Bourbon County Brand Stout | Goose Island Beer Co.

4.96/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

2015 version. Wasn't one of the bad dates, but I was still worried opening it - but was more than just pleasantly surprised!
L - Pours dark, with a very thin head line
S - nutty chocolate
T - nutty chocolate awesomeness! The fact that this beer is 14+ percent is shocking if you don't know going into it. It's awesome.
F - not too thin, not too thick either
O - the balance on this is incredible.

★ 399 characters

4.7/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2014

Pours gorgeous head, great immediate bourbon and barrel smell. One of the best barrel executions out there. Deep thick chocolate notes with bitter, strong boozy taste, with dark fruits as well. Thick and delicious, always exciting to drink. Opened for the Packer-Vikings game. Yum

★ 286 characters

4.39/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

In a bandy snifter: inky, jet black pour, no head, and a minuscule khaki lacing. Aromas of vanilla, oak and bourbon, tobacco, chocolate and dark fruit. Tastes similar to the smell, fairly boozy, but add trace amounts of licorice to the flavor as well. Mouth-feel is viscous and syrupy: much thicker and "chewier" than KBS. Decadent and demands to be consumed slowly and enjoyed as each sip brings a new complexity as the beer warms.

★ 437 characters

4.91/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2014 poured into a snifter. Oily pitch black pour. I use the term 'pitch black' carefully, but this is truly dark as it gets. No head or any lacing on the glass to be found. A millimeter height of khaki colored ring that quickly turns to nothing. Aroma consists of plenty of rich leather and decadent chocolate. Hints of oak and bourbon shine through, as well as dark fruit. Hints of vanilla and molasses available, especially as it warms. Taste follows the nose well, the leathery aspect certainly sticks around. Chocolate and a certain fudginess. Licorice and dark fruit is quite noticeable with a hint of vanilla is there especially as it warms. Bourbon and oak as well. Also getting a subtle cinnamon like flavor to it. Mouthfeel is thick, oily and palate coating. Low carbonation. Overall, based on only trying a non-infected 2015 BCBS and this 2014, I definitely prefer the 2014. Amazingly complex and super decadent.

★ 923 characters

4.83/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

what a decadent treat this is! inky and motor oil viscous. layers of the BA effect on nose. tasting complex, oaky, vanilla, bourbon boozy and ending with the classic RIS roasty notes.

★ 183 characters

4.37/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pitch black with a thin brown foamy head. Head retention is non-existant. Lacing is mild. Strong aroma of black molasses. Mild coffee and raisin. Big molasses taste. Mild coffee and dark malts. Heavy bodied. Very little carbonation.

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4.45/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2014. Appearance is jet black with no apparent head. Aroma is an intense bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, cherry, roasted malt, and molasses. Taste is amazingly complex. Starts with rich malt and dark fruit, giving way to layers of fruit, chocolate, molasses, toasted oak, and roasted malt. Mouthfeel is a rich creamy viscosity, hint of alcohol warmth, with little carbonation. Finishes with a malty finish and lingering flavors of oak, vanilla, and chocolate

★ 460 characters

4.27/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Had this baby on Tap at Slaters 50/50 in Pasadena. Way better on tap, than from the bottles. Way less boozy and balanced.

I am a man who loves his head, with his beer lol but this one is an exception. Poured Darker than Satans Soul.

A-Darker Than space, with no head or lacing.

S-Bourbon right away, with vanilla, molasses. Charred oak. Very sweet and boozy at the same time.

T-Charred oak, vanilla, deep molasses, burnt chocolate, maybe a slight spice of raisin or plum. Boozy finish.

M- Huge bodied beer. The viscosity on this is like motor oil. Mouthful had light carbonation with a booze and molasses take over.

O- I've always loved me some bourbon county, but it has to be a certain place and time for this sipper. Solid beer, very boozy and hits hard.

★ 771 characters

1/5  rDev -77.8%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

After seeing the news of the infection refunds, I decided to check my dates. Two bottles at my apartment were both in the reported bad batches. Chilled them both, and opened one. Terrible, rotted plum notes, sour, tight prickly carbonation. Visually you can tell this is not right even before smelling or considering a sip. Blah. No one would think this is good.

