Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

afksports

New York

4.65/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Goddamn. There's something about these stouts that's just so fcking magical. Sorry - no other way to say it. Jingle bells and unicorns are in my beer. Right now. I'm drinking a unicorn.

The appearance of my mythical creature is pitch black, and would be a five of five but it's headless. Probably the keg, but I'm not complaining. Smell has vanilla that tempers but doesn't weaken the bourbon. There's coffee, toasty malts, chocolate, and a ligre.

Taste is nuts. Not nuts like cashews but like your uncle that only your mom keeps in touch with. It's the GI BC base with vanilla. Nothing wins. It's all there. Drinkability is a bit low because you always have to sip these.

Lest you find yourself grinding to "Walk like an Egyptian" with three elves and two unicorns.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2010 21:37:14 | More by afksports

pdoran10

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the happy gnome during goose island tap takeover. 10-13

poured in a sampling glass alongside normal bcs and coffee bcs. jet black with little head. looks exactly like the two other beers.

smell is mellow bourbon, charred dark fruit, a hint of vanilla. bourbon smell is less present here than the other two.

taste is sweet vanilla up front, muting the barrel aged notes. much smoother flavors than the other two bcs, finishes with some singed toast flavor with a bit of sweetness from vanilla lingering. much sweeter than the other two bcs varieties, with less bourbon flavor. my least favorite of the three.

mouthfeel is thick and a bit syrupy with low carbonation as to be expected with all the bcs beers. works well here.

this bcs is a bit more approachable as the vanilla mutes some of the harsh bourbon flavors, but does get overly sweet after a bit for me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2010 09:01:54 | More by pdoran10

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

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

Pours a very light head, hardly and at all. Color is pretty much black. A swirl of the beer leaves legs running down the glass. Pretty thick stuff.

Aroma: Vanilla, bourbon, sweet chocolate, rich flavors, roasted malts, and dark fruits. The vanilla and bourbon are huge in this beer. Pretty awesome flavors.

Taste: A lot more dark fruit here in the taste. The bourbon and vanilla are awesome. Very rich and roasted. Oak and chocolate shows a lot. A warming beer, but in a good way.

Mouthfeel: Very warming, smooth, creamy, and syrupy. Full bodied with a low to medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry with some bourbon notes.

Overall, this beer is very drinkable. Both times I have had it, I have pretty much slammed my glass. Top notch beer. Near as good as vanilla bean dl.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 21:15:56 | More by mothman

kbutler1

Minnesota

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

Draft at the Great Taste of the MW. Have been anticipating this one and really have high expectations for this after having enjoyed and loved both BCBS and BCBCS. The pour is similiar to the other Bourbon County beers with a dark brown body and slight tan head. The vanilla comes through in the nose pretty much more that any other beer I have ever had. You'd think it would be really sweet and cloying after the aroma but the taste is nicely blended. Also in the nose is the barrel and dark chocolate. Tastewise, the first thing you get in the vanilla followed by dark chocolate, some booze notes and then back to vanilla. Does it live up to the expectation? No, it actually blows right by my expectation and is better than I even thought. Can't wait for this to come out in bottles.

Sampled again at MN ABR. Still a great beer!

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2010 14:01:05 | More by kbutler1

glazeman

Illinois

4.8/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had this on tap at Sheffield's

Looks pretty much the same as regular BCS and BCBCS. Heck, I had all four of the variants of BCS side-by-side and they were pretty much identical in appearance and mouthfeel. All were the darkest of browns, not quite black. From the tap, there was not much head, just a swirl of bubbles that lasted for a decent amount of time. Mouthfeel is spot on. This was a nice, thick, stout that went down smooth and had a great aftertaste. I thought that the vanilla in this helped mellow out some of the heat present in regular BCS very nicely. It added some complexity and a pleasant change to the smell as well. Drinkability for the vanilla version is outstanding. I think through the course of the night I had a total of about 16 ounces of the vanilla version and could have easily had more. Overall though, not quite as good as the coffee or chocolate versions, which were tied for my favorites.

