Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

AJacob81

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This is THE hype beer right now, and I'm an unabashed fan of 'regular' BCS. Let's see how this compares...

Poured from a red-labeled bomber into a 10-oz. snifter.

A - Pours like a shot of Cuban coffee. Thick, black, and a bit of foam. The head is deep mocha-colored and dissipates quickly into a ring that stays around for most of the drink.

S - Huge. This is the most massive nose I've ever encountered. Imagine that someone axed open a bourbon barrel in the middle of your favorite gourmet coffee shop. Bourbon-infused wood and rich, roasted espresso and little else.

T - Very similar to black-label BCS at first, bourbon ascendant with some roasted malt, vanilla, and caramel. But as this sucker warms, the Intelligentsia-brewed espresso makes its presence felt in a big way. Semi-sweet chocolate chips join in, and this is an absolute epic in terms of flavor.

M - Smooth, full-bodied, and creamy. The carbonation and alcohol burn show up strongly in the finish, but that in no way detracts from this brew's obliterating impact on the palate. That is a good thing, btw.

D - Unbelievable for a beer of this magnitude and ABV. Like smoking a tightly-wrapped cigar or perfectly-packed pipe. The alcohol burn is all that keeps this from being a 5.

This beer, in little more than a week and a half, has surpassed Dark Lord on the BA Top 100. Will it stay? Hard to tell, but with ratings and reviews like mine streaming in, it's hard to see it becoming forgotten a year from now. If you live in the Chicago area, track down one of the few remaining bottles. If you don't, set up those trades now.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 03:57:22 | More by AJacob81

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.8/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into over sized brandy snifter.

Pours a 1/2 finger of tan head. Fades to a thick ring. Leaves some splattered lace. Color is a pitch black. Pretty solid.

Aroma: Huge roasted malt and bourbon flavors up front. Sweet vanilla and caramel. Rich espresso and coffee flavors. Awesome oak flavors. Some chocolate as well. Reminds me a lot of KBS. This is amazing.

Taste: Sweet vanilla and bourbon up front. Nice oak flavors. Rich espresso and coffee. The caramel and chocolate flavors are more subtle but add a nice layer to this beer. This beer reminds me so much of kbs. I would like to do a side by side.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, warming, and a bit creamy. Pretty full bodied, but not that thick and chewy. Medium amount of carbonation. Ends warm, bourbony, and slightly dry.

Overall, this is a solid beer and I am glad I have access to it. It reminds me so much of kbs. Doing a side by side would be awesome. This beer is very drinkable and 11 oz is not enough for me. This beer is legit. A must try.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 01:56:04 | More by mothman

pmccallum86

Minnesota

4.93/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a huge midnight oily black with a large dark cocoa colored head. When held to the light, it acts as a black hole and not a ray gets through.

Smell is awesome, huge espresso and roasted malts. Massive bourbon notes as well, some oak too.

Liquid perfection, this beer is mind blowing. Huge massive bourbon notes with a smooth lingering espresso. Roasted malts and oak flavors are also very prevalent. I went into this beer with huge expectations and it surpassed them all. Wow.

Mouthfeel is rich, thick, creamy, and amazing. Medium carbonation, taste lingers on the tongue for hours.

Drinkability is where this beer really shines, I have never seen such a big beer (13% ABV) with such great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 01:38:35 | More by pmccallum86

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.97/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2011 update 2/6/2012:

The 2011 version of this beer maintains everything that I loved about the first time I had it, and somehow is even better.

I opened a 2011 bottle at cellar temperature and another was opened at fridge temperature at Kelly's Pub.

Like every other bourbon county (and variant) I have opened, this viscous black imperial stout oozes out of the bottle like some kind of black tar. Pitch black with just the slightest mahogany brown edges. The bottle I opened up at cellar temperature manufactured a robust mocha brown head on the initial pour into my snifter. With the ABV, the cap was not destined to last long, but it still provided a nice thin film over the beer and a frothy ring around the edge of the glass. When opened at colder temperatures, it is much more difficult to get much of any head to form, even with an aggressive pour.

The biggest difference in my mind between the two vintages is the aroma. The Anjilanaka coffee beans used in this year's batch simply explode out of the bottle when opened and waft up from the glass throughout the glass. As a coffee drinker, this is simply heaven. This coffee smells thoroughly roasted, with notes of hazelnut and burnt caramel in addition to a distant fruit note. Dark roasted malt, bitter chocolate, molasses, vanilla, oak, and bourbon all fade to the back behind a dominant coffee presence. There is no alcohol anywhere in the nose.

