Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

03/23/23 bottle @ home

Not sure if I waited too long to drink this or if I drank it too soon.
The pour was very nice, the cappuccino brown head accented the ruby tinted stout black and it all looked great in the glass.
The taste was good but perplexing- the berries added an almost sour aspect but the whiskey barrels added a sharp warmth that brought the flavor back to stout land.
The feel was very good, just viscous enough for sipping and focusing on the taste.
Glad to have been able to try this,? I think it sounds better than it tastes, but it still tastes pretty good.

Bottled 8/23/18

And we’ve arrived at the last vintage BCBS bottle I picked up while I was in Chicago. I’ve heard really mixed things on this one, but I’m a sucker for a fruited Stout if done right. I’m also wondering how well that fruit has held up for 4 years. Let’s pop it open and find out

Pours a very dark brown with a finger of dark tan head that fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

It’s still nicely jammy in the nose, but the base beer is shining through quite a bit too. I’m picking up on aromas of blackberry jam, sweet bourbon, chocolate fudge, cherry cordial, tart raspberry, light coffee, vanilla, and toasted oak

I can see it beginning to unravel a bit in taste, the fruit has a slight medicinal quality but it’s masked by other complexities. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting tart raspberry, milk chocolate, fruity coffee, vanilla, rye whiskey, and light cherry. The swallow brings notes of blackberry jam, fruity coffee, tart raspberry, milk chocolate, toasted oak, vanilla, raisin, rye whiskey, and molasses

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer with a bit of a boozy bite. Finishes neutral and lightly tart

It’s certainly not my favorite variant but it’s definitely a fun try. Well, time to move on to this years variants now

 

 

2018 version....

Pours near black, next to know head, or lace.

Loaded up with dark chocolate, and yes a load of berries and berry jam on the sniff.

On the palate, its fudge brownies, over the top berry jam goodness. World class sipper/night capper/dessert brew.

Would be awesome with a slice of death by chocolate cake...mighty fine stuff.

16.9 ounce bottle in a snifter glass. Bottling date of August 24, 2018, drunk on December 24, 2021.

Black coffee in color with varying hues of red and brown likely due from changing light. The pour had a bit of brown cap and lacing.

The berries are front and center followed by deep dark chocolate, complex sweetness, and some mellowed alcohol.

The raspberry and blackberry mix makes for prominent flavor. Flavors of molasses, caramelized buttery brown sugar, dark chocolate, and underlying rye whiskey.

Incredible smooth and medium body. Some chocolate syrup and whiskey barrel wood. Built for sipping.

Another outstanding BCBS variation.

Pours with distinct reddish / purple hues....almost as if some red wine crashed the party. No discernible head. Aroma is decadent. Very sweet, with berries clearly present. I keep going back and forth as to whether I'm smelling blackberries or raspberries, but in the end I'm not sure I'm picking up either distinctly, but rather an amalgamation of the two. Some rich chocolate notes lurk beneath.

Taste is berries, immediately followed by the rye barrels. This beer has a long finish, and only deep into that finish do I pick up the core, base stout flavors. Sweet overall, borderline syrupy, but it stays just on the right side of that line. Full bodied but not quite as chewy as the ABV might otherwise imply.

Overall this is tasty and worth a try, especially if you like berries.

2018 vintage picked up at Fulton St. taproom in October 2021.

A: pours black with some dark brown on the edges with no head

S: sweet berries with whiskey undertones. No sign of typical BCBS chocolate.

T: start of sip tastes like raspberry jam straight out of the jar. Mid palette brings milk chocolate, molasses and fig flavors. Spicy rye finish.

F: medium syrupy thickness with slight oak tannin and rye sharpness.

O: a solid BCBS variant with gobs of flavor that I’m happy to get the chance to try.

 

2018 draft in March 2021

Surprisingly well balanced with the roast, fruit, and alcohol across the aroma and taste/body. Other than the slight burn after and the stumbling it is rather easy drinking as well. Not a big fan of fruit in a beer like this but it is done well.

2018 Vintage - 500ml bottle - poured into a snifter at 50°F.

Pours a deep, dark black walnut hue, sitting stout black in the glass, with faint reddish-maroon edges. No head formation, and just a razor-thin tan collar. Basic.

Nose: The signature BCBS base is evident, but there's some big changes. The roasted malt is very unique, lending neither substantial chocolate nor char. Instead, a huge molasses note sets the tone. Molasses from the jar. Sweet, tangy, dark brown sugar, with some caramelised sugar, muscovado sugar, coconut sugar, toasted toffee, and a faint savoury note. Malty. The blackberry lends this wonderful berry tang, with notes of blackberry jam, blackberry seeds, candied figs, and sweet raisiny Pedro Ximenez sherry. The barrel is lending a lot of vanilla.

Palate: Bramble Rye greets the palate with a delicate malt sweetness tasting remarkably similar to Tootsie Rolls. Still avoiding classic chocolate, coffee, it really leans more into malty light roast, toffee, and vanilla. The berries are front and center - tart, jammy, and bright. Blackberries upfront, with juicy, tangy, even seedy elements, and then shifting into raspberry - less tangy, and pairing nicely with the roast, finally showing some dark chocolate. Not at all dissimilar to those chocolate cherry cordials, but with black and raspberries. Tangy berry juice persists, as the roast shifts into cacao nib territory, and the rye barrel begins to emerge. The sweetness fades, as some bolder roast pairs with charred oak, barrel spice, vanilla, and some whiskey, lending a ton of Bourbon County character, backed by these tangy, juicy berries. The berries flow into the finish, until finally, the roast and barrel take over, reducing them to vague dark fruit. The barrel lingers for ages, with some faint rye spice peeking through at the end.