Update - after having this again at the November Goose Island BA event, I must say the extra time in the barrel has improved the beer. Things are more balanced and the vanilla is more prominant in the taste. I would now say this is equally as good as the coffee version, but noticeably and deliciously different.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2010 15:48:33 | More by glazeman

thetomG

Illinois

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

Wow wow wow... had this one on draft at the AHA Rally @ Goose Island. Deep dark brown pour with nice bit of tan head... just a little lacing. Aroma is mostly sweet bourbon and vanilla (duh). Flavor is the same but waaaay more intense. Delicious balance between the vanilla and bourbon and everything else - lots going on, but it all works very well together. Amazingly well balanced and very easy to drink. Thick, and syrupy, but not too sweet, I could drink this all day. Deeeelicious!

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2010 16:53:45 | More by thetomG

chaz01

Ohio

4.7/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was the star of the show at the 3rd Annual Dayton Cask AleFest. I tasted a few other's in the lineup for this event, but I kept coming back to this.

A: Thick, dark, menacing and black. No head whatsoever.

S: Bourbon and Vanilla aromas, but not overwhelming. I had various versions of the FFF Dark Lord this past spring, and compared to that the vanilla and bourbon flavors are very subtle.

T: Sweet initially with the vanilla and bourbon flavors complementing each other. Rich roasted malt flavors and oak,but the gentle bourbon flavor is always nearby and lingers pleasantly in the mouth for a long time.

M: Thick, rich mouthfeel with the cask adding a creamy quality to the beer.

D: Perhaps this may be the ultimate desert or sipping beer. Lots of flavors going with the a pleasant bourbon/alcohol taste that is very noticeable, but still very drinkable.

Serving type: cask

05-23-2010 17:41:20 | More by chaz01

AgentZero

Illinois

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

Stumbled into this one on tap at SmallBar Fullerton. Had shown up for the Double Daisy Cutter, this was a hell of a bonus find.

A - Looks perfect coming out of the tap into a snifter. Black as night, perfect looking brown head on it. Can't ask for a better look on a stout.

S - Brownie, mildly roasted malts, very sweet. Was hard for me to pick out the vanilla at first, but as it started to warm a little, the vanilla got very big. Melds nicely with the rest of the flavors. Bourbon is quite present.

T - Bourbon on this is a bit hot, very brownie tasting, the vanilla is on the back end, and it becomes nicely strong the more I drink. All the flavors on this blend very nicely together, imagine BCS with a bit more chocolate and confectioners sugar and a big vanilla presence. Only the hotness of the bourbon keeps this from being a 5, and I bet in a year this is drinking perfectly.

M - Almost chewy, very thick, full bodied, the right carbonation level.

D - Hotness keeps it to a 4, although it got easier as it warmed up (and as I probably got drunker). This is a great brew, not as good as Coffee BCS, but definately a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2010 18:53:13 | More by AgentZero

emerge077

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lucky pour into a Matilda glass at Smallbar Fullerton, available for one night during Chicago Craft Beer Week, for the Beermapping/HopCast Rare Beer Night.

Black body, dark tobacco stained foam rings the edge, and forms a yin yang swirl when agitated. Not much lace, only random spots here and there. Glassy black obsidian surface. It's not as sticky as regular Bourbon County.

Heavenly aroma of vanilla bean ice cream, some sweet whiskey far in the back. It's mellow and confectionary. Very smooth with no harsh edges. The vanilla is prominent, yet integrated. Woody oak, brown sugar, and related bourbon elements.

Rich, decadent flavors of vanilla fudge brownies soaked in bourbon. Mellow barrel character manifests greatest at the end with traces of dry oak. In the middle it's all charred malts and bakers chocolate, wrapped in a vanilla blanket. Finish lingers forever.

