Bourbon County Brand Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

spdyfire83

Ireland

4.53/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

280th Review
Poured into an unlabeled snifter
Vintage: 2006

A: Jet black. Thin (khaki) fingernail head on medium pour. Nice lacing here.

S: Smells of sweet bourbon, dark chocolate, hint of molasses, and touch of caramel. Smells rich and very inviting.

T: Loads of roasted dark malt complimented nicely by a mellow bourbon booziness. Hints of cocoa, chocolate, and hidden touch of vanilla. Deep, roasty, and bold. Delicious!

M: Full bodied with gentle carbonation. Thick and rich and oh so good!

O: BCBS needs to age (minimum three or four years) in order to be an enjoyable beer, IMO. This beer is absolutely amazing and thoroughly enjoyable. Too bad there’s not too many bottles of 2006 floating around out there, but if you have a bottle of this vintage, enjoy it! If you have some bottles (or cases) of the vintages from recent years, let them sit a while and enjoy in a few years; you will not be disappointed. If you are, just send any unwanted bottles my way!

Serving type: growler

11-08-2012 10:50:02 | More by spdyfire83

cfrances33

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler filled from Otts Bottleshop in Medford, NJ on 7/12/12 and enjoyed the same night. Poured into a GI tulip.

Pour: Pitch black with a half finger brown head that recedes to nothing.

Smell: Vanilla bourbon bursts out of the glass. Little booze and lots of mocha and chocolate

Taste: Incredible vanilla/bourbon. The nose does not lie. Chocolate and coffee notes continue. Really sweet, but not overpowering. Booze incredibly hidden.

Mouthfeel: Very creamy and smooth.

Overall: Finally got to have BCBS and it did not disappoint. A stellar BB stout.

Serving type: growler

07-26-2012 15:59:04 | More by cfrances33

deadonhisfeet

Kentucky

4.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

They had growler pulls of this at the local suds merchant and after perusing a few reviews from my fellow beer advocates (thanks team!), I had to get this. It pours pitch black with a fine dark tan head. The nose is like freshly baked cookies, vanilla beans, and Hershey's chocolate syrup.

Flavor? Oh man, is this stuff rich! It's much more like a liqueur then a stout. It is sweet and rich with an incredibly thick, creamy mouthfeel and very little, if any, booziness. Every swig brings a rush of flavors: bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, cream, hazelnut, toffee, maple syrup.

Let's be clear about one thing: this is NOT a session beer. This is more of an ``after-dinner, enjoy with a huge wedge of the darkest, richest, chocolatiest cake you've got'' beer. Given the insane level of richness, I'm sure there are a lot of beer drinkers who will not care for this. It takes me quite a while to get through one serving of this stuff. That said, this beer is completely, utterly unique and Goose Island is really pushing the boundaries of the style with this. One reviewer claims he tried it over vanilla ice cream and it was superb. Darn - I wish I had some vanilla ice cream on hand! If I did, I would take some of this beer and reduce it down with a little butter and brown sugar and make what might be the greatest dessert sauce on the planet.

EDIT: The above was done when I was just getting back into craft. I don't think this beer is so unique anymore. I have had it numerous times now out of bottles and prefer the bottles I've had to the growler. The bottles I've enjoyed had much more alcohol warmth and more pronounced roasty flavors (more coffee and dark chocolate) than the growler. They also weren't nearly as sweet. Ratings adjusted 4/5/13.

Serving type: growler

05-29-2011 00:13:22 | More by deadonhisfeet

Yagman3000

New York

4.35/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A keg was brought from Chi-Town to a local beer distributor and I drove like a maniac there to fill a growler. The parking lot was something out of a Mad Max movie.
The appearance of this beer always blows me away... Holy brown/black Batman!
Whoa! That's some whiskey on the nose sir! Can't really pick up the stout notes on this one... Too drowned out by the booze.
I'm a whiskey drinker too and never afraid of it but I feel like this batch went too far. Perhaps too long an aging? I never thought I'd say that! Much like the nose, the taste is too overpowered this time by the whiskey. Only very subtle chocolates.
Mouthfeel is perfect though and it sits just long enough. Not too thin or too thick... Very well done.
Overall I e always adored this beer and sought it out. This batch, though, wasn't refined enough for me and lacked the balance I've experienced in the past. Great but not exceptional.

