Bourbon County Brand Double Barrel Stout (2019)
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

Too boozy.

 

 

 

fobab 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours an opaque black with 1.5 fingers width of mocha colored head with pretty good retention before dissipating down. Aroma is a medley of whisky and barrel characters: huge charred oaky bourbon, very big nuttiness, some less pronounced scotch like peat notes. Next I get cocoa and chocolate fudge, a bit of toasted marshmallow, roasted malts, some vanilla. Taste is….wow. Just holy shit this is amazing. It’s bold and aggressive, crazy big whiskey notes that are nutty and earthy, with a big charred oak. There’s bitterness with black coffee and pronounced roastiness but these bold and aggressive flavors are balanced by a big sweetness consisting of huge chocolate, sweet dark and ripe red fruits. There’s an obvious fusel booziness but it’s not distracting yet rather adds to the balance and complexity. Mouthfeel is full body, carbonation is appropriate, the alcohol is noticeable but it’s surprisingly not hot for an 18%’er and it’s dangerously drinkability. Overall, this is fantastic. In the discussion with the top 5-10 BCB variants which puts it in elite of the elite category.

4.5/4.5/5/4.75/5

 

 

 

Holy creamy. Huge mouthfeel. Smooth. Good barrel. Lots of oak on the nose. No alcohol on opening. Did I mention Lots of barrel. Possibly over oaked. No new flavors developing. Gets a little sweeter as bottle breathes but not a lot happening. It was good, didn’t quite get there for me. Not the best of 2019 IMO.

2019 vintage (best before 8/24/2024); consumed on 3/28/2022

Pours an inky, void-black body with a stunningly active effervescence and topped with a finger of fuzzy, hazelnut-mocha foam; a short-lived head fades to a seldom few dots of paper-thin cap, a thin, persistent collar, and minimal-no lacing holding with any longevity to the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens to fresh chocolate contrasting leather and a brooding, charry barrel overlay upfront, with nutty cocoa brittle and toasty toffee meeting subtle cherry over the middle while a robust bourbon barrel character on the back end leaves tobacco and dark chocolate lingering.

Taste leaves dark cocoa enmeshed with tobacco and barrel upfront as residual shreds of vanilla and burnt caramel phase into the mid-palate; a milk chocolate peak finds heavily toasted oak on the back end is soon softened by sensations of gooey marshmallow lingering past a persistent roast profile through the finish.

Mouthfeel presents a body on the fuller side of medium, with a minimal carbonation tingling to a silky texture; a boozy overlay underscores the mid-palate as a pillowy char eases through the back end, culminating in a slick, prickly finish.

A massive barrel presence expertly checked; conversely, the freshness of the oak and spirit influence here are not weighty, but potently forward as a predominant accentuation of a bittersweet, beautifully rounded base; layers of oak maintain a formidable identity throughout.

This is maybe the third or fourth best variant released since 2015. Excellent barrel character, but otherwise a boring stout. The pasteurized BCBS is inferior to the pre-2015 iterations, and as such, only strong adjuncts can make the base stout enjoyable.