Bourbon County Brand Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

argock

Virginia

4.63/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a clear large glass snifter. Bottled on 11/07/12 on back label. Purchased as 4-pack from Market Street Wineshop (Charlottesville, VA) for $22.99.

A: Black with short cap of dark tan head with minimal retention and no lacing.

S: The aroma is good not great with big chocolate and dark fruit aromas of fig, raisin, and dates. The bourbon component is so artfully woven into all aspects of this beer, starting with the aroma, where it provides some bitter aromas and a liqueur-like character.

T: The flavor of this beer fresh from the bottle is exceptional and above my expectations. The dark fruit maltiness is heavy on raisin and fig, but with a lot of dark toasted breadiness that is snapped with a big dose of baker's chocolate, more sweet than bitter, and then a soft undercurrent of bourbon to fill out a fantastic stout. The alcohol is moderate but not overbearing a provides some light berry qualities - I would love to see this beer be a little lighter in the ABV -- maybe 11-12%. The chocolate is more prominent than I remember from the on-tap sample I tried at the brewery 2 years ago. This is a phenomenal beer with lush flavor and a smoothness in the flavor. They seem to have deliberately kept the roast nature subdued and allowed more sweet aspects through. I contrast this with fresh Bells Expedition Stout which is pretty heavy on the roast which seems to fade some with time.

M: The mouthfeel is extremely chewy with a full body and low carbonation.

O: This is a great beer that I am grateful is distributed (albeit in limited quantities) to VA. I am going to try one every 2-3 months and see where I like it best. It is hard to imagine it will get a lot better than fresh -- I see why people like it fresh because the bourbon component is accenting and nothing more, it doesn't need toning down. BCBS is a phenomenal beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 03:38:08 | More by argock

Mayo2323

Colorado

5/5  rDev +10.4%

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GinsuDave

Michigan

3/5  rDev -33.8%

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inanity

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -33.8%

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Tom-Peters

California

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

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chossboss

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

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RayOhioFelton

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

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myersk27

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

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iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +10.4%

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Kreko7

California

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

05-16-2013 19:12:46 | More by Kreko7

nasastrums

New York

4/5  rDev -11.7%

05-16-2013 18:44:55 | More by nasastrums

carlosega

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

05-16-2013 18:28:48 | More by carlosega

BigbROB

Illinois

5/5  rDev +10.4%

05-16-2013 17:29:19 | More by BigbROB

SchuStar

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%

05-16-2013 16:32:45 | More by SchuStar

Benjiehorn

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%

05-16-2013 14:35:02 | More by Benjiehorn

deekyn

California

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

05-16-2013 03:58:03 | More by deekyn

stanowsf

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

05-16-2013 03:25:48 | More by stanowsf

cmdmzmjm

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%

05-16-2013 02:02:33 | More by cmdmzmjm

Dizzy242

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

05-16-2013 00:49:41 | More by Dizzy242

ScottK22

New York

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

05-15-2013 21:57:54 | More by ScottK22

Steve_Oldrati

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

05-14-2013 21:07:23 | More by Steve_Oldrati

Gunson

Michigan

4.75/5  rDev +4.9%

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Jordy777

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%

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douginromeo

Michigan

4.49/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Wehler for the generous birthday present! Bottled 9/26/12 - poured aggressively into a snifter.

Appearance - Initial head is lighter than I thought it would be and dissipated quickly to nothing. Black as night with little to no light able to penetrate it; leaves no lacing on the glass whatsoever. It's a very impressive looking beer.

Smell - Sweet booziness pleasantly warms the nose, followed by hints of vanilla, bourbon, licorice, and some toffee. Underneath it all is a full maltiness from the grain.

Taste - Warm, boozy, and pleasant. It doesn't hide its booziness; instead, it embraces it in the best possible way. It has a lot of bourbon, but it also counteracts that with a decent malty fullness that takes you to a sweet finish. In my opinion, it shows great restraint by not letting anything take over; instead, all elements play well together and compliment each other.

Mouthfeel - Thick, yet not as thick as I thought it would be. Tingles the tongue on the finish.

Overall - This is a great beer. It is done well, and it has characteristics that make it stand out from other BB aged stouts. I would love to cellar some to see how it develops and changes. I'll be seeking this out next time it's released.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 15:31:10 | More by douginromeo

salvy31

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -6.2%

05-14-2013 04:57:45 | More by salvy31