The flavor is still very coffee-forward, but much more balanced than the aroma. Fresh Bolivian coffee roasted to perfection comes through first, with a strong showing from the dark, bitter chocolate, and roasted malt. Each of these blend and interact so well with the others flavors, creating an ever-changing wall of roasted and bitter flavors. Vanilla, molasses, and bourbon step in next, adding some sweetness and further depth to the flavor. The bourbon presence grows as the sip progresses and my tongue accustoms itself to the bitter coffee and roasted malt flavors. By the end, I get a bit more vanilla and some light oak as well. It has varying degrees of bitterness all the way through, with a clear emphasis on the coffee.

The mouthfeel is exactly what I want in an imperial stout, and even though I have tried quite a few since I first had the Bourbon County Coffee, I have yet to find its equal. Each sip coats my entire mouth and tongue with a chewy, grainy, and smooth liquid. The flavors seem to permeate into every part of my mouth, and it is more of an experience that just 'drinking' the beer. The carbonation is perfectly tuned to the ultra thick and viscous nature of the beer, giving it a milky creaminess and never getting in the way.

This is as close to a perfect beer as I can think of; it is just absolutely incredible.

Original review: 4.5/4.5/5/5/5
Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a snifter. Bottled 3/26/10. #2133.

Appearance: This almost oozes out of the bottle, it is that thick. The color is completely pitch black, with thin brown head, which quickly erodes to a ring. It communicates the message - "Be ready, this is intense."

Smell: A charismatic aroma; a smooth blend of robust roasted malt, roast coffee, with a nice bourbon presence, some bitter chocolate, and a few lingering alcohol phenols.

Taste: Wow. If Bourbon County Stout is a smokey dragon, this is the well-refined dragon you can take out to a fancy dinner. It is wonderfully put together, with a smooth flavor all the way through. Roasted malt with hints of chocolate and vanilla start the sip, with roast coffee and bourbon balancing each other out. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste, and the alcohol warms the stomach. There is no real alcohol bite, though, which is quite surprising. The espresso flavor prevents this from being as overtly smokey and boozy like the regular BCS. Substantially better in my opinion.

Mouthfeel: Could this be any smoother? Creamy, with perky carbonation contained in a very full body.

Drinkability: I could sip this all day and all night. There is enough complexity to keep the whole glass interesting, but the smooth construction makes each sip wonderfully simple. I just had a revelation.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 23:16:24 | More by KickInTheChalice

Blakaeris

Iowa

4.72/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours midnight black with a thick creamy tan head that dissipates to a thin ring.

Aroma is huge bourbon and espresso coffee notes along with a sticky sweetness. Chocolate and dark fruit and a hint of earthy anise character.

Taste is sweet and rich chocolatey espresso. Dark grain and bourbon soaked dark fruit with a generous dose of molasses and brown sugar rounds it out. Finishes with lingering anise and earthy hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel is thick, full, and velvety smooth.

Rich and bold in flavor. Not much charred smokey quality, but plenty of chocolate, bourbon, dark fruit and coffee to keep you coming back for more. If you like big boozy stouts... this is a must try.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 20:47:40 | More by Blakaeris

AstroAcks6

Texas

4.83/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Holy crap, this was amazing. I love regular BCS, but this is something to behold!!

A--Darker than the dark side of the moon with a small brown foamless head

S- Tons of bourbon and coffee..bourbon always comes across as vanilla/caramel to me.

T- Un-freaking-real. Well balanced mix of bourbon, coffee and alcohol. The alcohol is surprising not overwhelming at 13%. Until I had this BCS was the best liquid to hit my lips.

M- Thick and Oily, very characteristic of this beer and it's parent beer.

D- Again, for 13% this is a great drink but definitely a sipper and one to enjoy. Better as it warms in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 04:44:06 | More by AstroAcks6

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.97/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Holy crap. So I have been dying to try this one and spent the day up in Asheville yesterday. While there stopped in to visit a friend who low and behold had managed to acquire a bottle of this gem. Needless to say I made him open it and split it with me, lol. Served chilled and poured into twin snifters, this one was consumed on 04/30/2010.

