From Goose Island's website: "A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a
bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate,
vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average
case of beer."
Goose Island is located in Chicago, and does limited distribution to California. We used to see bottles of the Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) out here, but in recent years they've cut back on their distro to provide more of it locally. This beer has seen an immense surge in popularity, and though Goose Island produces reasonably large quantities of it once a year, it is becoming less easy for locals to get much of, and even more difficult to get as a trader. Still, some friendly Chicagoland folks have come through for me, so my first birthday beer today is going to be this 14.5% ABV monster.
Appearance: Completely dark, opaque black, with a thin layer of brown head that recedes very quickly. There is no lingering lacing, but you can definitely see the legs on the side of the glass that the alcohol leaves behind with every sip.
Smell: Wow -- huge bourbon notes upfront: spice, vanilla, dark fruit, oak. There are also hints of dark chocolate. It's such an incredibly huge nose, so bold and full, but no hint of the huge amount of alcohol.
Taste: Just like on those, the alcohol is remarkably absent from the taste here. Vanilla, molasses, fig, spicy wood/oak, and cranberry hit hard in the first wave of flavor. Dark chocolate, very rich, comes in toward the middle of the palate and remains as a lingering flavor. The notes from the bourbon are melded together with the base flavors from the beer so well -- nothing dominates, and each note has its time to shine.
Mouthfeel: Thick, rich, and creamy. Between the heavy mouthfeel and the powerful flavors, this beer is definitely a sipper. It's meant to be savored and shared.
Overall: This is a favorite of many. Barrel-aged stouts are often treated like the kings of beers, because of the absolutely knockout flavors and the craftsmanship involved in the barrel-aging process. Much like with sours, it took me awhile to warm up to bourbon barrel aged beers, because the taste of the bourbon was always strong and not very pleasing to me. Now, after trying so many, I've definitely grown used to these flavors. My first love will always be IPAs, but this is a style I can certainly appreciate as a craft beer lover. Admittedly, my overall score for this one is partially influenced by what this beer means to other people -- I can absolutely appreciate the balance and complexity here, particularly at the production level that Goose Island is always operating under in order to manufacture this. It's not at the very top of my list, but it's truly an excellent beer.
4.5/5
Goose Island is located in Chicago, and does limited distribution to California. We used to see bottles of the Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) out here, but in recent years they've cut back on their distro to provide more of it locally. This beer has seen an immense surge in popularity, and though Goose Island produces reasonably large quantities of it once a year, it is becoming less easy for locals to get much of, and even more difficult to get as a trader. Still, some friendly Chicagoland folks have come through for me, so my first birthday beer today is going to be this 14.5% ABV monster.
Appearance: Completely dark, opaque black, with a thin layer of brown head that recedes very quickly. There is no lingering lacing, but you can definitely see the legs on the side of the glass that the alcohol leaves behind with every sip.
Smell: Wow -- huge bourbon notes upfront: spice, vanilla, dark fruit, oak. There are also hints of dark chocolate. It's such an incredibly huge nose, so bold and full, but no hint of the huge amount of alcohol.
Taste: Just like on those, the alcohol is remarkably absent from the taste here. Vanilla, molasses, fig, spicy wood/oak, and cranberry hit hard in the first wave of flavor. Dark chocolate, very rich, comes in toward the middle of the palate and remains as a lingering flavor. The notes from the bourbon are melded together with the base flavors from the beer so well -- nothing dominates, and each note has its time to shine.
Mouthfeel: Thick, rich, and creamy. Between the heavy mouthfeel and the powerful flavors, this beer is definitely a sipper. It's meant to be savored and shared.
Overall: This is a favorite of many. Barrel-aged stouts are often treated like the kings of beers, because of the absolutely knockout flavors and the craftsmanship involved in the barrel-aging process. Much like with sours, it took me awhile to warm up to bourbon barrel aged beers, because the taste of the bourbon was always strong and not very pleasing to me. Now, after trying so many, I've definitely grown used to these flavors. My first love will always be IPAs, but this is a style I can certainly appreciate as a craft beer lover. Admittedly, my overall score for this one is partially influenced by what this beer means to other people -- I can absolutely appreciate the balance and complexity here, particularly at the production level that Goose Island is always operating under in order to manufacture this. It's not at the very top of my list, but it's truly an excellent beer.
4.5/5
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