Second bottle, same.

I have 2 more sealed cases in the basement at a nearby parents house which I am planning to retrieve, check dates, and start opening.

Already have my refund form started! A shame because BCBS is one of my favorite beers, and I stock up just to last me until the next release. Backfired big time, this year.

I may be wrong but I think anyone who has bad bottles should be rating this beer 1-1-1-1-1 and driving down the rAvg, no beer with thousands of infected cases distributed nationwide deserves >4.5/"world class."

★ 910 characters

4.35/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2015, non infected.
Appear : Pitch black with tan head - 4/5
Aroma : Huge bourbon barrel, soy sauce, burnt, roasted, coffee, robust and boozy but showcase of ba stout - 8/10
Mouthfeel : Low carbonation and full bodied. -4.5/5
Flavor : boozy, big bourbon, little bit sweet but finishes dry, coffee, chocolate, roasted, complex -9/10
Overall : Not my favorite style but it shows what BBA stout is. Very well balanced but robust and huge. - 18/20

★ 443 characters

4.45/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Found 4 bottles randomly on the shelf with 2015 on the labels. Feared they were the spoiled ones. However, popped the top to one and it was awesome.

★ 150 characters

4.42/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pitch black, light tan head that dissipates rather quickly. Boozey bourbon aroma with hints of vanilla and chocolate. It tastes great and the mouthfeel is velvety smooth. The booze is present, but there's a lot of chocolate covered raisins and salted nuts. In the past, I've felt that this beer has been too sweet, but I've come around on it. A rare treat from AB-Inbev.

★ 378 characters

1.64/5  rDev -63.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Infected. Can't express the disappointment at all the wait and build up to taste a beer that just tastes disgustingly off with sour taking over the stout. The beer wants so hard to delicious instead it's a drain pour of good money and time in line. AND THE COMPANY DOESN'T CARE. Ruins my love of beer, despicable, won't be drinking any more goose island not even the IPA, with this literal bad taste in my mouth

★ 411 characters

4.57/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

serving at cellar temp from 16.9 oz bottle into libbey tulip
was bottled on 10/2/15
L- pours a thick syrupy brown with quickly fizzling out tan head
S- vanilla, charred wood, black licorice, chocolate, real boozy as well
T- thick dark fudgy chocolate, bourbon, marshmallow, smoky charred finish along with vanilla
F- super thick, viscous and yet great drinkabilty especially considering 13.7% ABV
O- after hearing about this beer "possibly" going bad, at first I was thinking, maybe this is bad as well. However, after going through about 15oz of this awesomeness, I'm thinking "why oh why did I only buy one"!!!! And thank goodness for that last ounce!!!!!!! I can totally understand people lining up for this chocolate fudge bourbon Bomb! Even though i bought this in April at good old Cable Beverage!!!!
Overall one heck of a beer glad i got to try this one. This beer is full of flavor, perfectly balanced, and super drinkable. Couldn't ask for more from a Bourbon-Barrel Aged Stout.

★ 990 characters

4.57/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

16.9oz bottle of the 2015 vintage purchased at the Total Wine on the north side of Spokane, WA, for $9.99. I was there for other things, saw they had it for a fairly reasonable price and thought, “Oh, what the hell…” According to the stamp on the back, this was brewed on October 22, 2015. This is my first ever BCBS, by the way. Probably only my 2nd or 3rd Anheuser Busch/InBusch/whatever product of the last several years. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a problem with the way AB-I does business, specifically the crowding out of other products on shelf spaces, but this is a kind of benchmark beer, so I want to try it at least once and judge for myself the hype vs. substance argument that whirls around this beer.

Poured into a River City snifter, this was an extremely dark brown that appeared black as a moonless night. There was briefly a sudsy head that was colored somewhere between dark tan and mocha, but it fled quickly, leaving no lace behind.

