Goose Island Announces 2023 BCBS Lineup

I'm so looking forward to seeing these in the shelf-turd cart next year.

 

Perhaps they'll prepackage two of each in a case, to sell on prop day.

 

Count me as skeptical of anything 2-year in the upcoming release. After more than one bottle of regular BCBS '22 and at least one bottle of most variants, I've come to the opinion the '22 base stout was the weakest of the last decade. I have to imagine that's the same base stout they're using for these 2-year variants. Perhaps the sneak-peek reviews from Chicago will put these concerns to rest, but I'm already feeling a bit burnt after spending so much on the 2022 stout variants only to be underwhelmed.

 

No barleywine? No coffee? Banana, spices, port...sorry folks, I can't do it. Not for $25+ per bottle.

I'll buy a bottle or two of regular. Maybe more regular if it sits and falls in price.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Goose Island wouldn't pump out all of the barleywine and coffee that it could. EVERYONE WANTS IT!!! They would be practically printing money.

 

Any guess as to when Prop Day is this year?

 

I'm over these over priced reserves. Sign me up for prop though! I love rice pudding and GI knows cassia bark. Gonna be a banger.

 

i’ve noticed no issues with a “weakness” to any of the 2022s, and I’d be surprised if they changed the base beer recipe from year to year (it certainly doesn’t seem like they do that to me).

 

Wow, literally leaving for a Chicago Beer-cation tomorrow. Looked at the two taproom websites, these are already available!

 

Can you post a link to that for us? I had to see for myself after you said that but didn't see anything. I thought they had to wait until Nov

 

Banana, Banana, Bo Banana. Sounds great to me. Just came for all the I'm not buying because of the price comments. :-)

 

Personally, I'm a bit underwhelmed by this year's variants. I'll probably only buy the base version this year. I could see the banana one as having a huge upside, but it could also be a big flop. I am most intrigued by the Prop rice pudding one, I think that could be really interesting. Not the same but similar in some ways, but Trader Joe's makes a Horchata Ice Cream that's sweet cinnamon & rice ice cream with Horchata flavored cookie pieces that's really good.

Disappointing that there's no barleywine, wheat wine, or coffee stout this year. Even though the barleywine usually sells out before I get the chance to consider purchasing, it would have been nice if there was a chance.

 

It is odd that they don't do a barley wine every year, it always seems well received and people report it sells out quickly. Seems like a no brainer

 

What I think is really unique and special about BCBS variants is that they pull off these really impressive flavor profiles without being overly one dimensional or cloying. The idea of having a beer with adjuncts of actual ice cream and actual cookies is off putting to me, probably because I find nearly every pastry stout i’ve ever tried undrinkable. Yet apart from Fourteen, I wouldn’t consider any BCBS variant I have ever had to be cloyingly sweet or undrinkable. The ability to balance these sweet flavors with bold roastiness and prominent barrel characters really is an art.

 

They have to start the next year's batches before they know how the current year's are selling so I guess they couldn't have known how well it would sell?

Or maybe they're trying to keep demand up by keeping the supply low?

How well did the last year of regular wheatwine sell I wonder?

 

Good point, we don't get anything but base and the least desirable variants out here so I mostly go off what I hear on here. So maybe I'm just myopic in my view

 

Agreed...Even the biscotti variant last year was very well done, although I don't have a taste for anise and was good with only sip.

 

Definitely wanna try Banana's Foster and Port Cask variants, maybe Backyard as well

 

Same.

 

I haven't been active in the past few years..you know life and stuff. But seeing that Backyard Rye variant just brought me back in the game to line up for them this year.