Bourbon County Brand 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

2022 vintage.
16.9oz bottle with a best by date of 27JUL27. Opened 2/1/26.
Thin tan head with short retention ends up as a ring on a black imperial stout body. Some spotty, slippery lacing.
Rich chocolate fudge brownie aroma. Wood is prominent along with some high toned bourbon booziness.
Big dark fudgy notes intertwined with some vanilla, brown sugar, wet coconut, and a kiss of bourbon.
Full body, slick and round mouthfeel. Abrasive tannin-like feel across the tongue initially.
Rich, malty, roasty, woody, and lengthy finish with a touch of lingering sweetness.
Iron fist in a velvet glove. Delicious powerhouse of a beer.
Can't be sure but I feel like I opened this at a close to perfect time.
World-Class

Look - black and thick with a nice tan head
Smell and taste - so much woody barrel with chocolate malts, vanilla and some dark fruit in the back
Feel - full body with a lighter carb
Overall - outstanding

 

500 mL bottle into a snifter

Dark brown ale, sludgy with no head. Oaky nose with wafts of burnt sugar, suggestions of unsweetened cocoa.

Rich and nuanced on the palate, but quite singular and smooth. Besides the standard BBA oaky, caramelly aspects, notes of candied raisin and vanilla and tobacco. There’s a grainy, floral undertone as the sip closes with a long, sweet finish.

Quite a remarkable brew. Would’ve been ‘the best beer in the world’ 10 years ago, but that’s all meaningless at this point.

Splurged for an occasion. Drinking this in Feb 2026, so it is a few years old, I imagine the ABV is a bit higher.

Pour is ordinary, not too much head very dark deep brown color. When you swirl it a bit, you can see the light carbonation.

A bit of nose - slight sweet smell.

Absolutely smooth. Creamy, soft, excellent balance for a stout.

A top beer.

 

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. 3 year old properly cellared bottle. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a fizzy, thin dark khaki head that dissipates to sparse patches with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, bourbon, bakers chocolate dried plums and hints of vanilla and oak. Flavor is dark toasted malt, bourbon, bakers chocolate, dried plums, vanilla and oak.. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess; very nice mouth feel. A very rich and full bodied barreled stout. Excellent bourbon and barrel character with some dark fruit and vanilla. As with many of these specialty barrel treatments, I'm not able to taste the nuances of the different barrels, as a matter of fact it's been a long time since I've had Jim Beam and it was certainly the base version. While this has all the depth and barrel notes I expect from BCBS, it does seem to have more flavor depth, but it may be the impression of the fancy box and all. Delicious and I'm glad I got it. Another find in the basement that should have tasted years ago, but was "saved for a special occasion", which turns out to be Christmas, 2026, and a worthy stout for that. These things age like beasts; it's amazing. I get no oxidation or other over-age flaws at all. Only flaw is the fizzy pour and lack of head; otherwise looks, smells and tastes fabulous.

 

 

 

 

 

It didn't form head nor foam nor film when poured into a snifter from my 2022 cellar.
It does have a Jim Beam bourbon barrel nose that says nothing else is needed.
The flavor is decadent dark fruit, chocolate, vanilla and cherry in a creamy mouthfeel.
There's finesse in the finish with just a little ABV heat.
That's fine with me.

Purchased at a local Binny's. Almost black pour, nice light brown head. Nose gets booze and chocolate. Flavor is similar, some dark fruit and molasses. Thick body, creamy. Glad this was half price.

 

 

 

Drank from a 1 pint .9 fl. oz. bottle purchased at Connecticut Beverage Mart, Newington, CT
Drink by: 27JUL27
2022 Vintage
Served in a tulip

Nearly opaque, dark brown/black appearance. The liquid was topped by a thin, frothy, beige colored crown that quickly dropped to a thick, lasting collar. There was no lacing whatsoever.

The aroma was solid but a bit more muted than I anticipated. Sweet but also somewhat savory. Dense and chocolatey. Malt forward. Slightly roasty. There was a moderate bourbon presence. Nice dark fruit notes as well. Raisins were most apparent. Burnt caramel was noticeable too. As the beer warmed, the sweet brown sugar and dark fruit notes intensified.

The flavor profile was similar to the nose but somewhat punchier initially. Bourbon notes came through strong. Rich and malty up front. Nice mix of sweet caramel malts and roasted malt notes. Lots of burnt sugar and savory dark fruit character in the center. Raisins were most apparent. Hint of bakers chocolate too. More boozy bourbon on the back end and in the finish. Some roasty, sweet and savory notes lingered after the swallow.

The mouthfeel was definitely thicker than the original Bourbon County Brand Stout. Rich, creamy and fuller bodied for the style. The liquid contained a fine, subtle effervescence that turned slick and smooth on the palate.

Bourbon County Brand 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout was a solid beer but definitely not worthy of the hype or the premium price point. After drinking this side by side with the original BCBS from the same vintage, I concluded that I preferred the original.