BCBS variation questions

Goose Island makes the best stouts on earth. Trade accordingly.

 

2007-2013: 12oz bottles of BCBS available
2009: 22oz bombers of BCBS also available - Only in 2009
2010: Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout and Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout variants in 22oz bombers

After that you have Rare, Bramble, Cherry Rye variants as well which are all 22oz bombers.

Basically, the bombers are all variants, with the exception of 2009, when both 12 oz bottles and bombers of BCBS were sold.

I think this is pretty accurate. Off the top of my head.

 

Bourbon county brand stout (bcbs) is the regular version, the base stout of which is used in Nighstalker and Big John (with extra hops and cacao nibs respectively). BCBS uses this stout and ages them in bourbon barrels. This is the 4 pack you are referring to.

Furthermore, BCBS has a variety of additions released (bombers) every year. Coffee is yearly (albeit normally with a different specific bean varietal), while the other varietals rotate.

So far bottled have included bramble (raspberry and blackberry), cherry rye (cherry aged in rye whiskey barrels), vanilla (vanilla bean), and rare (pappy van winkle barrels, iirc).

There may be a boysenberry one on the way. Tastes and preferences vary, but a good rule of thumb for rarity value (hard to easy) rare, vanilla, bramble/cherry, coffee, standard, with Nighstalker and big John being fairly easy.

This is not comprehensive, and I may have missed something. But this is mostly just bourbon county intro. Cheers!

 

I saw the Bombers of the BCBS in '08, 09 and 10. the 08 was around forever, it seemed, or it kept coming, the 09 was almost unfindale, and the 10 was fair for availability. After that, I was under the impression they stopped bottling into 22ozers. (at least the regular. the rares are bombers.)

 

I think folks has covered most of the details, but for the non-coffee bombers:

2010- Vanilla
2011- Bramble
2012- Cherry Rye
2013-? Heard a few different rumors including coconut.

 

You didn't see BCBS bombers in 08 or 2010; only 2009.

 

Since nobody has gotten this quite right, here you go:

pre-2006 - dot matrix white label 12oz bottles
2006 - 12oz bottles old white label
2007 - 12oz bottles old white label
2008 - 12oz bottles old white label
2009 - 12oz and 22oz bottles new black label
2010 - 12oz black label, Coffee 22oz orange label, Vanilla 22oz cream label, Rare 22oz green label
2011 - 12oz black label, Coffee 22oz orange label, Bramble 22oz purple label
2012 - 12oz black label, Coffee 22oz orange label, Cherry Rye 22oz white label

Cheers,

Paul

 

Somebody opened a Coffee at a tasting recently, and it had an almost overwhelming vegetal flavor. Green peppers. Anybody else get this? I'm assuming it's from faded coffee, never had any flavors like that in regular BCBS or any of the varietals I've tried (Rare & Vanilla). ​

 

You mean red?

 

Did not have that, and I've opened some 11 and 12 Coffee's somewhat recently.

 

I've seen it mentioned several times, but not personally experienced it. Was it an '11? That's the one I have heard has had it in the past.

 

I may be colorblind, but those looks orange to me, maybe orangish-red or what not.

 

Still look red to me, even in that light. In your hand, they are clearly red.

 

Um... Still not right, but thanks for playing.

 

Oh, what would the internet be without a bunch of jackasses. Next you'll be correcting my grammar.

 

Not sure, it was opened pretty late. By that point, things like vintages were out the window. I felt bad, the guy opened it, and I immediately piped up, "Bleh, green peppers!"

 

There you go.

 

2003 was the only year for the dot matrix label. They didn't have a legit 2004 release (not that 2003 was all that legit either). 2005 had the same old white label as 2006-2008, but it didn't have a year on the neck.

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