Thoughts on Goose Island's 2022 Bourbon County (BCBS) Lineup?

As I've mentioned before, I will seek the OG and coffee... And consider it a gift to myself. It's been a LONG time since I had Bourbon County.

 

Not sure if I’m drawn to the flavor combination of the Biscotti, but who knows, could be amazing. Isaac’s sounds like it’ll be a coin toss. Proprietor’s honestly just sounds gross to me in this context, but that’s just me. OG and Coffee are always a treat. Of the ones that are borderline unattainable (for someone like me, at least, who wants to just be able to walk into your average store and pay regular prices for beer), the barleywine is the only one that really stands out as one that I’d be interested in. I love barleywine, and barleywine aged in Old Fitz barrels sounds delightful. The 30th anniversary, while I’m sure tasty, is pretty much just a blend of stout aged in a slew of Beam barrels. Again, probably good, but nothing I’d buy unless it was right in front of me and reasonable, which it wouldn’t be.

I actually love that these days I can count on regular BCBS being on the shelf for the next few months so that I can grab a couple bottles whenever the mood strikes. Such a great stout, but I don’t miss the days of calling various stores around town and standing in line just to get one 12oz bottle out of four pack.

 

I’m big on Barleywine and look forward to this year’s offering. I think it may make it to Florida!
And Coffee Stout. Yeah. 15%+, plz.,
Happy to see that there’s no mention of “cinnamon” anything.
I don’t expect big distro of the 30th Anny Stout. It may be this year’s rarity.
The rest are somewhere between experiment and gimmick.

I don’t hate on any brewery ‘selling out’. Isn’t that the goal of every business? Money. Money. Money.

Overrated? Probably. Consistency & availability make them rated at all. Their history dictates that I pull out the wallet and give them all a try though. They’ve earned that over the years, IMO.

 

I have tickets to a release event at a local place that does a solid job. Looking forward to the Sir Isaac and the Biscotti. They will also have bottles of the 40th Anniversary available.

 

I would agree 100% with this statement if the "business" discussed themselves in this manner prior to selling out. When a "business" present themselves in a manner as being something else, almost like a community organization where they are dissimilar from the bad "businesses" like Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, etc. and their unethical practices.

I personally do not refuse to purchase beers from breweries that decided to sell out like Goose Island, Lagunitas, etc. but I can most certainly see why other craft beer consumers may have differing thoughts here.

Cheers!

 

Yea

Yeah - I appreciate the expansion on my short thought here…

I also don’t pass judgement on brewery business dealings or avoid purchasing product from them.,. so long as the product has not been compromised.
BCBS still tastes like BCBS.
DFH 90 still tastes like DFH 90.
There’s a line between ‘selling’ and ‘selling out’.
When CANarchy bought Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Squatters & Wasatch breweries, I thought there would be strength for distribution on both coasts.
But when Monster Beverage Corp became a ‘holding company’ whose sole interest was to enter the alcohol business, I was pissed and felt like CANarchy ‘sold out’, although it was a decision pushed by declining revenues do to COVID.

And me? Beer drinker, not financial guru, so I don’t think too much about it as I’m standing in front of the cooler at the supermarket.,.

 

I’m still waiting for the “BCBS is back in 12 ounce 4 packs” post. Until then

 

Coffee and 30th Anniversary are the ones that interest me the most. The Barleywine does interest me too but it's over 15% so we aren't going to get that one here.

 

For the Stouts the Biscotti and Sir Issac sound good, but I'm most hyped for the Barleywine

 

I like the sound of all of them. I won’t be picking up the Barleywine. My last few experiences with well regarded examples have been less than favorable. I’m starting to think I really don’t like the style. Otherwise, I’ll pick up what I can out of the lot. Cheers.

 

We usually get everything but Proprietor's in my area. Hoping that's still the case because I want to get my hands on the 30th Anniversary Reserve.

 

It’s distro’d to Chicagoland- bottles and drafts.

 

My local Hy-Vee said they're getting all the variants, and they'll be cheaper than last year.....

I'll probably grab a bottle of the regular for sure.