Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout - Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout - Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels. I picked this up at Santa Clara Liquors (here).

From the Goose Island Beer Company website: “Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at our original Clybourn brewpub. 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.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours very dark brown, nearly black with a thin mocha colored head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Bourbon, dark roasted malts, oak, coffee, chocolate, caramel, vanilla and a slight dark fruit scent.

Taste: Bourbon, roasted malt, chocolate, oak, caramel, coffee, vanilla and a touch of dark fruits.

Overall: Sweet, thick and creamy, Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout - Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels is a world class barrel aged Imperial Stout.  This 14.9% ABV masterpiece lives up to the hype.  I had a chance to visit Goose Island Beer Company’s Clybourn brewpub on a business trip a while back and had a great visit. If you find yourself in Chicago I suggest a visit.  Next time this beer comes around I plan to buy more and all the varieties.  This was the only bottle I was able to secure this year and I’m glad I was able to find it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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