The pour was sublime. Dark as night, black, inky, oily just full of everything big and mean you could possibly want out of a huge stout. Nice small tan head then rises up and settles across the top leaving a little bit of lacing and a smooth and consistent coating along the inside of the glass.

The aroma was the thins that dreams are made of. Rich coffee smacks you in the face from the first sip, but then slowly melts into a seemless mix of vanilla, rich bourbon notes, delicate sweet chocolate and rich roasted malts. Perfect in every way. I could not have imagined this actually coming across any better. Then I took the first sip and the velvety smooth, sensual and completely coating nature of it took over. Incredible amounts of coffee up from but the vanilla is starting to steal the show for me over. Really just the most thick, viscous, and wonderful full bodied stout I could have had. Rich bourbon and vanilla are all over the place here and each is simply stunning in its own right, but when combined they are perfect. Huge coffee flavor without a touch of bitterness and the rich and smooth vanilla flavor sits on the tongue long after the last sip is gone.

Overall this is mindblowing. One of the best beers I have ever had by a mile. Insanely good. Please go find this one, it is worth every last second of your time.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 21:19:39 | More by mikesgroove

y1fsm8s

Maine

4.93/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

My first BA review! Boy did I pick a wicked awesome beer to start with.

A - Very very black. Very small head, quickly dissipating.

S - Just like the bottle says. Heavy bourbon and coffee aromas. I think I got a little vanilla out of it as well.

T - Amazing. I am not a fan of the regular Bourbon County at all, its far too boozy for my liking. This, however, is fantastic. The coffee balances the bourbon flavor so nicely. The bourbon is apparent, but not a kick in the face. Heavy coffee and bourbon flavors. Light cream and woody flavors.

M - Thick. My friend described it as "chewable". I am a fan of thick beers though, so this is good for me.

D - I could drink this all night, or at least until I pass out from the 13% abv. I have to say that I was not a fan of this beer when it warmed to room temperature. It really intensified the bourbon and kinda killed the coffee flavor to me. Keep this lightly chilled and it is perfect.

Overall a simply fantastic beer worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 21:18:06 | More by y1fsm8s

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jet black with a thin tan head that fades quickly.
Smell is heavy bourbon, chocolatey roasted malts, with a touch of vanilla espresso. The coffee is surprisingly subdued. Dark chocolate, caramel, and some alcohol.
Taste is more heavy bourbon and roasted, chocolatey malts. Again, the coffee presence is not as prominent as expected. Rich notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla come in. Good malt backbone, as the malts carry to the finish.
Mouthfeel is smooth and velvety, with some heat from the alcohol. Finish is slightly sticky. Medium-heavy body.
For a sipper, this one is good. The alcohol is quite assertive in the smell and taste, and the bourbon presence is very heavy. I think this one will mellow out with some age though.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 20:35:14 | More by Parrotbeak

drewba

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Pours darker than dark with a 1/8 of an inch head, no lacing at all. Other than the impressive soulless black, it's somewhat boring after the initial pour.

s - Freshly roasted coffee, milk & dark chocolate, only a hint of bourbon and vanilla. The coffee aroma is pungent, reminds me of walking into a coffee shop.

T - Nice even bourbon flavor throughout, chocolate notes all over the place, present but not overpowering coffee and espresso flavors. The coffee is mind blowing, a perfect blend of fresh roast with some mildly bitter acid and grinds makes for an incredibly satisfying balance of sweet thanks to the bourbon and chocolate and bitter from the dark chocolate and coffee.

D - I let this one warm up and it was just a delicious and drinkable as it was when I first cracked it. Even though most of the carbonation had vacated the beer, the viscosity of the beer still made it highly satisfying.

I can't wait to crack another one of these open and try to continue pulling out all the nuances this has to offer.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 19:19:50 | More by drewba

mikey711

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pitch black with a mocha colored head that is only about a quarter inch thick. The head does not retain very well, but there is one nice tan ring around the top of the beer.

S: A potent blend of chocolate and vanilla followed by a roasted espresso note. The bourbon is quite prevalent as well and brings out a slightly earthy wood quality.

