Bourbon County Brand Coffee Barleywine Ale
Goose Island Beer Co.

Pours a medium-dark brown with red hues, a quarter inch tan head that dissipated almost immediately and left no lacing. Smells of coffee, bourbon, caramel, dark chocolate and a mild earthy quality. Tastes of coffee, bourbon, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toffee, raisins, figs, oak, rye and roasted malts. Awesome complexity. Medium to full bodied, minimal carbonation, full mouth feel.

Bottled 9/27/18

Well it’s been a while, and it’s time to get back to the vintage BCBS bottles I picked up from GI when I was in Chicago before getting into this year’s variants. The OG Barleywine I had from 2017 was quite good, so I have high hopes for this one. Coffee in a Barleywine is a flavor profile I’ve been chasing lately too, so let’s get into it

Pours a cloudy dark brown with a finger of creamy tan that slowly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The coffee has certainly faded in this one over the years but it still has a nice nose to it. I’m picking up on aromas of sweet caramel, raisin, brown sugar, fruitcake, chocolate fudge, light roast coffee, and vanilla

It hasn’t aged quite as gracefully in taste, nearly bordering the green pepper vibe old coffee beers can have but it’s buried by the other notes. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sweet toffee, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, light raisin, brown bread, bourbon, and light coffee. The swallow brings notes of sweet caramel, toasted oak, oxidized sherry, lightly bitter coffee, raisin, molasses, and light cocoa powder

A full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth and slick beer. Finishes neutral with a warming alcohol presence yet drinks well below its abv

This one is certainly past its prime, but far from undrinkable. The OG Barleywine from a year before was much better

500 ML bottle, 2017 vintage, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - caramel colored with a tan head that lingered
S - caramel, toffee, bourbon
T - follows the nose, a bit more bourbon in the taste
F - thick mouthfeel with minimal carbonation despite the bubbling head
O - excellent beer at 5 years, very impressive; just what you want out of a BBA English Barleywine

 

 

 

After 3½ years the coffee is still noticeable. Reminiscent of taking a bite of dessert a few minutes after a sip of coffee. Figs, molasses, and toffee plus gentle booze and light coffee. The carbonation is light and the body sticky. I am thoroughly enjoying this. Thanks FBarber!

16.9 ounce bottle, dated September 27, 2018, poured into my Tuckahoe Brewing snifter.

An aggressive pour generates a bit of creamy tan cap which drops quickly and leaves no lacing as barleywines go. The body color is a dark tawny brown with reddish tint.

Strong distinct aromas: roasted malt, oak, alcohol, coffee, bourbon, and vanilla.

Aromas carry right on to the taste, soaking the malt with flavor. The coffee holds up after 3 and 1/2 years of aging.

Full body, booze soaked sponge cake. Sweet and creamy coffee. Wooden.

It aged nicely. A smooth sipping strong brew.

 

 

 

Appearance - The beer was dark brown with red hues swirled into the mix.

Smell - The nose was much more of an Earthy coffee than a sweet coffee with hints of booze.

Taste - At the front, dark and slightly bitter coffee led the way. The barleywine backbone gave a modest amount of sweetness. Perhaps it was age, but the profile seemed more like an American barleywine than the English version. The overall profile seemed dry.

Mouthfeel - The body, or perhaps lack there of, did not seem interested in coating or lingering.

Overall - Even as a barleywine lover, I found it hard to fully appreciate this one.

Bottle Date: 2018
Palate Contaminants: other beer

Dark brown (even shading slightly toward red) and minimal head. It is somewhat clear, though.

Smell has lots of coffee up front. There is also molasses, along with a little mahogany and Brazil nut. It could stand to be richer.

And once more, I'm totally okay if what would be the scent stays in the liquid. The coffee is all the richer, and I'd even go as far as to call it espresso with cream and something sweet, like honey. The sweetness also has a grain syrup element. Can't get away from the tree nuts either, with hazelnut and toasted almonds. Mix all that in with some toffee, and you'd have a good candy bar.

Slightly prickly carbonation. Medium-heavy weight. Aftertaste is the taste, although the coffee abates. Alcohol certainly detectable, although not overbearing for a fifteener.

 

Bottle. Little head. Caramel brown color.

Very odd bourbon county variant. I like the coffee and I like the BW, but mixed is odd. It’s not bad, just odd. Lots of coffee, caramel, toffee, oak, whiskey, and dark dried fruits. Some vanilla. Kind of dry and roasted. Interesting.

 

500mL bottle into a snifter

Pours a dark mahogany with some ruby hues when held to light. Small tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is very interesting, it’s almost spicey like a capsaicin peppery heat. There’s a strong fusel ethanol character as well, maybe that boozy heat is masquerading as some spice. Coffee is noticeable, and some subtle sweet malts are there, but overall this is quite a strange aroma and not particularly great. Taste is a bit odd too, although at least it is more barleywine-esque and I don’t get any of those peppery notes I got in the aroma. I do get tons of booze, and tons of bitterness. A bit of black coffee adds to said bitterness. The base beer characters are some burnt sugar and caramel. Subtle barrel characters but admittedly you have to work for them. Although there are some interesting notes here for the most part they are overpowered by this bitter, almost astringent note. Mouthfeel is fine, it’s very warming, ABV is high and it’s certianly a prominent component of this beer. I have a very high tolerance (and if we’re being honest, love) for high ABV beers but the boozy prominence here is just too much. I think this is the first time I’ve ever said this about a BCB beer (and I believe I’ve had every single variant to date except a couple of the 2019s I’m waiting on), but this beer is kind of a mess. I try not to overreact to things, but Goose Island, WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY WERE YOU THINKING! (*all caps for overly dramatic effect*). But in all seriousness, I just don’t get this. You have BCB Barleywine which is just a fantastic beer, and you have BCB Coffee Stout which is an elite beer bordering on perfection. Scrap them both and in exchange put out this? Big fail. Looking forward to the return of the OGs, whenever that may be. Easily my least favorite BCB variant to date.

