Suffolk County Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

Dark brown, nearly black body, opaque in the glass; thin, quickly dissipating head, light khaki colored. Fantastic aroma; light sense of dark malt and cocoa; excellent whiskey barrel overtone; tobacco juice. The taste amplifies the smell characteristics; milk chocolate and cocoa; bold overarching bourbon flavor; raisins and dates; Red Man chewing tobacco. Heavy body; mildly chewy texture; big, boozy warmth and heat; residual sugars gently coat the palate.

This big beer exudes nice elements of straightforward English-style imperial stout married with a healthy aging in whisky barrels, making for a well-crafted barrel aged stout. It is rich in flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel. A nice sipping beer during the early evening. The use of all English malts and hops give this beer distinction.

Pouring temperature: 45 °F; bottling info: 04FEB23
Source: @cryptichead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Draft at Lavergne's Tavern (Berwyn, IL) 12/30/2021

A - black with not much head
S - Chocolate, smoke, woodsy, pipe tobacco
T - dry whiskey, chocolate, barrel, bitter finish
M - Full body, but not oily. Better carb than head.
O - I enjoyed this more than the BCBS beers this year. It doesn't have the sweetness, and that's a good thing.

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a one finger tan head; splotchy lacing

Smell: Chocolate and char with tobacco, molasses, smoke and whiskey elements

Taste: Chocolate, tobacco and molasses forward with the smoke, whiskey and oak developing; the hops also add some bitterness to the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied (though not thick and creamy); moderate carbonation

Overall: I presume this beer has been exposed to Scotch rather than Bourbon barrels though I am not sure; it definitely tastes different than a Bourbon barrel aged stout and, to my palate, doesn't work as well

 

Typical bcbs pour with midnight black body and a brown head that settles into a collar. Love this barrel variant essentially, getting a barrel forward, earthy and smoky bourbon county in the nose, the vanilla and chocolate bond really well with the barrel. I'm stunned by the taste, big barrel with earthy and smoky booze in an artful way, but it is the big toffee and dark fruit notes that emerge about halfway through the sip after the barrel lead that sells it for me, melding perfectly in with semi-sweet chocolate, vanilla/vanillins, black strap molasses, and toasted coconut. Granted I did sleep on this bottle for 6 months knowing how whisky barrels can be hot, but now it is drinking beautifully. Feel is lush, dark, smooth, with edges of smoke and oak and a kiss of cutting booze, artful. Liked this a lot more than I thought I was going to!

 

 

 

500 ml bottle into a snifter. Best by 2/4/23, had 4/16/21.

Pours near black and opaque, with no real head and some foamy cling. Aromas of whiskey, oak, malt, vanilla, some chocolate, some leather and char, light tobacco and licorice, light molasses, toffee as it warms. The flavors are a little more focused- whiskey, malt, chocolate, oak, some vanilla and leather, light licorice and caramel. Smooth, a solid full body, well carbonated.

The malt whiskey barrels are excellent and not overbearing, and have a bit of a different flavor profile. Complex and terrific aromas and flavors. Really enjoyable.

Pours pitch black, shiny, thick, and completely opaque. Thin, weak tan head forms on the beer momentarily before dissipating leaving no residual head. Aroma has notes of fudge brownies, fruit cake, musty wet wood, whisky, cream, with a light boozy note on the nose.

The taste has notes of dark fruit, fruit cake, fudge, musty wet wood, whisky, vanilla, cinnamon, and oak. Its a tad bit hot, boozy - this really warms you up as you drink it. But its not an unpleasant heat - I am quite enjoying it within this profile. The interesting thing about this is the whisky - I can't quite describe it, but its got a roughness or harshness to it that comes through in the beer - giving that booziness a bit of an edge. I suspect that while I like this beer, the whisky wouldn't my favorite.

Feel is medium bodied, somewhat thin, even compared to regular bourbon county stout. Spritzy carbonation. Very dry on the finish.

Overall this is not as good as old school BCBS, but its a delicious barrel aged stout that I thoroughly enjoyed. Well worth drinking.

500mL bottle
drink by 04FEB23
L: thin brown head quickly fades atop a black bodied stout
S: roasted barley, baker’s chocolate, oaky whiskey, earthy hops
T: rich & boozy; whiskey, oak, vanilla, bitter chocolate, raisin, prune, cherry, coffee, caramel, peat, smoke & char - unreal complexity
F: full bodied, smooth, ample carbonation, a boozy sipper
O: I find so many stouts to be way too sweet these days; this beer was satisfyingly superb with impeccable complexity and balance