T: At first it reminds of of eating coffee ice cream with that robust yet semi sweet flavor, and then mixed with a powerful bourbon note. There is a nice chocolate and vanilla swirled ice cream note that is quite enjoyable and a bitterness from the espresso in the end which is quite enjoyable. Some smokiness in there too which is nice

M: There is a boozy quality to this, but that is from the bourbon, not fusal alcohol. Smoothing out some of the roughness would benefit the beer. It is also a bit thinner than i expected, much like a spirit

D: This is a beer that borders the line between a spirit and a beer. The bourbon is very present which i enjoy, but the alcohol is definitely noticeable. Maybe chilled a bit under room temperature would help

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 18:15:16 | More by mikey711

hawks10

Illinois

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

22oz bottle poured into my mini Goose Island imperial pint glass...

Pours pitch black with one finger of light tan head, dense and thick...given a 5 because of how perfect the rest of the beer was, hard to rate an imperial stout...

Wonderful sweet smell of bourbon and vanilla. Some molasses and sweet chocolate overwhelm a week bitter roasted malt and very subtle coffee aroma...

Think regular Bourbon County Stout but 100% more smooth and easy to drink. Delicious! Sweet bourbon goodness with loads of vanilla and some molasses and dark chocolate. Very sweet, very little hint of coffee, perfect!...

Full bodied and incredibly creamy and smooth. Completely coats the palette with thick creamy bourbon/vanilla/chocolate goodness...incredible...

WOW! Blown away by this one...not usually a huge fan of any beer that has "coffee" in the title...I did not taste much coffee at all in this beer, all I tasted was a regular Bourbon County Stout tuned down a notch with incredible aroma, taste and feel, the drinkability is through the roof compared to regular BCS. Incredible beer, that's all I can say...pretty sure this is my first perfect score in 100+ reviews...it deserves it...

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 07:29:05 | More by hawks10

thetomG

Illinois

4.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Finally breaking into one of my bottles... I've had this on tap at Goose Island's Stout Fest, then again last weekend at DLD...and now I've caved and opened up one of my bottles. Not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said - its truly THAT good... EASILY is one of the best beers I've ever had. Pours a lovely black with a very minimal amout of light tan head.

The aroma is overwhelmingly good with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and espresso. Flavors match up to the aroma very nicely. I'm not a fan of the regular BCS because IMO the bourbon is too strong in that one, but here - the coffee notes balance out the bourbon perfectly and make this beer INSANELY drinkable.

I really hope they make this again just so that more people have the chance to try it. OUTSTANDING.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 04:40:33 | More by thetomG

emerge077

Illinois

4.72/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sipping this magical concoction tonight... Black Cat espresso is probably my all time favorite coffee, and BCS is one of my all-time favorite stouts. I approve of this marriage of two intense and fantastic beverages.

Initial pour into a couple Duvel tulips yields a finger of sturdy mocha foam, leaving random spotty lacing around the edges. Black with a mahogany ring at the edge when held up to the light. Foam breaks, leaving a bare skim, then a thin ring at the edge. Considering the high abv, this is expected.

Huge dark chocolate and espresso nose, with brown sugar and cinnamon trailing in the finish. Smoothed out with no sharpness from the bourbon, the oak and vanilla are there though.

Sticky on the lips, rich with deep flavors. Bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, coffee, coconut, smooth and sweet, luscious. Amazingly silky and rich. Again, the rough edges of fresh BCS have been sanded down, leaving a streamlined, supple, coffee-infused incarnation. Somewhat more approachable for that reason.

Overall a surprise hit variation of BCS, tailored for lovers of coffee, bourbon, and stouts....

2011: Anjilanaka... wow, they topped the subtlety of the first batch with a straight up toasted marshmallow/melted dark chocolate/deep roasty coffee BOMB. Rich as all hell, sticky and decadent. Awe inspiring...

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 02:46:12 | More by emerge077

prophetofdoom

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My first ever review, so here goes.

I was lucky enough to spot this gem at my local liquor store

Poured jet black with a nice brown/tan head. Exactly what I had expected.

Smells amazing...Definately can smell the bourbon with that nice hint of coffee in the background. Could not wait to take my first sip

This beer is one of the best I have ever had. Simply amazing. Tastes much like it smells...bourbon hits you up front, then the espresso hits you on the back end. Simply amazing.

This beer is pretty powerful, so the drinkability suffers a bit, but you have to finish the bottle, right?

