GI Bourbon County 2025

Nice pricing for the OG 4 packs. That’s same as the CBS 4 pack I grabbed earlier this week. I love both CBS and BCBS so Im good for this year’s cellar restock of BA stouts.

 

Total Old-Ass-Beer is a ripoff....besides the fact that they sell old-ass-beer at full prices.

4 packs of the 2025 10oz. original BCBS are $24.99 here in LFK.

 

Got around to trying the chocolate praline variant last night.

Here's my "Dumcrapped" review:

Another well balanced BCBS variant w/good mouthfeel; all as advertised flavors (didn't get the dates so much); a twinge of bourbon/whiskey fighting to get past the cocoa & all the nuts & a lingering, warming, boozy backend yet still smooth for a 14.6%er.

Definitely sweet enough to kill a diabetic at ten paces if'n maybe twenty! Not sure I'd want a second bottle even if it was le$$ pricey. Revision:downwards. This gets so sickeningly oversweet as it warms up it'd kill a diabetic at 100 paces.

Originally gave it a 4.25....then a 4.....then finally a 3.75 as I choked down the last swigs.

Might get around to the Cherries Jubilee variant tonight......stay tuned.....

 

Honestly this makes me think there’s variation in these bottles. I’m not a fan of overly sweet stouts (at all) and this one didn’t seem too sweet. I really enjoyed it and would gladly buy another bottle if I see it on discount.

 

Here's my review of the 2025 Cherries Jubilee variant:

Bottled 7/24/25. Completely flat, thinnish, BA imp stout with a cherry/malty/cognac flavor; hardly any evidence of bourbon barrel aging and an incredibly expen$ive wa$te of $22. If you like flat, cherry-flavored, dark 'stout', here's you beer.

I gave it a 2.

I don't think I've ever given any BCBS variant less than a 3.5 ball....ever.

Con$ider your$elve$ warned.

 

Sounds like price factors more into your reviews than the actual beer itself

 

Not exactly but when it's approaching a buck and a half an ounce and up, weeeelllll.

My biggest beef was being flat.

Could be just a bad bottling day (& I'll try to get the bottling date of the chocolate praline sometime) but I expect a lot from GI BCBS variants since GI BCBS and Firestone Walkers' barrel aged brews are about the only old-standbys where I can still taste the barrel aging from first to last sip, as I've stated in previous posts.

 

I’m finally seeing the small bottles locally - I was very happy about the price

 

I had a cherries jubilee last night and mine pouted very fuzzy then the head dissipated almost immediately. That said, mine wasn’t thin and I thought it was pretty great. Not usually a cherry fan outside of sours, but this one really worked for me. Good barrel character with muted cherry and brandy notes.

 

I think my chocolate praline bomber was bottled in August of this year.

 

Here's my top three issues with any brew:

1. Unless it specifically states that the beer is a, 'still' (low-to-no-carbonation) beer, er, 'drink', then it better have some carbonation. I'm not asking for six inches of head, but I'd always like a least a little head. Wouldn't you?

2. If you tell me that there's a half dozen adjuncts/etc. in the beer, then I'd like to be able to taste or smell at least 3-4 of the adjuncts right off the bat. Maybe not from first to last sip as it warms up & you linger over it, but at least give me half of what you said you put into it.

3. If it's a barrel-aged brew, then I better be able to taste/smell whatever barrels you said you used.
I realize that the ship of, "being able to taste the barrel-aging from first sip all the way to the last sip, over however long it takes to finish the glass" has sailed long ago, but I need to taste whatever barrel aging was used, even if the barrel-aging flavor(s) fade as quickly as 15-30 minutes over an hours worth of drinking the brew. And I better be able to at least taste some kind of barrel aging right away, even if it fades as fast as five minutes.

I apply these 'rules' to any brew, regardless of price, but you're correct, the more expensive a beer gets, the more I expect out of it.

 

FWIW Darwin (YouTube channel beer reviewer) was a fan of this year’s Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee Stout.

Also, @carolinabeerguy enjoyed it as well, read above.

Cheers!

 

John_M, I agree, I believe I'll be skipping the variants after this year.

I still think maybe my bottle of Cherries Jubilee might have been a little off, thus my harsh assessment.

It's also another reason why I've been skipping so many other breweries barrel-aged imperial stouts/etc. when it's $2/oz. or more for the past few years.

 

So far we have had the OG, Cherries and Praline. The standard BCBS tastes as expected, a touch sweeter this year perhaps? Otherwise, good as usual.

Between the two variants, Praline was a clear winner. Reminded me of Biscotti from last year a bit, but more chocolate and marzipan notes. I thought it was really quite solid.

Cherry was a bit... dull. The cherry itself wasn't intense enough for me and it wasn't very complex. It came across like a slightly sour standard BCBS. I wouldn't buy this one again, for sure.

But I would pick up another Praline!