Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Bourbon County Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.

MasterSki

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Finally getting to a backlog of FoBAB notes. Served in a small plastic cup at FoBAB - numerous tasters consumed.

A - Surprisingly good retention for a BCS variant, with a big tan collar of foam lingering throughout the admittedly short time it took to drink each sample. The usual black BCS body with hints of brown at the edges.

S - Unsurprisingly there is a hefty dose of apple brandy. It's interesting and complements the base beer quite well, but I do find the spirit character to be a bit harsh and green with booze and fusels present. Oak is tamer than usual, but that's not entirely surprising seeing as Koval uses the barrels for Lion's Pride before filling them with Apple Brandy. There's the obligatory chocolate fudge, vanilla, and light roast that you get from every BCS variant.

T - The flavor cuts out a lot of the harsher spirit notes, and instead infuses delicious golden apples in the base beer's rich chocolate, dark fruits, caramel, vanilla, and roast. Oak is present but fairly mild.

M - This is one of the driest BCS variants I've tried, other than the Manhattan one. There's some warming alcohol, but nothing exceeding what one would expect from 13%. Big, chewy, and viscous full body, with very low carbonation.

D - While I initially found the aroma a bit harsh, the taste and feel were more than worthy of the BCS lineage. Not a variant I'd be able to drink in large volume, but an interesting spin that manages to strike a nice balance of flavors. I was worried this would be cloying, but the tartness of the apples and mild oak keeps things in line. Would like to see this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2013 17:41:11 | More by MasterSki