Overall, an amazing experience

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 02:23:54 | More by prophetofdoom

EliteDigger

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Served in my Sam Adams special pint glass....alas no snifter. Pours a deep dark nearly black cola brown which only shows through on the edges when held up to the light. A nice cinnamon brown head makes an appearance, then exits stage left to leave only a ring around the edges. Of course the Sam Adams glass keeps a small amount of head forming during consumption....
Smell is bourbon, coffee, and chocolate with hints of peaty smoky soil all mixed together in a beautiful symphony. Thought the smell itself if not the coffee presence would be stronger...
Taste is more of the same...Chocolate, coffee and bourbon like the smell with hints of leather and tobacco showing through. Molassas laced with brown sugar and bourbon complete the taste. Creamy light carbonation compliments the medium thick viscosity of the liquid perfectly....excellent.
Drinkability suffers because of the ABV and the fact that it's almost too rich....still tasty, but finishing off the bottle by myself will be a chore...
Reminds me ever so much of KBS or Devil Over a Barrel on steroids. Lovely looks, beautiful taste and perfect mouthfeel leave me looking forward to the rest of the bottle and the others that I purchased. Can't wait until Vanilla BCS makes an appearance later this year.... =)

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 20:59:40 | More by EliteDigger

rudylaw

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Dark Lord Day beer #1.

Deep black pour with a tan head. Looks divine, just like BCS does.

Man... this smells like the freshest coffee with an overload of bourbon. Amazing at 9a! Once you get past the initial wave, you get chocolate, coconut, molasses and oak. Actually, oak is probably the third most dominant smell.

First sip, you are knocked the fuck out! Overwhelming amounts of fresh flavor. Chocolate, vanilla, oak and bourbon at first but a ton espresso in the back. Lots of roast with smoothed out bourbon.

Thick and smooth... perfect. Just too strong to be considered drinkable. Enjoy what you have, because pound for pound, this is right up there with the best. If you're like me and think the regular BCS is too strong, give this a try because the coffee balances this out more than I could imagine!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 12:09:58 | More by rudylaw

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

4.93/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

GLASS: Snifter
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 55 degrees
BOTTLED ON: 03/26/10 2114
I was lucky enough to be at Binny's, in Chicago, last week when these were delivered. Grabbed a couple of bottles, happily.

Just like it should, this pours up black. It has a dark brown head of foam that is just about one-fingers worth thick. The retention is good and fades to a surface covering film. The lacing is very good and tries it's best to be sticky. The liquid leaves a thin filmy/oily coating though and the lacing keeps sliding back down because of this.

Wow, does that smell good! It has all of the bourbon presence of BCS but it is joined by a very wonderful presence of dark roasted coffee. These smells don't cancel/balance each other out so much as they just compliment each other. A big, rich, chocolate profile is joined by a very nice roasted malt presence. Definite hints of vanilla and oak. Less obvious notes of caramel, brown sugar and dark fruits.

Damn, that is smooth and delicious. This is a very big and bold beer, yet it is smooth enough that it doesn't come off as heavy-handed.
Very nice vanilla notes hit me first, followed by butterey oak and bourbon notes. Lots of chocolate mixes with a slight brown sugar presence. This gives way to a deep, dark, rich, coffee profile that is beyond my expectations. It finishes with a light touch of caramel and just a hint of dark fruits. The finish is rich and long-lingering.
The taste of the bourbon is here, but there isn't a trace of booziness. No heat at all.

This one is full-bodied and has a nice, medium level of carbonation. It is incredibly smooth and has a fantastic level of creaminess to it.

I don't taste the 13.00%abv, but it's not hiding it's effects. This is extremely smooth, well balanced, complex, and highly drinkable. Just be careful with it!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 04:30:45 | More by coldmeat23

Benjiehorn

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

There's not much that I can say about this beer that hasn't already been said. Had it at DLD and it's absolutely phenomenal! The coffee really cuts down the bourbon sweetness of the regular BCS without being overwhelming or cloyingly sweet, and makes it much more drinkable. Makes me a little more eager for the Rare BCS and Vanilla BCS later this year.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 19:08:03 | More by Benjiehorn

nickd717

California

4.93/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Well, I hate to be giving out A+ ratings like it's nobody's business, but DAMN this was a phenomenal beer. Tried it at the tasting tables at DLD 2010 thanks to someone unknown but awesome.

Pours pitch black with a decent-sized, well-retained tan head.

Aroma hits you with a blast of intense, awesome coffee. But that's not all! Behind that there's the awesomeness of regular Bourbon County Stout - smooth roast and rich chocolate, oak, bourbon, and vanilla. Wow.

