Bourbon County Brand Midnight Orange Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

Pours dark brown. Thin, beige head. Cocoa nibs, coffee, vanilla, and dust in the aroma. The taste is, as usual, rich and balanced. Moderately sweet with balancing roasted and alcohol bitterness at the end. Alcohol itself is barely noticeable.

 

 

Orange Tootsie Pop. Not bad, but not great.

 

 

1968
Name: Bourbon County Midnight Orange
Brewery: Goose Island
Location: Chicago, IL
Style: BBA Stout
ABV: 15.2%
Date: 09/18/18
I am drinking Midnight Orange today using a Tulip glass. I served it at 46 degrees. The pour created a foamy, one-fingered, tan head with poor retention. The color is dark brown, nearly black, charting around SRM 36. The quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The beer's clarity is opaque, with a few carbonation bubbles. This style's overall appearance is average.
The initial aromas are oranges, bourbon, dark chocolate medium, and roasted coffee. Nosing the glass again, I detect soy sauce, molasses, dried orange peels, alcohol, raisins, caramel, char, and a hint of smoke and Maillard. The aromas are evolving as they warm up.
Oh my, this took me back to when I was a kid at Christmas. My grandparents used to get these chocolate candy sticks that were raspberry and orange. This beer reminds me of those sticks, except with a considerable bourbon flavor. The chocolate is dark and velvety with this candied orange fruit flavor. The bourbon barrel aging gives the stout much-needed depth and balance. I also taste caramel, char, slightly smoky, raisins, molasses, bready, heavily toasted bread crust, oak, and medium-roasted coffee.
The mouthfeel is chewy and bitter, finishing dry. The body is heavy with medium carbonation.
As the beer warmed up, a bouquet of flavors came to life. The orange is not overdone. I have been hesitant to open this up and drink it, worried the orange would be overpowering. Glad I am consuming this wonderful BBA on this chilly night.

Bottle from BCBS horizontal. Normal pour, thick, black with a thin layer of beige head. Orange is quite noticeable in the aroma and taste, adding more sweetness to the already mildly sweet base beer. Focusing on the single adjunct really makes this one pop, recalling a chocolate orange candy.

 

03/18/23 bottle @ home

 

 

Poured from a 16.9 ounce bottle into a goblet. Bottle dated 19 September 2018.

Look - Pours an inky midnight black with the stillness of a calm twilight. No head, no carbonation, just oil. Has a mirror finish sitting there in the glass.

Smell - Brutally strong, really beats you over the nose. The usual roasty almost soy sauce smells I always associate with barrel aged stouts but with mild chocolate and orange tinting.

Taste - The usual suspects of toasted marshmallow, dark roast coffee, and alcohol, but also a rich flavor of orange and dark chocolate. Full bodied and well rounded, bold and brash, absolutely delicious.

Feel - Thick and creamy, no noticeable carbonation, very little alcohol burn surprisingly. Powerful and vigorous, this is an elixir to tussle with.

Overall - I wanted to try this in 2018 but could never find a bottle. Then I randomly stumbled upon this one at a liquor store in Chicago and needed to grab it. I was not disappointed at all. This was a complete experience, and I loved every bit of it.