Bourbon County Brand Kentucky Fog Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

10/13/23 bottle @ home

 

Teku glass. Looks the part, smells the part. If a drinker doesn’t give this mostly 5’s, it’s their fault and not the beer’s. Properly chilled, this is ambrosia among the pedantic sargasso sea of this-and-that-aged imperial stouts. We need ya back!

Look - Dark brown and slight rimming
Smell - dark chocolate honeyl tea barrel
Taste - barrel honey slight tea
Feel - full body light carb
Overall - interesting take

Working through my cellar... Poured into an imperial pint glass, the beer is coal black with a dark tan head.

Aroma of dark fruit, charred malt, and bourbon. It is inviting.

This is an interesting version of BCS. The base beer is fantastic and even after two years in the cellar the tea adds a nice overlay. Both dark and bakers chocolate, raisins, plum, dark roasted malts and tea. There is something slightly sweet like bit o'honey candy. Just a touch of heat at mid-glass.

The mouth is slick, thickish and has low carbonation.

I'm glad I have one more of these and I will let it get another year or so on it.

Of all the BCBS variants I've tasted, this was the least interesting. Not much to smell, couldn't pick up the tea notes. Overall lacking for me.

 

 

 

A: Pours an opaque yet still clear thick rich viscous jet black in color with light to moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark cola brown + dark chestnut brown colored highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense creamy dark tan head that reduces to a medium to large sized patch of thin film covering a little more than 40% of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with moderate amounts of caramel + chocolate sweetness. Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of rich chocolate + bourbon + toasted oak + vanilla. Moderate aromas of Earl Grey + black tea with a more subtle hint of bergamot and moderate aromas of honey.

T: Upfront there are moderate to strong flavors of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with moderate amounts of caramel + chocolate + honey sweetness. That is followed by slightly stronger than moderate flavors of rich chocolate + bourbon + toasted oak + vanilla. Next are just a touch heavier than moderate flavors of Earl Grey + black teas with a light to moderate flavor of bergamot and honey. Finally there are light flavors of earthy hops and a light amount of roasty bitterness which fades away leaving lingering bourbon flavor.

M: Full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth, almost creamy with a moderate amount of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: Drinks quite easily considering the strength/high ABV with a nice full mouthfeel that leads to this one being a slow sipper for me. After 2 years, the aromas of the tea have dismissed significantly but the flavors have held up a little more. Very interesting variant and one that I’m glad I grabbed a bottle (though I should have reviewed it when I first had it fresh).

 

 

 

 

2020 Bottle clocking in at 14.1% ABV, this pours as black as ink with a foamy 1-2 finger thick brown colored head that faded very slowly, making cracking sounds as it dissipated and left minimal spotty lacing; looks like most BCBS brews. It smells of roasted malts, chicory, bourbon, oak, tea leaf, burnt coffee grinds, dark chocolate and black licorice. Certainly not as boozy smelling as most BCBS variants, and the tea leaves and black licorice get stronger as it warms up. I'm not a big tea person so those aromas were not as stimulating as other adjuncts I've had over the years.

The taste is where the tea comes through; I'm not sure what Earl Grey Tea tastes like but I've had black tea in the past, and my general take is that those leafy tea flavors come off as spicier than a regular tea leaf, with some peppery notes and mint mixed in which took down the bourbon/booze sting and vanilla flavors. More tea flavor than booze or oak or chocolate, and the taste also has chicory, smoked malts, burnt coffee grinds, dark chocolate and black licorice. The alcohol is very well hidden, but this deviated so far from the base BCBS that it almost didn't resemble a standard version of it. It was a nice experiment but not one I'd purchase again.

Deep copper with a 1/4" tan head, which slowly fades. Moderate lacing.

Aroma: oil of Bergamot comes through. Also, molasses, toffee, caramel.

Taste is molasses, a distinct nuttiness, toffee, caramel, oil of Bergamot, a bit of tannins with the usual astringency.

Full body, light carbonation. Semisweet, oily finish.

Another outstanding Bourbon County Stout. Earl Gray is my go-to tea so, I loved this one.

Appearance - The beer poured a jet black color with brown bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass.

Smell - The nose brought to mind regular Bourbon County with a hint of something different.

Taste - The initial taste was very Earl Grey forward. The floral notes were apparent. The tea notes did not wilt next to the chocolate and bourbon. The tea stay strong until the finish.

Mouthfeel - The beer was a viscous.

Overall - I can appreciate it, even if its not my thing.