Serving type: growler

05-16-2011 00:12:51 | More by Yagman3000

cosmicevan

New York

4.47/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got a few 16oz growler fills of 2009 vintage.

A -Poured a stunning oil black with a thin creamy tan head which vanished quickly after the pour as with all borbon barel aged beers.

S -The nose leads a bit with the bourbon, but not too intensely. Malty chocolate dominates the party and bourbon is subtle, but compliments nicely. It is calmed with nice hints of vanilla and caramel to round off the smell.

T -Chocolate, bourbon, vanilla. The alcohol warms as you drink but nicely hidden since there is some time in it. Drinking really nice right now.

M -Smooth as butter. Subtle tingle, but not as much as some of the other bourbon aged stouts out there. Very creamy and smooth. Leaves a nice cool aftertaste.

O -The alcohol is timid with the age but very aparent as it warms your soul. Delicious, drinking great right now and reakly wonderful fresh from the tap. After drinking the growler ran out for additional fills.

Serving type: growler

03-20-2011 20:12:01 | More by cosmicevan

infi

New York

4.85/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2008 vintage, 64 oz. growler. Shared with BAs johnjae and r0nyn.

Poured into a Duvel tulip.

Refer back to my bottle review, as the appearance, mouthfeel and drinkability are basically identical. The most notable aspects of this BCS, in comparison with the bottled 2008 vintage, is mainly found on the nose and on the palate.

On the nose, the 13% ABV is COMPLETELY absent, which was very surprising to me, considering it was the first scent to hit me when I originally had it from the bottle. This batch of beer must have been from early 2008, as there wasn't a hint of any alcoholic burn in the nostrils. Next, were the biggest emergent characteristics of milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla and toffee - all immaculately resonating with this sweetness. I've never held my nose inside my glass for this long and at frequent periods. Goose Island really needs to make a scented candle of this recipe; it's ridiculous. If you let it warm for more than 20 minutes, the glass really starts smelling like soy sauce, but that's neither here nor there.

On to the taste. The bourbon is the first greeting, but it's immediately mellow and not harsh or biting. Same ol' amounts of chocolate and malt throughout as well. The biggest change for me from this growler was the liveliness of the finish. One word: butter. And not in a diacetyl-type of way like a dirty tap line, but rather more of a creamy and sweet butteriness. The vanilla notes from the barrels and candied-caramel really shine on the palate as well and considerably more than the bottled version.

Just mind-blowing on how a few months more of some subtle aging can create an even bigger monster of a beer than it already was. Not bad for my first growler!

Serving type: growler

11-21-2010 21:26:45 | More by infi

r0nyn

New York

4.65/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a growler into my DFH snifter. Courtesy of and shared with fellow BA infi. Also shared with BA johnjae. Vintage of 2008.

Pours the typical dark, dark blackness of imperial stouts. Completely opaque with a thin tan head that leaves a lot of sticky, spotty lacing. Still as enticing as ever. Smell is full of ohymyGodIdontknow... so many different aromas swirling around. Big dark cocoa transitioning into sweet, silky chocolate, clean, pure vanilla, creamy toffee, pleasingly bitter coffee, with a touch of bourbon warmth at the end. Jeez, is this a completely different beer from the bottled version? Color me impressed.

Big chocolate taste to start, with very prevalent coffee and vanilla nuances. Wow. I don't know how, but this seems vastly different from the bottled version. The booziness is tempered very well at colder temperatures, mingling with the sweetness of the chocolate and vanilla to create a balanced flavor profile that's ridiculously tasty. On the back end, there's a distinct taste of buttermilk(?!) that rides into the aftertaste. With a bit of warmth, the bourbon shows up as expected, but still harmonizes very well with the rest of the flavors. Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy and delicious, having an almost silky texture. Body isn't the thickest I've had, but is just the right consistency. Somehow, it feels ten times better than the bottled version, which was already pretty good to begin with.