By now BCS is a welcome household name, you know it's going to be smooth and rich no matter what. Additional aging takes the edge off the original, much like the recent coffee incarnation. Could have had more, but the 1/6 barrel blew before I could have another...

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2010 03:57:24 | More by emerge077

jampics2

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I woke up today with a dry throat. The damn ceiling fan, which I rely on to block out noise and keep me cool, had attacked me by confiscating all signs of moisture in my entire respiratory system overnight. I was thirsty. But I had no clue how much my thirst was about to be quenched.

Fast forward 4-5 hours to the first session of the 2nd Annual Winking Lizard cask conditioned beer festival. I check in and get a program which outlines the beers available. I check over the list to see a bunch of familiar names, some extra special treats, and the very last entry:

Goose Island Vanilla Bourbon County

This was the first beer I had today. It was the last beer I had today. It was the best beer I've had in a long time. Overall, I'd say I had 22oz or so, and, let me tell you, this beer delivers.

Appears a magnificent black, the kind of black the Rolling Stones sang about painting things. No head whatsoever, and a ton of alcohol sticks to the side of the glass when I swish.

Smell takes me somewhere. Grandma is baking vanilla cookies. Grandpa is sipping his bourbon. And I'm eating a chocolate candy while my olfactory tingles with delight.

Taste is perfect. A strange combo of coconut, vanilla bean, oak, bourbon, chocolate and caramel tastes more defined and well balanced than any desert I've had. This is exceptional in terms of its depth, extreme flavor, and ability to define different elements in unique flavor spikes along the journey. Honestly, one of the best beers I've ever had.

Mouthfeel is thin, but this may be a result of the cask feel. The carb isn't an issue, appropriate for the serving type.

Drinkability is well above many in the field. Strong? Sure, but this is a magnificent example of when imperial flavor is necessary to achieve such a magnificent result. Kev and John at the Lizard, you have outdone yourselves this year. This was just fantastic, and I want to thank you for a wonderful event and a new top 20 beer for me.

Tonight, I will sleep with the fan on. And it can't do a thing to make me uncomfortable. Try as it might, it shall not rob me of this - my thirst has been quenched for a while.

Serving type: cask

03-27-2010 21:32:47 | More by jampics2

EJLinneman

New Jersey

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

I've always been a fan of the original Bourbon County stout, so when I heard that they were brewing a Vanilla version, I leaped at the opportunity to try it.

A - Black. Very similar to the original. Very light head that dissipated quickly and didn't leave much lacing.

S - Incredible. I took my time drinking this just so that I could experience all of the smells that developed. Malt, Vanilla, Chocolate, Bourbon and a slight bitter coffee smell. The vanilla scent was more prominent as it warmed. Definitely incredible.

T - Similar to the original, but just with the vanilla twist to it. Although it was said to be the same ABV, it didn't have the bite that I was expecting - which is a good thing. Dark chocolate and the tons of malt were most recognizable. The vanilla was definitely there, but not overpowering.

M - Very thick. Almost like syrup. Incredible.

D - This is definitely a sipper - and should be. It's something to enjoy and savor.

Bottom line - I'm really glad that GI is making different varieties and experimenting with BCS. If you can find this beer, definitely try it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2010 15:04:47 | More by EJLinneman

rudylaw

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this delectable brew at FoBAB. Two 4oz pours of this nectar of the gods.

Pours still and black as night. There was a hint of a mocha head. That head is revived slightly with a few swirls... but it's mostly bubbles at this point.

Smells divine! Tons of chocolate and vanilla that mask the bourbon. In fact, I don't get a lot of heat on this at all. A tinge of roast to round it out.

Man, does this taste good! It's almost if they took Nightstalker, added a hint of bourbon and then topped it off with a half cup of Hershey's chocolate syrup! The vanilla beans are evident as this warms. So unbelievably delicious.

This has way more drinkability than BCS and was the standout of the night for me. Kudos!

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2009 15:05:45 | More by rudylaw