appearance.
Almost no dark tan head; no lace.
Marshmallow, vanilla, milk chocolate & cherry nose.
Silky, medium thick mouthfeel.
Vanilla, milk chocolate, marshmallow & caramel flavors up front; booze heat & faint pineapple (?!) notes emerged as this warmed.
A truly remarkable beer that aged beautifully.
Reviewed by miniditka77 from Illinois
4.66/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.66/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Drank in 2019, bottle is about 9.5 years old at this point. Smell is chocolate and dark fruit, but oddly weak. It was hard to get much smell off of this at all. The taste followed the smell - tons of flavors swirling around, chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit, but also weaker than I would have expected. The feel is outstanding, and all of those years really smoothed it all out. Overall, great beer. Possibly a little past its prime, but it's still got it.
Apr 23, 2019Reviewed by Rristow from Ohio
4.79/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.79/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Pours black with dark brown head. Lot of bourbon on aroma with boozy notes mixed with roasted malts. Thick and chewy mouthfeel. Flavors of caramel, molasses, cocoa, brown sugar, bourbon. Still a little boozy taste on finish but excellent overall.
Dec 16, 2018
Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout (2010) from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
1395 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!