Bourbon County Brand Biscotti Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

Look - Black and thick with nice head rimming and lacing
Smell - Heavy on the anise with a chocolate nut barrel in the back
Taste- Anise forward followed by chooclate nut and barrel
Feel - Full body medium carb
Overall - to much anise. Taste almost black liquorice.

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing nearly opaque in the glass with a one finger milk chocolate head that slowly dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, toasted almonds, cocoa and a little coffee. Flavor is dark toasted malt, bourbon, toasted almonds, milk chocolate and a touch of anise (which I would have missed if I hadn't been looking for it); chocolate and toasted almond in the finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. It's Black Friday, and therefore the start of my annual tradition of drinking one year old bottles of last years variant to make way for the new ones coming in. I'm starting with Biscotti, because there are still a few bottle of this on the shelves and thus the opportunity to pick a last one if it blows me away. First impression was a light fizziness on the pour and a slow, but steady fading of the head. Fortunately that did not result in any flavor faults nor particularly sharp carbonation, so all is well. The dominant flavors here are bourbon and chocolate with only light almond and bare hints of anise. There are chocolate dipped biscotti, but I'm not sure how traditional they are; this BCBS is somewhat reminiscent of a chocolate biscotti, even to the point of the chocolate somewhat dominating the spices in the blend. Rather like a biscotti dunked in BCBS here, which is not a bad idea. The toasted nature of the almond flavor enhances the resemblance to the baked cookie/biscuit. I like the flavor combination and this is one of the better variants in my book. Body seems slightly thinner than some others in the past, but satisfactory. Nice variant.

 

 

Pours dark and thick, 1/2 inch espresso head that fades nicely. Massive milk chocolate aroma with a touch of almond. Flavor is fudgey milk chocolate, nice touch of almond paste on the finish, which mingles with the milk chocolate and lingers. Has an interesting carbonation - like micro carbonation. Overall a tasty BCBS variant, but not my favorite.

10/23/23
500 ml bottle, 2022 release
4 rating

Picked up a bottle from the Appalachian Vintner in Asheville 12-7-22 for $23.99. Drink by date of 18AUG24. Consumed 10-14-23.

Beer poured black with a nice tan head that dissipated quickly.

Nose is anise forward with notes of biscotti cookie over the huge malt base.

Taste is a large malt base that out of nowhere an anise assault was launched on the palate that was quickly incorporated with cocoa and toffee. Post sip aspirations give me a true Biscotti cookie. Finishes perfectly balanced as the barrel does the heavy lifting here.

Mouthfeel is large bodied and very smooth and satisfying with each sip.

Overall an interesting BCBS variant. The anise was pretty severe for a flash with each sip but nicely incorporated. Definitely a fun one to try!

Cola like appearance, light and fizzy head that disappears quickly. Scents are strong chocolate, almond, vanilla, and bourbon barrel. Taste is sweet chocolate and vanilla flavors with a mildly nutty and bitter undercurrent. Barrel also asserts itself, but not too strongly. Medium bodied, boozy, and I’m not sure if I like it more colder or warmed up. Either way, it’s sweet and tasty, and a bit of a difference than what I expect from BCBS

500ml bottle. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left sticky rings of lace on the glass. It smelled of bourbon, oak, vanilla, almond, chocolate and sweet toffee. Great blend of biscotti-like flavor - almond, vanilla, toffee. Nice bourbon, oak and vanilla, too.

 

 

Pours a dark cola brown-black with a short lived cola like head. Smells spicy with brown sugar and Bourbon notes. You can definitely smell the anise and the almonds. A little sharp with a lot of warming, my ears started to burn like i was eating chicken wings and my throat burned a bit. Medium bodied and a little slick. Not sure I'll ever have another, but good to try at least once.

 

Pours as black as fountain pen ink with a 1 finger thick sudsy brown head that made hissing sounds as it dissipated rather quickly, leaving basically no lacing. It smells of anise, bakers chocolate, black licorice but it seems more similar to Jäegermeister, cocoa, burnt coffee grinds, oaky notes and roasted nuts as it fades. It’s quite a complex nose that does resemble dessert, like a chocolate covered biscuit dipped into a glass of port wine.

Tastes like a chocolate covered biscotti dunked in coffee, then washed down with a glass of half bourbon and half sherry. It’s sweet and malty, but not cloyingly sweet with vanilla and dark chocolate coming through with each sip. The aftertaste is smoky like charred wood, burnt coffee grinds, peat moss, oaky barrels and s’mores over a campfire. There are additional flavors including anise, black licorice, piney hops, roasted nuts, dark fruit, honey and molasses in the mix, which kept this really interesting and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel is chewy and this brew is as thick as pea soup. It’s much sweeter than expected but has zero alcohol bite and went down very easily, a lot smoother than it should be. Overall it was a really good variant which I hope they release again in the future.

L: Pours a thick chocolate, which forms a minimal head that dissipates almost instantly. No lacing or retention to speak of. Held to the light, this beer has a near-black, dark umber hue. Impenetrable.

S: Bourbon barrel, dark roasted chocolate, malts, anise, and a hint of vanilla and almonds/marzipan. Light toffee. Very sweet and decadent.

T: Heavenly. The bourbon barrel is heavy but not overwhelming. Dark chocolate, licorice, oak, vanilla, and roasted malts in the beginning, before transitioning towards almonds, toffee, and marzipan. Finishes with some light char and anise. A bit of alcohol warmth. Complex, less sweet than expected. Quite boozy - not for first-timers!

F: Medium- to full-bodied. Silky smooth, packs some heat, light carbonation.

O: Stellar BBA IS. The only true weak spot is the complete lack of a head, lacing, or retention in the pour. Very complex, flavorful, dangerously drinkable for its ABV. Worth the purchase and savored every drop.

 

500 ml bottle into a snifter. Bottled 8/21/22, had 1/13/23.

Pours near black and opaque, with a brief head and no real lacing. Aromas of almond, roasted malt, chocolate, some bourbon and vanilla, light anise. Flavors of bourbon, almond, chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla, some oak, light anise- mostly on the finish. Smooth, a solid full body, well carbonated.

The almonds really shine, which doesn’t happen often, at least for me. The barrels and other add- ins show well as complimentary components. Thought this was very good.

 

2022 vint into a BCBS snifter at 53°. Deep dark brown brew raises up a small, quickly receding, head.
Smells of black Twizzlers right now, lil bit of dark roast coffee.
Tastes the same, classic Bourbon County base Stout, chocolately, coffee, but sucked through a black Twizzlers straw. Yep. I get bare hints almonds & marzipan. The ABV really highlights the flavor. Lingering anise on the finish.
Mouth is medium heavy, creamy, low carbonation.
Overall, a nice variation, but if you don’t like licorice, this ain’t for you.