Bourbon County 2 Year Reserve Brand Stout (2019)
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

 

 

Stark black with a moderately tall dark tan foam head settling to a curled ridge.

While I didn't expect to score this sucker at Great Taste, it delivered on the hype I poo-poo'd and didn't bite on years ago, exhibiting characteristics of Tootsie Roll right up front before giving way to bourbon barrel aged maple with pecan accents.

 

 

 

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like roasted malt, char, marshmallow, maple, dark roast coffee, caramel, cedar, oak spice, and white pepper.

I absolutely love the variants of Bourbon County that solely emphasize the barrel work. That two years in barrels has really transformed this one in a burly and beefy barrel monster. There's lots of spicy oak and char, with some vanilla and maybe even a little bit of maple from the barrel. There's the big dark chocolate and marshmallow from the typical Bourbon County profile.

This is medium bodied, not quite as thick as typical BCBS, but still rich and creamy, with a nice dry finish.

This is certainly up there with some of the best single barrel expressions of BCBS that have come out over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

The 2 Year Reserve BCS from 2019; aged in 11 year old Knob Creek barrels. This version is a grown up BCS base that is wearing a tuxedo. The cocoa and coffee finish is much more pronounced. Also, the barrel dryness starts to build the longer it is exposed in the glass. The beer almost starts to become whiskey neat. Excellent stout and showcase of barrel technique.

IG: @firesidewithphil

Pours as black as spent motor oil with a nice foamy tan head that was packed with bubbles, dissipating slowly with no real lacing to speak of, which was expected. The nose is like a glass of bourbon with caramel, vanilla, maple syrup, rich oaky notes, peat moss, charred wood, red wine, dark fruit, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, biscotti, burnt coffee grinds and more chocolate mixed with booze. The bourbon gives off smoky and sweet notes and is on par with the BCBS Coffee variant.

Tastes as good as it smelled with basically the same lineup as above plus molasses, brown sugar, rye, soy sauce, fudge, coffee and some faint nutty flavors. The bourbon and vanilla work well with the roasty stout base as this never gets too boozy or too sweet. This aged perfectly as it is money right now. Got this bottle in December 2019 and I’m glad I let it age since it was delicious.

A remarkable beer that’s got some boozy aspects that warm you up after each sip, but it’s a smooth slow sipper and not harsh like a glass of straight bourbon. It’s refined and complex in every way, getting better as it warms without ever being cloyingly sweet. One to seek out, this whale is by far one of the best Bourbon County brews I’ve ever had.

Pours opaque black with 1/2 fingers width of dark mocha head which dissipates at a moderate rate. Aroma is bonkers on this thing, just insane barrel notes, so rich. Huge, huge bourbony goodness, charred oak, smokey, peat like. It’s just wonderful. Base beer characters of roasted malt and a boozy fusel alcohol character. If I have one complaint, which admittedly is nitpicking, it’s that the barrel notes are so strong they somewhat mute the base beer characters. Taste is also amazing, but more balanced. Rich chocolate both fudge and dark cocoa paired with roasted malts up front. Huge barrel notes on the back end with char, heavy oak, a touch nutty, big bourbony vanilla. It’s incredibly bourbon heavy yet so smooth. There’s a really great balancing sweetness here. Just phenomenal. Mouthfeel and drinkability as standard as per BCBS which is to say, not particularly thick with good carbonation and surpassingly good drinkability. Overall just a killer beers
4.75/4.75/4.75/4.5/4.75

 

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark brown foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of huge bourbon notes with some woody note and vanilla with some sweet black chocolate notes is quite enticing. Taste is a great mix of bourbon, woody and vanilla notes with some sweet black chocolate notes. Body is full with oily like texture and good carbonation with some warming alcohol notes also showing. Solid version of BCBSS with great bourbon notes and added complexity.