4.25/3.75/3.5/3.5/3.5

In the middle of a move and trying to purge the cellar, so now is the time. 1.5+ years in the cellar.
A bit of a gassy appearance Head is small and fizzles out altogether. Mostly clear, brown with hints of red. A little coffee in a rich malt with hints of candy sweetness.
Full rich flavors, much bigger than in the aroma. And an immediate awareness of the alcohol. Not in a bad way, but a quick shot of warmth in the gut, a ding in the prefrontal cortex and a perfumey and alcohol flavor. Not really hot, but certainly warm. This is a coffee barleywine and that is what it tastes like. Well balance. Get an essence of both and it is nice.
Full rich feel. Feels soft and slick and fluffy. Great feel. Carbonation shines here.
I like this. This is fine. There in time there is a fatigue from such a rich and big beer. The enjoyment starts to wane in time.

 

 

Tasted in a Rastal Teku from a 500 mL bottle on April 6, 2020.

 

 

500 ml bottle into a snifter. Bottled 9/27/18, had 12/15/18.

Pours a dark ruby, semi- opaque, with a quick flash of a head and light, spotty cling. Aromas of bourbon, coffee, caramel, dates, figs, malt, plums, some molasses and brown sugar, light tobacco and char, some oak, light raisins. A bit of a sweet aroma. The flavor aligns with the aroma- bourbon, caramel, coffee, figs, raisins, dates, some oak and brown sugar, light vanilla and molasses. A little sweet, but not cloying. Smooth, a very good medium to full body, well carbonated.

This has a great balance between the coffee and the barleywine. Terrific aromas and great flavors. Actually a little hard to describe, but it’s a pretty complex beer. They make it again, I’ll buy it again. Very enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at DiveBar, NYC; a 7oz pour is just the right amount for a drink of this magnitude.

Pours a dark brown that displays an elegant and clear ruby color against the light. Although there is no head, a thin ring of lacing is evident at the beginning of the pour.

Aroma opens with notes of coffee and cocoa powder; the coffee in particular, dominating throughout and blending well with the bourbon spice. Additional aromatics of vanilla, wood, caramel, biscuity malts and minty hops.

The taste is sweet and boozy with a strong alcohol spice well supported by sticky and doughy biscuity malt. Full bodied, very smooth, mouth coating and moderately carbonated. The coffee flavors impart a unique taste to the bourbon spices and rich chewy sweet malts. Additional notes of chocolate, vanilla, oak, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, raisins and earthy hops bitterness. The finish is long and alcohol warming.

I really liked this variant; the coffee Barleywine combination is a real winner. Powerful like a top shelf spirit and a pleasure to sip on.

One of the weakest BCBS offerings I’ve had. Looks nice-great ruby colors, minimal head/lacing. Plenty of coffee on the nose with some rich barrel aged Barleywine characteristics. Problem is the taste-coffee and barleywine just don’t mix, in my opinion. The barrel and malt clash with the coffee and while both flavors are excellent if you separate them, together, it’s not a pleasant mix. Medium bodied, boozy, mouth watering. Brave attempt, big miss.

2018- bottle. Was eager to try this combination but also hesitant because of past both barleywines and coffee beers. This stout is awesome. Easily one of the best I’ve ever had. The coffee flavor wasn’t strongly present but the mix of flavors and smoothness made this beer an instant satisfaction. Hope to see it in the future 2020+

Looks pretty crappy. Murky brown, very little head.

Smells pretty muted. Theres coffee but not a whole lot else going on.

Tastes much more complex. Starts with pure coffee and reminds me of founders underground mountain. It quickly rolls into much more depth however. There are loads of toffee, and oak, and caramel, bourbon and cream.

Feel is pretty full and thick.

Overall very nice despite the lack of aroma.

 

 

Bottled 27SEP18, 15.1% ABV, it pours reddish dark brown color with 1 finger foamy beige colored head that made a crackling sound and faded on the quick side and left basically no lacing. Not unusual for a barrel aged barleywine, but I wish the head lasted longer. The smell of coffee hits first with fresh ground coffee, beans, light espresso and then cocoa, bourbon, toffee, dark chocolate, spicy notes like rye or tea leaf, faint vanilla and earthy notes. A lot going on in the nose, but it's all good with plenty of malt complexities that allows the barrel aging to show through and the spicy/herbal notes to add accents. Not your typical barleywine, this is an amped up version for sure.

Tastes like it smells with the fresh ground coffee, toffee, burnt coffee grinds, caramel, espresso beans, vanilla, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, bourbon, smoked malts, rye, spices notes, tea leaf, piney hops, syrup, brownie batter, tree bark, black licorice and some heat even a year later from that 15% ABV. The barleywine aspects get covered up by the malty sweetness, booze from the bourbon and whiskey barrels, the bitter roasted coffee and the toffee that helps mask the alcohol while making for a dynamic, complex slow sipper. This was really freakin good and the coffee components really were pleasing and enjoyable.

Pours a mahogany brown with a tan head that dissipates immediately - literally before you can put down the bottle after the pour. The rich coffee aromas are welcome, and there’s a lotta boozy notes on the nose, and some chocolate as well.

The coffee leads the flavor parade, and there’s also cocoa notes and a significant boozy component. The mouthfeel is rich, appropriate to the style. Truly a pleasure to drink, this is exceptionally well done, IMHO.