Bourbon County Brand Stout - Cherry Rye
Goose Island Beer Co.

Bourbon County Brand Stout - Cherry RyeBourbon County Brand Stout - Cherry Rye
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From:
Goose Island Beer Co.
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
13.7%
Score:
99
Avg:
4.5 | pDev: 9.56%
Reviews:
207
Ratings:
1,418
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 18, 2021
Added:
Nov 22, 2012
Wants:
  970
Gots:
  413
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

3.96/5  rDev -12%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Big thanks to Kevin for cracking this with me, now leaving only the Vanilla variant that I've yet to try. Cherry Rye is pitch black and doesn't seem to allow any light to pass through it; a deep, dark-tan head slowly forms with the pour. Fine-bubbled and well-defined, it recedes to a ring fairly quickly. No lacing is present, but the beer leaves some sticky alcohol legging along the glass when swirled around.

There isn't much of a surprise when I bring my nose to the beer and am pounded with nothing but barrel-notes; heavy oak, smooth and warm bourbon, and large traced of induced vanilla with a slight hint of coconut on the end. It's got that signature "Bourbon County" smell to it, except with the slight addition of cherry. Somewhat to my chagrin, the cherry isn't nearly as present on the aroma as I'd like. Surprising, given how potent Bramble was with the berries.

The underwhelming cherry on the nose leaves the aroma smelling not much different then a regular bottle of Bourbon County Brand Stout, which definitely isn't a bad aroma... but I came here for cherries, so why am I having such a hard time picking them up? They definitely peek out a bit more as this brew warms up, but they never really pop quite like I'd expect. Their subtle and almost nonexistent tart and sweet addition may seem masterful to some, but I want more.

One sip later, and some faith is restored in the brew, as the cherries are much, MUCH more apparent on the palate than they were in the aroma. It starts off with a light tartness, enough to jolt the taste buds but nowhere close to puckering; sweet cherries, sticky molasses, and handfuls of roasted malts are the base for this brew. The mouth feel, much like most of the Bourbon County series, is wonderfully silky, smooth, and borderline chewy.

After the initial tartness of the cherry, it fades into a soft sweetness that stretches out while the barrel-flavors make their way in. Heavy, smooth bourbon from the middle to the end with huge amounts of oak and wood. Big-time dark chocolate and fudge flavors leave this beer tasting like a dessert in and of itself. The cherry in the finish, although authentic, leaves a very slight medicinal and chalky taste/feel that gets a bit fatiguing after a while, though it's not too distracting from the rest of this brew.

Another good beer from Goose Island, although this is definitely my least favorite Bourbon County variant to date. The aroma didn't have enough cherries, and while the taste contained plenty, the flavor of them didn't mesh with 100% perfection like I was hoping for. Still very tasty, but be warned, this beer is very sweet - almost like a cherry fudge cake in liquid form. Eight ounces was enough to tackle on my own, twenty-two would be insane.
Jun 03, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of Tiburon
Reviewed by Tiburon from Wisconsin

4.59/5  rDev +2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
No foam on pouring, just a tiny lacing around the inner rim of the glass. Bit of rye on the initial sips, w a faint back taste of mildly tart cherry. Flat bourbon county base flavor, very smooth nonetheless. Berry flavor, not really cherry though
Jun 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.63 by Futbolmanby from Michigan

Nov 14, 2020
 
Rated: 3.42 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Oct 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

May 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.56 by edthehead from Maryland

Apr 01, 2019
Photo of Rristow
Reviewed by Rristow from Ohio

4.69/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Tasted from bottle. Pours black with slight beige head. Aroma of bourbon and cherry. Thick and chewy with a nice cherry flavor. Caramel, spicy rye, molasses. Awesome beer.
Feb 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.57 by tbryan5 from Louisiana

Sep 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.84 by Fireman_RK from North Carolina

Jul 09, 2018
Photo of rodmanfor3
Reviewed by rodmanfor3 from Vermont

4.49/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Sweet cherry on the palate (without the candied/medicinal flavors that accompany similar stouts), great rye barrel treatment to compliment the fruit flavor, and finishing with a less vibrant Backyard Rye type chocolate bitterness.
Jun 10, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by Jangoon24 from Illinois

May 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Apr 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by whitenads from Michigan

Dec 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.46 by Duffman79 from Connecticut

Dec 01, 2017
 
Rated: 4.34 by von_kaiser from Connecticut

Nov 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by grahuba from Connecticut

Nov 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.66 by reebtaerG from Maryland

Nov 02, 2017
 
Rated: 4.46 by Bammer21 from Illinois

Sep 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.58 by mattboyer182 from Indiana

Sep 24, 2017
Photo of thinwhiteduke
Rated by thinwhiteduke from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
'12
May 22, 2017
Bourbon County Brand Stout - Cherry Rye from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating: 99 out of 100 with 1418 ratings