Mouthfeel/Body: It's possible time may have affected this one - I'm never know. At first, there was a surprising fluffy softness and even some dense chewiness, but this thinned out dramatically fast. Still absolutely full-bodied - slick, soft, and heavy, but tending a bit more fluid than some other BC offerings (Vanilla!). Definitely some sticky lips. Effervescence is very low - not quite still, but not too far. Finishes with some nice drying oak tannins.

Overall: Having tried Mon Cheri and really not enjoying it, I worried this might be similar. Not at all. The pairing of stout plus blackberry and raspberry just works exactly like you'd think. It's a the barrel BCBS that you squeezed berry juice into it. A really unique and enjoyable variant. Drink now, as this will bit,improve with further cellaring.

 

 

 

Excellent variant. Fruity to the nose and lots of berry flavors upfront.

 

 

 

Decadent chocolate and berry flavors. Slight tartness that cuts through the richness of the malt nicely.

 

 

2018 vintage, thanks Ryan!

L - pours a prune juice-lookin' barleywine color. Translucent brown settles into something darker and purpley..er. A bit like muddy water. MInimal head, but there is a red wine-stained ring left around the edges.

S - utterly massive raspberry aroma up front. It was difficult not to smell it while opening the glass, giving myself a pour, and pondering over its appearance. Strong and penetrating like a sour ale. Transitions into the sweeter blackberry, while maintaining a light tang. Finishes with sweet, caramelly bourbon woodsiness. Beautiful transitions. The way each act of this beer melts into the next is dreamy.

T - surprising amount of bitter tang up front that lasts through the whole beer. I'm guessing the age on this really brought out the berry tartness. Immediate dark chocolate that quickly subsides into blackberry syrup, much like biting into a fruit-filled chocolate candy concoction. A touch of maple. Reminds me of an exotic pancake breakfast. Hardly any booze heat at all, this one is smooth and syrupy with an aggressive fruit-forward oomph. FInish is lightly drying with a touch of tobacco.

F - not at thicc as you'd expect a 12.7% stout to be, but its silky syrupyness helps keep it together. Can't help but feel like the fruit might be a bit more balanced with a thicker, fuller feel.

O - the Rubus genus shines strong in this one. Perhaps a bit slanted toward these delicious tart berries; the balance is a little jarring at times. Not getting a whole lot in the way of "stout" or even the barrel, but boy is it drinkable.

16.9oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pitch black pour with a short-lived beige head and minimalist lacing.

S: Tootsie rolls, semisweet dark chocolate, chocolate truffles. Raspberry tootsie pop. Plenty of raspberry and blackberry. Chambord. Whiffs of bourbon and wood.

T: Raspberry liquor (chambord) up front. Plenty of syrupy sweet raspberry and blackberry. The expected Bourbon County dark malt richness is on full display too. Chocolate syrup, chocolate truffles, tootsie rolls, etc. Bourbon, woody barrel, and a kiss of smoke too. Brush of alcohol. Some cardboard oxidation, as this bottle is some few years old now, but it is not a distraction. Finish is chambord, chocolate, and smoke.

M: The thickest of bodies: rich, chewy, coating. Weighty. Moderate carbonation. Warming.

O: Pretty straightforward as far as the variants go. Just Bourbon County with a charge of raspberry and blackberry. The fruits come on in more of a syrupy sense though. I don’t mind it, but it isn’t better than the original and wasn’t worth what the hype was charging.

 

Bottled 8/24/18, so slightly over two years old. Poured dark with a red wine like purplish tint. Smell is the standard Bourbon County base-roasty stout and a strong bourbon and wooden barrel presence-but the berry notes shine through. The berry flavor on the taste is really strong-sweet, juicy, red wine reminiscent with the bourbon barrel booze burn, but also similar to a grape juice flavor. The roasty stout notes are a bit overwhelmed by the berry, but the barrel still shines through, so in that way, it’s definitely a Bourbon County Beer. Big full body, boozy, mouth watering, mouth filling, a really good beer.

 

Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout pours a black color, with a very small head, but lacing. Sweet aroma roasted notes, with sweet berries. Flavor is full of roasted flavors, a small amount of smoke, and sweet berries, that are not overpowering. Good body and feel. Overall, nice stout, rich, sweeter, with very noticeable berry flavors.

2020-07-12
500ml bottle served in a tiny little Hair of the Dog sample glass. 2018 bottle, purchased recently at a liquor store that had it in the fridge. Apparently for two years. Date on the back is 23 Aug 2018, 12.7% abv.

Pours black, with a small ring of head and a pretty significant amount of fine, slow carbonation. Smell is stout roastiness, some sweetness, cherry cough syrup, something that makes me think of a berry jam.

Taste is berry jam, lots and lots of sweetness, a little bit of roast bitterness (well, probably a lot, but drowned out by the other stuff), less of the cherry cough syrup characteristic.

Mouthfeel is thick, heavy, sticky. Overall, it's pretty good, but it's too sweet to be great.

 

 

 

 

Nice, deep brown viscous, but not heady, pour. Sensationally smooth beer with delicious dark fruit flavor. Distinct raspberry undertones that are never cloying, and blend beautifully with the rye barrel oakiness. Aged this one for two years before drinking, and that really paid off in smoothness, and depth of flavor.

 

500 ml bottle into a snifter. Bottled 8/24/18, had 3/15/19.

Pours near black and opaque, thick looking, with a quarter inch quickly dissipating head and a little soapy lacing. Aromas of raspberries, blackberries, rye whiskey, chocolate, malt, fudge, some oak and char. Flavors of rye whiskey, raspberries, chocolate, blackberries, malt, some vanilla. Smooth, a solid full body, well carbonated.

Love the berries, and while the barrels aren’t very strong, everything blends together really well. Very enjoyable.