Cherry Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

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BA SCORE
99
world-class
-
636 Ratings

rAvg: 4.47
pDev: 10.29%
Reviews: 119
Hads: 517

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Goose Island Beer Co.

Illinois, United States

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial Stout | 13.70% ABV

Availability: Limited (brewed once). bottle (111), on-tap (7), growler (1).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

Reviews

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Reviews by koopa:

koopa

New Jersey

4/5 rDev -10.5%

12-21-2012 03:38:44 | More by koopa

More User Reviews:

Lewie8619

Indiana

4.75/5 rDev +6.3%

05-24-2013 13:43:19 | More by Lewie8619

SwG237

New York

5/5 rDev +11.9%

05-24-2013 03:56:14 | More by SwG237

Minnesota

4.36/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours black, maybe two fingers of head with a fairly aggressive pour. Recedes to leave very little lacing.

This doesn't have the lush berry scent of Bramble, instead there's a muted scent of original BCBS with a slight tartness.

Taste is dark chocolate interwoven with tart cherries. Bourbon notes compliment well. Finish with big ripe tart cherries. It is really a very sweet beer on all fronts, sweet chocolate malts, sweet cherries and bourbon boozy sweetness.

Not as full as BCBS. Finishes a bit sticky sweet, moderate to low carbonation.

No doubt this is a great beer. Glad to have the chance to try it. The highlight of this beer is the wave of cherry flavor over the palate on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 00:47:29 | More by Powderhornphil

Resuin

Massachusetts

4.93/5 rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bomber into a Goblet. This was bottled on 11/12/12 so is about 6 months "old" as of this date.

Appearance: Pours a jet-black and leaves a half finger of dark brown/tan head which fades quickly to just a brown rim around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Delicious bourbon, chocolate, figs, light coffee, cherry - awesome smelling BA stout right here. The smells are quite pronounced and are very pleasant.

Taste: Bourbon, chocolate covered cherries, plums, figs, raisins. The cherry comes out very nicely and really adds to this beer. Exceptionally balanced and also quite sweet (in a good way). Tremendous.

Mouth-feel: Lightly carbonated and full bodied - this body is perfectly in line with the flavors that are presented in this beer. The alcohol is expertly hidden and this is very smooth, especially considering the amount of flavor.

Overall: I was hugely impressed with this beer. The cherries really balance this one out and add to the complexity of the flavors. I could drink a lot of this, considering how smooth and delicious it is, but that would be dangerous because of all the hidden alcohol! This beer has all the best characteristics of a barrel-aged stout and none of the worst. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 21:45:35 | More by Resuin

mkennedy119

Illinois

4.75/5 rDev +6.3%

05-23-2013 15:57:36 | More by mkennedy119

MinorThreat

Colorado

4.25/5 rDev -4.9%

05-22-2013 18:32:12 | More by MinorThreat

BigbROB

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev -4.9%

05-22-2013 15:37:28 | More by BigbROB

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev -4.9%

05-22-2013 13:11:44 | More by SpdKilz

Grfilwett

Illinois

4.75/5 rDev +6.3%

05-22-2013 01:37:29 | More by Grfilwett

JReites

Florida

5/5 rDev +11.9%

05-22-2013 01:02:27 | More by JReites

Burt

Rhode Island

4.5/5 rDev +0.7%

05-21-2013 22:36:41 | More by Burt

eyemustard

Wisconsin

4.5/5 rDev +0.7%

05-21-2013 20:54:48 | More by eyemustard

VirginiaJeff1

Virginia

4.5/5 rDev +0.7%

05-21-2013 19:19:28 | More by VirginiaJeff1

CraftEyeDoc

North Carolina

4.5/5 rDev +0.7%

05-21-2013 02:36:37 | More by CraftEyeDoc

beagle75

Iowa

4/5 rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a half-pint chalice.

A: Opaque black color with a vanishing sheet of beige bubbles. No lacing remains on the glass.

S: A gentle combination of ale yeast and chocolate opposes assertive and dark cherry liqueur. Despite the spirituous effect, pure alcohol is restrained.

T: Begins sweet, with intense cherry flavor early that appears a bit artificial. The arrival of wood has a moderating influence on the fruit, lending authenticity. Flavors become chocolatey--pudding-like--in the middle. Late acidity is potent in the finish that holds little bitterness. No alcohol is detected.

M: Thick viscosity, very acidic on the palate at times, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: Despite the fruit addition, this beer should not disappoint any who appreciate the anticipated powerful sensory qualities of Goose Island's classic Bourbon County Brand Stout. It achieves redemption of a sort, after the terrible Bramble Rye variant of 2011, with cherry qualities that aren't so much reined in as they are simply more appropriate to the application. It shows some milk stout qualities as well, coming across as soft and chocolatey when acidity was not raging across the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 21:21:14 | More by beagle75