Sweet and boozy nose to this, but it’s not smelling like a candy or booze bomb. I get chocolate and bourbon, in sufficient amounts to assuredly dominate but without being cloying, and not a whole lot else at first. As it warms, there’s a little bit of vanilla and something like really restrained toffee. Certainly, there’s no trace of the dark fruit aromas that frequently turn up in a RIS – barrel aged or not. Fairly subtly, restrainedly (no idea if that’s even a word, but spellcheck isn’t freaking out) complex for a big, barrel aged stout without seeming like there’s something crucial missing.

Bourbon and chocolate lead the parade past the tastebuds, wearing a cloak of vanilla and tobacco, with maybe a tiny pinch of smoke. As it warms, the boozy warmth one would expect of a 14.3% beer does begin to creep in, but, to use a word I’m beginning to identify with this beer, it’s very subtle.

Full bodied, with a velvety-smooth, coating mouthfeel. Feels like a dessert!

All the talk of this vintage being infected made me hesitate opening this numerous times, so I wound up sitting on it for something like 9 months. I wonder if that helped it to mellow out. I stumbled across it by chance when I walked into Total Wine to buy something else, so I only allowed myself a purchase of one. I wish now I’d bought two and hit the other one first thing, so I could do a comparison. As it stands now, this is a subtle beer that also manages to be HUGE at the same time. It would make a great dessert or a nightcap, and is in a small enough bottle size a person wouldn’t run the risk of. I’d say the positive notoriety is deserved for this beer. It’s subtle smoothness makes it a world class drinking experience. A lot of people say AB-I can’t brew a good beer. Personally, I stopped believing that a long time ago, their sins are more from being the McDonalds of beer than being incompetent, but this beer is proof that they can brew a beer as good as anyone.

★ 2,965 characters

4.92/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Bottled 30 Oct 15. Concerns with the whole "infection" thing evaporated with the first whiff of bourbon-chocolate escaping the glass. Poured jet black with a nice coffee colored head. Smooth is the best word to describe this stout! I am on record as not being a fan of beers "enhanced" by aging in bourbon casks...to me the bourbon taste dominates, and if I wanted to drink bourbon, I've got a nice single-malt I enjoy from time-to-time! But this, this is different, the bourbon is nicely hidden with just the occasional hint appearing. Delicous notes of chocolate and coffee dominate. This is what all stouts aspire to be, but fall far short!

★ 643 characters

4.61/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

I've had this from bottles and on draft and every vintage since 2010, but have never actually reviewed it.
This review is of a 2015 vintage, bottle - 14.3% ABV.

Pours an oily viscous black. Thin mocha colored tan head is momentarily visible before disappearing. A thin tan slick is noted on top of the beer after the head dissipates.

Smell is a pungent musty barrel aroma with strong note sod vanilla in the aroma. Undertones of chocolate, roasted malts, char, bourbon, and generic dark fruit. Strong booze aroma at the end.

Taste is a lovely array of flavors. Lots of bourbon and barrel notes are there up front. Strong vanilla notes from the barrel are also present. Lovely smooth chocolate and roasted malts give way to a char note with some smoky tobacco like notes. This is a bit hot, as there is a slight alcoholic burn on the finish, but its not harsh by any stretch. some molasses like flavors are present and provide a nice mild sweetness.

Mild carbonation - about what you'd expect for a barrel aged beer. Lovely velvety feel on this beer. Nice weight to it - the beer that went into the barrels must have been like syrup.

Overall this is still the gold standard for BA beers. Yea this past year, GI has run into some issues but this bottle was great and its been top notch for years now. I'll continue to look forward to this one each fall.

★ 1,363 characters

4.17/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

L: Ultra black. Head was minimal, and dissipated entirely after about ten seconds. Lacing is almost non-existent.

S: Smells like a bag of freshly opened cacao nibs. Some booze and dark fruit. Rich and dark. Sweet and thick.

T:Dark dark chocolate at the start. Cacao nib taste. Bitter and sweet at the same time. Barrel notes kick in, providing vanilla and bourbon notes. Booze is well hidden under the massive layers of chocolate. Rich and wonderful.

M:Thick and viscous. Carbonation is minimal, but the beer fails to be creamy. Adequate, but nothing special.

O: A very good beer. Well balanced and flavorful. Avoids the overpowering barrel notes that many other bourbon-aged stouts have. Would buy again.