Flavor is perhaps even more outstanding. I sometimes find the bourbon in regular Bourbon County Stout to be too much, but in this version, maybe it's the coffee, but the level seems just right. Really mellows out. The coffee flavor is incredible, and the base stout flavors of roasted malt, toffee, and dark chocolate fudge really assert themselves and meld together seamlessly. Some very slight barrel notes as well.

Smooth, creamy, and full-bodied on the palate with slight bitterness from the coffee. Not really that boozy at all for 13%, but there is some alcohol warmth present.

Overall, wow, what a beer. Highly drinkable, as downing this is just a heavenly experience. ISO more bottles!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 17:22:49 | More by nickd717

cheezdawg

Florida

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

Had this on two different occasions, the most memorable being at goose island, however I am happy to report at home it tastes EXACTLY the same.

the appearance is a fantastic deep black with creamy brown head

the smell is of rich chocolate and coffee, not too much bourbon in the nose

the taste is fantastic. do I really need to say more? truly one of the finest crafted beers to date, perfect balance of every flavor.

the mouthfeel is thick but not overly.

the drinkability is fantastic, I would have no problem demolishing an entire bottle. my glass always seems to run dry very fast.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 05:10:41 | More by cheezdawg

homebrew311

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: pours jet black, just like BCS and Nightstalker, thick and velvety appearance, very thin tan head

S: the front of the nose has two huge flavors in coffee and bourbon, not one manages to dominate, but the bourbon seems to be slightly stronger, the coffee is bold and robust and blends expertly with the bourbon. These strong notes are accented with subtle notes of chocolate, oak, and molasses. This smells like something special. Reminds me of KBS with the bourbon kicked up a notch.

T: wow, this beer is absolutely PACKED with flavor. My palate is overwhelmed at first sip, but as I continue on, I pick out a lot of chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon on the front followed by espresso bean with heat on the finish. The finish features notes of sweet dark chocolate which are countered by roasty coffee notes. Impressive.

MF: huge thick body, velvety smooth texture, somewhat chewy, low carbonation

D: Goose Island hit the jackpot with this beer. This is my favorite variant of BCS yet (EDIT: after trying Rare, this is now my second favorite variant). Considering its rich nature, I would prefer if this beer were sold in 4 packs. But bottom line- this beer is solid!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 01:36:13 | More by homebrew311

Fugazme

Nebraska

4.97/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Purchased @Beertopia in Omaha...

Appearance is terrific... pitch black... a little bit of a fizzy head which I wasn't expecting, but it settled down into a nice 1/4" head... that then settled into a lace-inducing cap... lots of legs and stick.

Aroma is downright, insanely great. Huge dark chocolate, malty, coffee and a boozy linger... wonderful woody background. One of the best.

Smooth mouthfeel... creamy and coating... just the right amount of alcohol burn on the back end.

Exceptional flavor. Roasted goodness. Bit of licorice and a lot of espresso... wonderful slight bitterness to set off the sweet.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 01:10:05 | More by Fugazme

jt31914

Michigan

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

Shared a bomber with my good buddy Dan:

A: 1/4 finger head; mocha colored head with a black as night color; beauty of a stout.

S: Oats, coffee, bourbon, God's semen, nuttiness... Everything you can ask for in a beer. This is the best smelling beer I've ever tasted. Let me repeat: THIS IS THE BEST SMELLING BEER I'VE EVER TASTED.

T: EVEN BETTER THAN THE SMELL. I'm honestly thinking of doing the rest of the review in caps to emphasize how awesome this beer is. Coffee and bourbon balanced with oat nuttiness. The beer is smooth, sits in your mouth and is full yet not overdone. This beer is as perfect a thing as I've ever tasted, I don't know if anything better could be brewed.

D/M: Just great, I could drink this all day (if I had more than $20 in my bank account) and it is so smooth and rich and awesome!

This is the petron of beers, the Marissa Miller of beers, the Jimi Hendrix of beers, etc. End of story, you need to drink this... now.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 15:51:46 | More by jt31914

deepDISH13

Michigan

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

The black bottle is nice, the red bottle is much better!

I have been putting off reviewing beers for 340+ bottles, however, something like this forces me to start.

A: Black as night. pours like used motor oil. Yum...

S: eh-hem...the nicest smelling beer ive ever put to my nose. Bourbon is strong, coffee is there are well.

T: Heavenly...enough said

MandD: yes, please pour me another.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 05:25:51 | More by deepDISH13