Drinkability is very, very dangerous. Enthralling smell, complex and nuanced taste and a velvety viscosity, I could definitely have a lot of this, which is scary. I already love Bourbon County Brand Stout; having it from a growler has just made it love me more. I didn't know it was possible!

Serving type: growler

11-21-2010 01:13:47 | More by r0nyn

JDizzle

Indiana

4.95/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I am drinking this from a Growler I purchased tonight.

A: Very black with a nice brown head. Not much lacing at all. I didn't get much head from an aggressive pour.

S: It smells like coffee, tobacco, BOURBON, and little chocolate. You can definately sense the bourbon. Pretty great smell...I'm excited to try....

T: Great flavor!! Taste the bourbon up front with malts, chacolate and coffee. The bourbon is in your face....love it!!! This is an exceptional beer that is what you would expect from a great brewery like Goose Island.

M: Full and complex. This beer is so great and is something I could drink anytime(If I don't have to drive:)

D: I love Big, Complex beers and this one is at the top. It is easy to drink, due to the fact that I love borbon, but it may be too much for a young one just getting started. For 14.5%, it's off the charts!! Fucking A+

Serving type: growler

11-17-2010 04:32:19 | More by JDizzle

CruisaC

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Alright folks, here goes with my FIRST review. This one is a doosey. Went to my local Party Source and was disappointed to find out that the bottle version was sold out earlier in the week but, oh, by the way, they have it on tap and available for purchase by the growler.

A: dark, dark, brown poured that left a couple mm brown head. A swirl on the top of the glass that lets you know there's some alcohol there.

S: Coffee and alcohol and toasted coconut. Some of the bourbon breaks through here as well.

T: I taste the bourbon, the coffee, everything you'd expect from a quality barrel aged stout. The chocolate coffee flavor hangs around long after the liquid has gone down the gullet.

M: Thick, carbonation not overwhelming.

D: Certainly a sipper, but I find that the case with most of beers in this category. Overall I found it delicious and I was very happy to run into this. Wish I had a couple of bottles that I could let sit for a while.

Serving type: growler

11-05-2010 00:16:53 | More by CruisaC

movingtrain

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Growler pour, sampled in a 12 ounce snifter.

Pours jet-black, completely opaque. Very little head on top.

Smells of molasses, brown sugar, dark chocolate, tobacco, dark malts, cherry, vanilla. Some heavy alcohol in the nose here, as well.

Tastes is very alcoholic...incredibly strong. This beer is a sipper for sure. Tastes of creamy dark chocolate, cinnamon, molasses, heavy cream, vanilla, and, well, alcohol. The bourbon barrel flavor is prominent, as well...and it should be. But, it is not overpowering...it is quite well-balanced in the mix of flavors involved.

This is an impressive brew. Not one that is good for drinking in mass amounts, but one that is just right to sit around for a few hours and just enjoy. It's strong, high in alcohol, and has some big flavors.

This is a world-class stout...delicious and powerful.

Serving type: growler

12-03-2009 21:26:57 | More by movingtrain

cilldalua

New York

4.9/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 32 Oz growler from Whole Food bowery beer room into a brandy snifter

S : Molasses, a dark candy, plays up the caramel and vanilla of the bourbon
A : Dark as night, perfect for this halloween evening, no head
T : complex, with a lot going on, treacle, dark chocolate, caramel and vanilla from the Bourbon Barrels, coffee at the back end
M : Thick and Syrupy in a good way, coats the tongue, lingers
D : Its strong and heavy, two are enough
O : This is one of the gold standards for a speciality stout, a treat for after dinner or after anything else that you enjoyed doing.

Serving type: growler

11-01-2009 04:21:55 | More by cilldalua

JoeBloe

New York

4.72/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

i scored a half-growler at the whole foods on houston st in nyc -
couldn't wait to pop this open - i agree with most everything i've read here - loved everything about this beer - i'll have to try the bottle version and see how it compares - this may be the best stout i ever drank - good good stuff.