★ 712 characters

5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

L: Pours a thick dark black with a dark brown head that dissipates almost immediately.

S: Smells of bourbon, dark chocolate and vanilla.

T: The taste is decadent, rich dark chocolate and vanilla with bourbon rounding it all out.

F: Thick, exactly how a stout should feel.

O: This is one of my top 3 beers. It is everything you could hope for in a stout.

★ 362 characters

4.9/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Beer is black as night with a brown chocolate milk colored head that dissipates almost instantly. Aroma is boozy. Faint but distinct aroma of bourbon. 1st sip, brings a smooth taste of chocolate, coffee, bourbon and a touch of honey! OMFG this is one smooth stout! Leaves a lingering aftertaste of sweetened dark chocolate on the tongue. 14.3% abv, but youd never know it by how smoothly and gently it boes down...nothing harsh about this baby at all! Has a nice, full bodied mouthfeel that's not too heavy. Overall, as close to perfection as humans can come!

Thank You Cos for gifting this to me!

★ 634 characters

4.62/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on Oct 9 2015 1134. After all the concern I wanted to try one of mine near 6 months. It's as it should be, a bit of the bourbon has settled into the dark smoothness. NOT AFFECTED. Otherwise the same expected world class offering. 3 down 3 to go.

★ 253 characters

4.41/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Love the blackness in the pour and creamy head. This is a great sipping brew our of a glass. Shared with family and we all enjoyed the bourbon flavors. Have had this twice now and look forward to another next winter.

★ 218 characters

1.47/5  rDev -67.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Bottled: Nov 4th, 2015

Mermaid Notes:
Look: Black as night. Melted dark chocolate in my tulip glass. Coats the side with a motor oil type film. Barely any head.

Smell: O no! Not a good start. Bourbon smell is completely absent. Smells like rotten sour fruit mixed with an athlete's foot soaked sock.

Taste: I cannot lie and say I took more than just one sip of this beer because I physically could not drink it. That one sip made me want to haul. Tastes like a wine gone extremely bad.

Feel: Body is still nice and thick but the flavor ruins any chance of me enjoying the consistency.

Overall: Considering the fact that we've had such bad luck with the 2015 Bourbon County line-up, I was very optimistic that our BCBS's would not be bad as well. We cracked this opened because of all the news floating around that some batches were infected. Unfortunately the rumors are true. The fact that we got all our variants at the same store makes me wonder if all our bottles are drain pours (Please not the rare! Please!!!!!). Just put the remaining regulars in the fridge. Hopefully one out of the bunch is good! Open your bottles now! You have been warned :(
Cheers and stay crafty my friends.
[email protected]

★ 1,209 characters

4.49/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Been drinking these since 2008. Nice used motor oil black, giving off that cherry cola head in a 1/2" depth. Really looks perfect. Aroma hit those big bourbon notes first and foremost without being hot or abrasive. Oak behind it.

Taste bourbon, rich, tad of sweet, lots of chocolate, even wood charred. Easy to drink, thicker consistency mouthfeel wise.

In many ways it is the archtype of bourbon barrel stouts. Price keeps going up per oz, but hey what can you do? Infections don't help scores either, but thus far, the 2 I've drank in '15 were just fine.

Good price per oz, liked the 4 pack format better than 500ml bottles.

★ 640 characters

1.62/5  rDev -64%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This is over rated, over hyped, and way over priced. I cannot understand the huuuuuge following. I read/skimmed a thousand ratings of this and only found a few that made sense to me. Looks great. Ink black. Poured into a tulip with no head at all. Smelled musty. Taste was overly sweet and I wondered if it was attempting to be a sour gone bad. Compared it to Brer Rabbitt molasses and that wasn't it. Compared it to Sorghum and it was spot on except BCBS is much darker. Felt oily and syrupy. Looked for the strong bourbon flavor and alcohol that are mentioned in so many reviews, but don't find it. I like a good bourbon and this shows none of it. Lingering medicinal taste on the tongue. I'll never recommend this to anyone and I'll never purchase it again. Unfortunately I got caught up in the hype and have two more large bottles. Guess I'll need to "share" them with our beer club or give them away.

★ 906 characters