Rare Bourbon County Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

jwinship83

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

650ml capped bottle that was number #4025. this was a birthday gift, i dont think i can justify spending $45 on a bottle of beer. drank from my stone IRS snifter.

A- this one pours out a dark as night black colored body with a surprisingly large coffee colored head on top. the head lasts for a minute before falling and leaves behind small spots of lacing.

S- initially, i get massive amounts of bourbon coming from my glass. it seems a little different than the regular bourbon county, but im not into the spirit enough to decipher what type. after that i get dark roasted malts and a ton of fudge. the fudge scent mixing with the vanilla from the oak is heavenly. rich espresso and alcohol mix at the end. you cant ask for anything more out of a barrel aged stout. amazing.

T- the taste also starts out with sweet caramel and fine bourbon notes before moving onto the familiar dark roasted malts. the fudge i could smell comes back in spades. as does the vanilla from the oak barrel. once again, they mix fantastically together on my tongue. the alcohol taste is pretty strong, but the other flavors in here either are so great its forgivable, or are potent enough to mask it. regardless, its not an issue at all. lots of rich espresso and coffee notes at the end.

M- full bodied. massive and chewy even. palate coating and syrupy. the carbonation level is low, but its perfect for this beer. moderate to strong warming from the alcohol.

D- fantastic beer. maybe one of the reasons i love it so much is that i didnt also have to swallow the price? regardless, i tried to drain every drop from my bottle. i wish they brew something like this again. the extra time in the barrel combined with the higher grade bourbon seemed to really take the edge off that i have come to expect with fresh bourbon county stout. if i didnt have to pay for it, and if it wouldnt land me in a hospital with liver failure, i could drink this all day.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 03:54:02 | More by jwinship83

eyeenjoybeer

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-20-2013 20:19:14 | More by eyeenjoybeer

JellyJacket

Illinois

4/5  rDev -16.3%

05-20-2013 19:32:20 | More by JellyJacket

mendvicdog

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-20-2013 19:07:12 | More by mendvicdog

smartassboiler

Illinois

4/5  rDev -16.3%

05-20-2013 14:28:03 | More by smartassboiler

RhyminBelmont

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-20-2013 13:58:09 | More by RhyminBelmont

sbxx

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Goose 25th Anniversary block party.

Didn't have time for a full review but it's obvious that this beer is nearing the end of its life right now. That being said, it was still tasty. Fresh, I bet this was a 5 or damn close. Right now, it's not even a 4.

The PvW still shines through and is basically the only thing redeeming this beer at this point. If you have a bottle sitting around, drink it ASAP. If you see it on tap again, go for a fresh BCS variant first.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 02:45:50 | More by sbxx

Ak555667

Illinois

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-19-2013 23:05:19 | More by Ak555667

duceswild

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-19-2013 15:28:04 | More by duceswild

jakeox

Illinois

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-19-2013 00:45:39 | More by jakeox

Photekut

Azerbaijan

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-19-2013 00:43:46 | More by Photekut

Wade5614

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-18-2013 01:24:05 | More by Wade5614

baybassboy

California

4.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-14-2013 04:22:57 | More by baybassboy

brian4beer

Indiana

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-13-2013 18:32:31 | More by brian4beer

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-13-2013 16:57:43 | More by leftstagebrew

phishphorce

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-12-2013 21:22:01 | More by phishphorce

tclang

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-11-2013 14:29:11 | More by tclang

twenty5

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-10-2013 19:47:03 | More by twenty5

DmanGTR

New York

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-10-2013 18:09:02 | More by DmanGTR

majaqua

Texas

5/5  rDev +4.6%

05-07-2013 22:28:40 | More by majaqua

dvmky

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-05-2013 17:45:07 | More by dvmky

Bilco

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-05-2013 02:43:49 | More by Bilco

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Split the bottle with angrybabboon and bilco.

Appearance: Deep black. Some rich browns when held to direct light. Clear. Pours like motor oil. Small tan collar with a quickly dissipating head. Thick and still. Very similar to straight BCBS.

Smell: A solid punch of smooth alcohol. Signature Bourbon County sweetness with a bit more depth. Marshmallow and coconut. Loads of vanilla, both from the barrel and the bean. Raisins and dark macerated cherry flesh. Nice solid oakiness through the back. Slightly burnt and roasted. Blends caramel and toffee with some rich cooked sugars. Sweet, a but too much for my taste.

Taste: Roasted marshmallow with some solid vanilla and caramel. Crazy smooth blend of bourbon barrels and Bourbon County. Toasted coconut flesh and sugar. Cooked and caramelized malts. Slight alcohol heat on the back. Raw sugar. Molasses and toffee. Sweet but not too sweet. A bit more balanced than the standard. Crazy smooth. Brown sugar and some oak. Almost delicate. Super complex, but that's expected.

Mouthfeel: Crazy smooth. Creamy. Light to medium carbonation with a slick and oily medium to full body. Surprisingly clean.

Overall: I can't taste the rare. Ahab is sad.

An improvement over BCBS but not quite the legend I expected. A smoother more polished version of the base beer. Nicely complex.

This is an orca among white whales. Big and smooth but not worth what it takes to track down. I'm glad I got a bottle when it was on the shelves. Check it off and move on.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 22:54:46 | More by Goblinmunkey7

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

4.65/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Consumed 5/4/13

Massive cheers to goblinmunkey7 for sharing this. Split among goblinmunkey7, Bilco, and me.

Appearance: Dark, dark brown - Unexpected clarity, nice amount of head, particularly considering the barrel aging - forms a nice wispy head that sticks around, and leaves a few spots of lacing that slowly trickle down the glass - very, very pretty (not just the hype)

Smell: Potent, powerful, and uniquely charming - apparently Pappy Van Winkle smells magical - very clean, woody bourbon with some clean, refined alcohol smells (definitely different than a bottle of Jim Beam, for instance) - some vanilla, and some grains - this aromas merge quite well with the stout base - chocolate malts, caramel - dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate brownies, dark chocolate cake - nicely burnt and charred

Taste: Absurdly rich and decadent with loads of depth - the bourbon is so well-balanced with the BCBS base that I don't even know where to start - burnt and charred malts, caramelized malts, burnt sugar - vanilla, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, brownies, cake, semisweet chocolate chips - roasty with some nice coffee notes - rich bourbon notes - wood, grains, and some absurdly smooth alcohol - some heat, but it should be expected - overall, maybe a little too burnt and sticky - demands to be sipped, but could be consumed a lot faster

Mouthfeel: Borderline unbelievably smooth, nice level of heaviness, full body, nice carbonation

Overall: Yes it's magical, but I wouldn't trade any valuable organs for it

This is a notably, undeniably, seriously amazing beer. But it's not the best beer I've ever had. Maybe, if I absolutely adored bourbon (and Pappy), this would have absolutely blown my mind. This may have delivered a few cracks to my cranium, but this is not life changing. If you can find this, it's definitely worth the original $50 price tag. But I wouldn't trade much more for it.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 22:50:00 | More by angrybabboon

Morey

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev -0.6%

05-04-2013 01:44:50 | More by Morey