Serving type: growler

03-22-2009 12:57:01 | More by JoeBloe

MaltyMates

New York

4.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Grabbed a couple bottle of this at my local supermarket . I decided to split the bottle with my wife and was served from a glass.

Color: DARK - the color is as black as you can be as it should for this style.

Smell: The bourbon smell is apparent from the second you open the bottle, over the smell of the beer.

Taste: The taste is more balanced than the smell suggests and the bourbon becomes more of an afterthought. It is thick and the stout leans to the malty side.

Mouthfeel: The beer has a thick mouthfeel. The alcohol is there, but is much more masked then you would believe.

Overall a great beer - best paired with desserts.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 20:03:02 | More by MaltyMates

kevanb

Illinois

4.61/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, 2012 dated, poured into a Goose Island Bourbon County snifter.

The beer pours a deep, jet black color, touches of cola brown when struck by the light with a short, tightly packed caramel colored head that vanishes almost immediately that leaves no lace behind. The aroma is lovely, strong oaky bourbon, rich chocolate, light roasted coffee and barrel char and potent alcohol with some stone fruit and marshmallow character. On the tongue, rich toffee and bourbon creep out ever so smoothly before vanilla, thick chocolate and chewy oak captivate the palate. Alcohol, pitted fruit, marshmallow and light coffee roast tickle the tongue at the finish. The body is so velvety and smooth, low carbonation, but just enough to prop up the flavors and coat the mouth perfectly. The finish is so silky and easy and has a nice warming sensation as it goes down.

Verdict: There is a reason why this is the benchmark for all bourbon barrel aged stouts. It has such depth of flavor and wonderful balance and the alcohol, while prominent is so tame for hovering around 15.00%. This really is a beer that holds its own against any competitor in the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 02:11:27 | More by kevanb

henskejk

California

4.45/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served from bottle into Teku glass.

A - very dark, with a small amount of tan head that lingers arouns the glass

S - Mostly bourbon in the nose with a little bit of dark roasted malts and a little sweetness as well.

T - Lots of bourbon up front backed by good roasty flavors, coffee, chocolatte etc. Decent amount of alcohol burn, but with all the bourbon flavor this doesn't really seem like a bad thing.

M - thick and smooth mouthfeel, with a good amount of carbonation

O - Fantastic beer, really enjoyed this one, and at 15% enjoyed it slowly.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 02:51:33 | More by henskejk

RaulMondesi

California

4.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

What's that thing called? Cloud 9? Well, this bad boi just put Raul on cloud 11. I mean, Raul is feeling this thing like the "massage" that he just got down at the local parlor. Blacker than sin and as dangerous as a 2x4 with a nail in it; Raul was more into this thang than that one time your mama got bubble gum stick in her hair.

Sleek, sexy, and luxurious. This lil sucker is nothing but luxurious.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 19:29:20 | More by RaulMondesi

douginromeo

Michigan

4.49/5  rDev -1.1%
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

EigenBeer

Florida

4.8/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A- Very black with a half a centimeter dark tan head.

S- Very strong bourbon up front.

T- WOW! First sip is a nice warm heavy bourbon roasty flavor that completely shifts to an extremely delicious coffee flavor (not like any coffee I have ever tasted in a stout). The after taste is like a slight mist of mocha in the back of my mouth.

M- Thick and oily just as expected.

O- Very pleased with the taste of this beer. I am extremely interested in the vanilla version of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 18:00:09 | More by EigenBeer

martyl1000

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

this is an aged 12-oz. bottle, ten-months-old. it's much smoother, sweeter, with much less astringency than it had last year. There's still almost no head speak of, poured into a snifter. It looks like soy sauce with some bubbles in it. I might have said it smelled like soy sauce, or at least chilled soy sauce. Then I realized the aroma was tart plum, fruitcake, and moist spice cake. Wow. The aroma is beyond imagining.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 09:36:33 | More by martyl1000

bmwats

Louisiana

4.48/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into my Goose Island hand glass.

