Dapper Rye
Goose Island Beer Co.

Cellared a year. Black opaque body, hints of brown on the edge, dark brown collar. Smell is led by rye, dark chocolate, caramel, and tobacco with minor charred barrel and earth supporting. Taste start with the familiar rye, dark chocolate, caramel, and tobacco, but the barrel depth is much higher with a soaked dark wood emphasis. Feel is full and decently heavy, rye and lesser so barrel is felt the whole sip, slightly chewy and warming.

 

12oz bottle poured into a stemless tulip shows a near black, lightless body with a brief collection of cocoa powder colored bubbles that dissipates almost immediately and leaves a clean glass behind. Nothing special to look at, but that's not the draw here.

Enticing rye aroma bursts from the glass and flows easily into the flavor. A cocoa sweetness joins, backed by wet oak, molasses, vanilla, leather, and even ash notes. A rye bite remains.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy yet short of tongue coating.

Overall a fine sipper.

12 ounce bottle into a snifter. Drink by 4/21/29, had 8/15/24. Also had at Fobab 2024.

Pours near black and opaque, with a half inch foamy head and sparse foamy cling. Aromas of bourbon, fig, roasted malt, rye, oak, some caramel and chocolate. Has a little bit of a spicy aroma. The flavor leads with a big rye taste, along with bourbon, roasted malt, oak, some herbal hop bitterness, and lighter amounts of fig, caramel and chocolate than the nose. Has a little bit of a spicy taste, and a light sweetness when fully warmed. Smooth, a very good full body, appropriately carbonated.

Thought this was pretty delicious. There’s a strong barrel and oak presence, but the rye is the star of the show- it shows well in the aroma and then explodes in the flavor. A solid all around effort.

 

1/25/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased four pack refrigerated on July 17, 2024 from Beer on the Wall $22.04 including tax. Refrigerated at home until opening this morning. 12 oz., 16.5% ABV. Assuming this was bottled April 21, 2024 based on the drink by April 21, 2029 @ 7:01 AM date. Double Bourbon Barrel- Aged Rye Stout. Limited Barrel House Release, VTG 2024. Brewed, barrel-aged and bottled by Goose Island Beer Company, Goose Island Barrel House, Chicago, IL.

Appearance: Poured full glass into a Goose Island BCBS Snifter, yielding a near black base, a thin but nice tan bubble head that lasts a few minutes before leaving a solid ring of fine bubbles around the rim and a 5% cover over the base. Carbonation continues to bubble up, small fine bubbles. 4.0

Aroma: Let this sit for about 15 minutes to reach estimated proper temperature. Rye leads, nice smooth bourbon backing. As this warms also get the base consisting of milk chocolate, caramel and toffee; backed by oak and tobacco. Medium plus strength, higher in enjoyment. 4.5

Taste: Burst of sweetness on first sip, milk chocolate, bakers chocolate, caramel and toffee. Bourbon very slow to emerge, rye faint at best. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Sticky full base, sweet chocolate flavors add depth. ABV felt from GO!, strong like bull. Sweeter than expected from the aroma, the bourbon is stronger on the nose and feel than taste. Definitely a dessert beer, sweet milk chocolate and caramel the primary finish. 4.0

Overall: I had high hopes after the aroma, but even going beyond 30 minutes for proper temperature from the refrigerator, the bourbon and rye enjoyed in the aroma was left far behind. I had very high expectations based on the brewer and other notes by Beer Advocates, but this one while very good fell short from the excellence I expected, especially after enjoying the aroma. Still a solid offering, wish I had more. 4.0

Poured into a tulip. The bitter rye bite keeps the milky, chocolatey sweetness of this beer from getting cloying. A lasting (but not sticky, which is common in barrel-aged stouts) aftertaste of caramel and tobacco. This is an excellent beer -- not tremendously complex, but delicious nonetheless.

Great beer with an impressive barrel profile.

Packaged on 21April 2024 (Drink By 21APR29)

a: Pours midnight black with a small (< 1/2 finger) dark, brown head. Head quickly recedes to a thin line around the glass. No lacing
s: lovely rye characteristics take the stage here. also notes of vanilla, oak & some dark chocolate
t: again here the rye predominates, particularly once reaching room temperature. light notes of oak and vanilla. Minor notes of dark chocolate. Some alcohol burn in the finish.
m: on the thicker side of the spectrum but certainly not engine oil viscosity.
o: Another winner in the Goose Island 'value' BA 4x12oz series. Nice rye emphasis on this one which suits me perfectly fine.

This one pours a very dark black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This is super evocative on the nose – it’s a spicy and earthy rye explosion on the nose, with burnt caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, and coffee as well.

This is better than almost every Bourbon County variant from the past few years, and it was released as a 4 pack for under $20. I love the heavy rye use in the base beer – it plays so well with spicy rye and fudgy chocolate of the base beer. The Birthday bourbon barrels add some nice boozy caramel, leather, tobacco, and vanilla notes. It’s clearly high quality bourbon barrels being used with a high quality rye imperial stout. It just works so well for me.

This is thick, but not syrupy, and finishing fairly lean, with not much booziness.

I assumed this was going to be tasty, but I didn’t expect it to be one of the best stouts I’ve had in a while now.

 

 

 

Hot damn this is not a shy beer. Intense roast with a nice rye bite with some brown sugar sweetness at the edges make a nice base for the very potent wave of brown liquor to battle against. Dang good now but a year or 2 in the cellar might make it even better.

Aroma and taste are mostly barrel but strong notes of chocolate and caramel, present but not overly sweet.

Mouthfeel is good and strong carbonation.

 

draft pour into a snifter. shiny black with half a finger of dark khaki colored foam head. dark fruits, bourbon, light caramel and chocolate and nuts. taste follows. it’s pretty smooth for 16.5% but it’s definitely got some warming power on the finish. full mouthfeel. pretty decent. i had hoped for a little more chocolate but i guess this isn’t BCBS.

 

Poured at fridge temp, dark, oily pour, minimal head gone quickly. Licorice was the first thing I noticed. And booze. Flavor wise some caramel and chocolate, any noticeable rye came as ir warmed. Thick oily feel. I'll sit on a couple.