Violet Hour Manhattan Bourbon County Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

emerge077

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a mini nonic pint.

Black body with brown edges, a wispy swirl of skim across the surface, and spotty bits of foam around the edges. Not much head, but a thin ring of foam adheres to the glass.

Aromas of banana peel, coconut, almond fudge brownie, almost completely mellowed alcohol, but still slightly perceptible.

Smooth feel, creamy and viscous, though somehow slightly lighter and less creamy than BCS. A light fruity component that distinguishes it from standard issue BCS. Banana bread and fudgy rich brownie. Not wildly different from BCS, a bit smoother and mellowed with a dry aftertaste. Thanks to the appropriate parties for sharing the legitimate capped bottles from the brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 02:08:56 | More by emerge077

lakesider1818

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%

03-25-2013 04:21:15 | More by lakesider1818

Gonzoillini

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8%

03-19-2013 04:26:41 | More by Gonzoillini

ChicagoNick

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8%

02-16-2013 20:29:28 | More by ChicagoNick

DrGonzoDDS

Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.9%

02-16-2013 19:32:02 | More by DrGonzoDDS

eyemustard

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -8%

01-21-2013 21:45:31 | More by eyemustard

jegross2

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -2.3%

01-21-2013 07:19:52 | More by jegross2

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%

01-17-2013 18:04:08 | More by spycow

funkyaudio

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled from the tap at 2011 FOBAB. Poured black with a small dark brown head that begins and remained at the edges. Aroma was full of roasted malts and dark chocolate with a hint of vanilla with a good amount of bourbon backing. Flavor was mainly roasted malts with a hint of strawberry and vanilla with some bourbon

Serving type: on-tap

09-20-2012 05:10:06 | More by funkyaudio

Sean9689

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks, John!

Pours a viscous black, light tan head. Really nice nose of bourbon, oak, chocolate, light vanilla, and some floral notes. Flavor is rich chocolate, smooth boze, some dark fruits, and some vinous notes with a creamy sweet finish. Full body, rich and smooth, light carbonation.

A really cool and excellent brew...sometimes these two things don't go together, but I really enjoyed this version of BCBS. I would love to have again sometime down the road.

Serving type: growler

08-24-2012 01:13:04 | More by Sean9689

Soneast

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -19.5%

08-12-2012 19:59:47 | More by Soneast

Beerlistman

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8%

04-11-2012 23:57:36 | More by Beerlistman

airbag11

New York

5/5  rDev +14.9%

04-02-2012 19:15:32 | More by airbag11

GbVDave

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to _ for the chance to try these legitimate bottles from the brewery (no bathroom germs in our samples!) Extra special thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Pours with the typical BCS attributes. Dark black body, espresso crema colored foam, specks of lace left behind for posterity.

S: Initially, large bourbon notes that quickly took on chocolate, dark fruit, coconut, and pan roasted nuts.

T: Suprising appearance of plantains that goes extremely well with the bourbon, fudge-y chocolate, coconut, vanilla, dark fruit, and a hint of cherry.

M: Slick, but not entirely coating like most variants of BCS. Slightly spicy and drying on the tongue. Actually pretty lively.

O: What a cool experiment. Something I hope they continue with other places around Chicago with strong cocktail programs.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 13:43:34 | More by GbVDave

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.9%

12-13-2011 07:40:30 | More by CaptainNomihodai

Nitrogenx

Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.9%

12-02-2011 16:23:37 | More by Nitrogenx

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured at FOBAB. One of my first beers of the evening.
Pours identical to bourbon county. Lokos very solid. Smells like bourbon county with some nice extra chocolatey notes. Tastes sweet and chocolate heavy. Lots of oak and vanilla. Pretty much Bourbon County but a touch smoother and not as hot. Overall I like this about as much as I liked Rare!

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2011 13:02:41 | More by Urbancaver

Jips

Kansas

4/5  rDev -8%

11-23-2011 19:34:22 | More by Jips

ChrisPro

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8%

11-19-2011 20:57:00 | More by ChrisPro

Scrumtralecent

Illinois

5/5  rDev +14.9%

11-18-2011 21:09:08 | More by Scrumtralecent

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8%

11-16-2011 03:39:53 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

coz

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8%

11-16-2011 00:37:22 | More by coz

MasterSki

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at FoBAB 2011. Served in my trusty taster glass.

A - Looks like pretty much every other BCS variant.

S - It initially smells like Bourbon County, but with better attenuation and mellower bourbon. Mixed in is some vermouth with a nebulous mix of botanical and bitters. Somehow it has that characteristic "dryness" of a cocktail, even though BCS is still eminently present. In any case, it avoids being harsh or boozy and comes off refined, crisp, and clean.

T - The beer starts on the palate tasting like BCS, but finishes Manhattan. It's still quite sweet, but has more of a fruity cocktail flavor rather than the intense chocolate and vanilla flavors found in the base beer. Shockingly smooth, with a mild whiskey bite but not much overt alcohol.

M - The second barrel-aging has really thinned things out. Very dry, but with only moderate tannic presence. Alcohol seems lower than what must be 13%+, but it's still a little warming. Otherwise very crisp and clean - not at all like regular BCS.

D - I thought this stuff was great, but many of my friends were underwhelmed. Ironically they drink cocktails far more often than I do, so perhaps my experience was defined by my lack of expectations. I founds this to be a very successful experiment and a promising avenue for additional exploration.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2011 21:48:55 | More by MasterSki

page101

Michigan

4/5  rDev -8%

11-15-2011 20:01:28 | More by page101