A: Black. Pours a 1 finger, foamy, brown head. Settles fairly slowly. Slight beer ring lacing mostly retreats into the body of the brew.

S: Roasted coffee, molasses, dark chocolate.

T: Tastes like it smells. Coffee, molasses, and dark chocolate prominent. Just a bit of licorice, and bourbon.

M: Thick, hearty, and syrupy. High alcohol apparent, dry finish.

D: Sip and enjoy...and enjoy...and enjoy.

Atmosphere is pretty solid. Dark hue, decent head, but no real lacing. Nose is full and strong combination of roasted grains, accentuated with coffee, chocolate, and molasses. Tastes like it smells... roasted grains, espresso, chocolate, molasses. Overall, this is a ridiculous quaff.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 07:31:47 | More by bmwats

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.41/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

***2012 Vintage***

Thanks to mklever42 for this one.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle, bottled 9/20/12.

Appearance: Opaque, thick, deep brown 3 finger head, disappears within a minute as to be expected.

Smell: Rich, robust coffee mixs seamlessly with potent bourbon. Wafts of leather and wood shine as well.

Taste: Strong coffee; rich & full; heavy vanilla & oak; awesome blend of coffee flavors and bourbon.

Mouthfeel: Obvious low carbonation, slick & viscous; feel belies high ABV.

Overall: A most excellent and drinkable barrel-aged offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 00:37:19 | More by papat444

AndyP612

Illinois

4.49/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into Darkness tulip. 2012 vintage

A- Poured black and thick with a very small dark tan head.

S- Very rich malt nose with a huge punch of bourbon sweetness that sticks on the nose.

T- Very sweet and hot. The abv on this is not hidden by the malt at all as I can feel the burn and warm similar to whiskey but not as abrasive. Slight vanilla yet still a bit bitter at the end and oak this ale is just so rich and luscious.

M- Not as big and chewy as I was expecting. Not very much carbonation bite yet not flat pretty interesting sensation on the tongue slight dryness to the finish.

O- Very, Very nice barrel aged stout from Goose Island. I think it deserves the stunning reviews it has gotten on Beer Advocate. What a great welcome to Chicago as I found a 4 pack in mid May of BCBS bottled in August of 2012 for $25. I find myself looking for more on the flavor side of things as I did not sense any coffee overtones whatsoever. It is truly a bourbon stout though. Big and sweet and quite hot. Lovely. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 01:39:24 | More by AndyP612

Claytonbrewsby

Virginia

4.98/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

This beer is without a doubt, incredible. It really is one of the best brews out there. I've tried two bottles of the 2012 now. Pours a thick, light brown head. Very dark in appearance. So sweet and so much bourbon, it can be little much for the mouth at first. It is for sure a slow drinker. 5/5

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 20:42:09 | More by Claytonbrewsby

Rope

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Had this at Hopscotch in a large snifter.

Appearance-
Thick grease on the pour, with about of finger of the most dark burnt brown head I have ever seen. Cold is the void.

Smell-
Sweet. Not much of the burnt gets through, more the buttery sweetness, vanilla, and slight hop tart.

Taste-
Vanilla butter molasses, in the middle is a slight hop taste. The end is dominated by the sweetness. Not my usual MO for beers, but an excellent entry for the category.

Mouthfeel-
Thick and creamy. The bubbles are present, but there is no doubt you are painting your mouth with this for minutes to come.

Overall-
An epic in Imperial stouts, and has not lessened since the big buyout.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 03:37:47 | More by Rope

Gratefullawyer

Ohio

4.95/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

so tonight on the 36 anniversary of 5.8.77 cornel gratefuldead I decide to open a 2012 BCS and my faith in this beer was restored I have had many versions of this beer including the legendary BCS vanilla bean
I have now put my 2009 in the fridge. The best stout bar none
so
smell chocolate and bourbon heaven
taste luv bourbon luv beer a match made heaven. the 2012 is young so the bourbon taste is strong. this is a smooth stout
feel. it's smooth chocolatey. yummy
a beer to hunt out and savor

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 02:16:56 | More by Gratefullawyer