Goose Island lists the ingredients on their website, anyone care to take a stab at percentages? Hops: Willamette Malt: 2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Roast Barley, Debittered Black 14.5% abv, 60IBU
My guess - 85% 2-Row 5% Munich 3% Chocolate 3% C120 2% Roasted Barley 2% Debittered Black (Carafa III?)
I'd suggest higher on the Crystal (8%?) and the Caraffa (6?) based on my experience. Probably Munich and Chocolate too... It's a very sweet stout.
The thing with BCBS is that it is not very good before they put it in barrels. It's called Cook County stout and is pretty average at best. The barrel aging is what makes this beer fantastic. Just something to keep in mind when trying to replicate it.
Interesting, I've never had cook county stout. I do have an 8 gallon bourbon barrel which I will be aging this clone attempt in, hopefully I can get close.
Something to keep in mind is the surface area of the barrels they use. A 5 gallon barrel vs a 55 gallon barrel won't give you the same bourbon character. Not to mention I think they blend the beers from different barrels (I could be wrong on that). I think something like BCBS is hard to clone per se, but you can certainly make a beer that is inspired by it.
The differences in barrel aging characteristics between an 8 vs 55 gallon has to do with surface area exposure. The differences play out in a reduction of time needed to reach desired level of flavor more than anything else. Where in a 55 gallon barrel it could take 9-18 months to reach desired levels in an 8 gallon you could be looking at under a month. As with anything on oak, taste as you go.
The first batch (a 7.5% porter) had more 'whiskey'/hot flavor. The second one (6% brown ale) is more vanilla/oaky. I think a 14.5% abv stout will age significantly longer in the barrel, I'll probably taste it weekly. I got the barrel from http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com , they do bourbon and rye barrels and both are awesome.
Keep in mind that with bourbon barrel aging, a lot of it has to do with time. A lot of what is going on is oxidation and general aging that is dependent on time and can't be replicated on shorter intervals. An 8 gallong barrel in one month will never be the same as a 55 gallong barrel in a year, even if the bourbon intensity is roughly similar. There is just way too much going on. As fas as the base beer goes, we do a very similar stout, and I can tell you that it is hoppy as shit going into barrels. Barrels (at least full size and over 9 months of aging) take a huge amount of bitterness out. I can't even drink our stout before aging. Way out of balance.
Did the second batch take longer/have different results due to the fact that it was used once before? If so how many times could you use it before you don't get any more (flavors) out of it?
You ought to be able to use bourbon-soaked oak chips if you can't get your hands on some PVW barrels..
