Lion's Pride Bourbon County Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.

Chicago 2/7/16 ($7 6 oz pour into taster glass at Goose Island Tap Room). Pitch black pour with hint of tan. Minimal tan head and lacing, no carbonation. Very pleasant aroma of roasted malts, sharp whiskey and dark chocolate. Very smooth taste of whiskey, malt, dark chocolate and oak, easy drinking and going down, less harsh of a kick as one would expect from a high ABV offering. No carbonation, a bit thicker than other Bourbon County offerings though smooth and dry. Overall best tasting on this day, hope to come across offering or a new batch of this down the road.

 

 

 

 

On-tap at Stoutfest. Served in the affiliated taster glass. My first experience with Koval barrel-aged beers was pretty terrible so hopefully this turns out better.

A - Looks like most BCS variants do. Black with a thin crust of head that dissipates to a thin collar.

S - The Koval whiskey character is quite interesting, imparting a nice whiskey, butterscotch, and molasses character. The typical rich Bourbon County flavor is here as well.

T - Taste features incredibly smooth whiskey, butterscotch, oak, molasses, dark chocolate, dark fruits, and caramel. Alcohol is quite well-hidden in this variant, and the balance between barrel and whiskey is excellent.

M - Super smooth, very low carbonation, medium-full body, rich and viscous, with some light barrel dryness.

D - Superb stuff across the board. I guess the Koval barrels are pretty good when used by a competent brewery.

 

 

Think bourbon county stout with a much stronger whiskey character. Were talking sharp more than sweet, bitter chocolate over sweet fruits, dark flavors. Sharp and tangy whiskey smooths it out initially but caused a rising volatile heat. Not something harsh, but complex. Paired with an 84 year old whiskey you'll see how quickly a whiskey can overwhelm the palate. It smells like you'd expect with a hint of ethanolic caramel. Less chocolate, more molasses.

There is a nice dirty vegetal sweetness from the bourbon and barrels. The smoothness makes this chuggable. Unbelievable smooth back end.