Lion's Pride Bourbon County Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

MasterSki

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Stoutfest. Served in the affiliated taster glass. My first experience with Koval barrel-aged beers was pretty terrible so hopefully this turns out better.

A - Looks like most BCS variants do. Black with a thin crust of head that dissipates to a thin collar.

S - The Koval whiskey character is quite interesting, imparting a nice whiskey, butterscotch, and molasses character. The typical rich Bourbon County flavor is here as well.

T - Taste features incredibly smooth whiskey, butterscotch, oak, molasses, dark chocolate, dark fruits, and caramel. Alcohol is quite well-hidden in this variant, and the balance between barrel and whiskey is excellent.

M - Super smooth, very low carbonation, medium-full body, rich and viscous, with some light barrel dryness.

D - Superb stuff across the board. I guess the Koval barrels are pretty good when used by a competent brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2012 01:03:39 | More by MasterSki

Khazadum

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Think bourbon county stout with a much stronger whiskey character. Were talking sharp more than sweet, bitter chocolate over sweet fruits, dark flavors. Sharp and tangy whiskey smooths it out initially but caused a rising volatile heat. Not something harsh, but complex. Paired with an 84 year old whiskey you'll see how quickly a whiskey can overwhelm the palate. It smells like you'd expect with a hint of ethanolic caramel. Less chocolate, more molasses.

There is a nice dirty vegetal sweetness from the bourbon and barrels. The smoothness makes this chuggable. Unbelievable smooth back end.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 18:23:51 | More by Khazadum