Goose Island Bourbon County 2017

From the last year alone, I would highlight Rye on Rye on Rye, Requiem for a Pancake, Foeder Project #2, Cabernet Cask Imperial Stout, and One Love. I also think Bourbon Barrel Quad is excellent, and I'm a sucker for the entire Love Child line. Comparing any of these to BCBS is obviously problematic because it would be an apples-to-oranges comparison, but Boulevard brews some really exceptional beers.

 

Glad Ive never met some of you in person. Feeling like I would be punched in the face if I was not a yes man for you.

We all have different taste and opinion. I like cheap poorly rated beers and expensive highly rated ones.

I dislike some highly rated beers as well. If you cant deal with that then tuff shit.

I dont and wont rate a beer or decide if I like it based off a name or others views.

I suggest a few of you do the same.

Can this thread please get back on track or please lock it down.

Enjoy

 

My first BCBS was a 2007. Ten years later and I still love the stuff.

 

Not sure what happened but distribution to Washington state does not seem to have happened this year, at least so far. We do have Fremont's BA Dark Star series which I thought was better last year. Sadly, I won't be able to compare this year.

 

Tried both versions so far of the BCBS (14.1% September 15 and the 14.7% August 19) and love the 14.1% best as it was by far the smoother of the two. For me it is far better than KBS but you have to like a richer, thicker and sweeter brew.

 

Well considering Sofie is the best Goose Island beer (non BCBS division) this seems fair.

 

Interesting, this is the first I've heard of a 14.1% batch. All the bottles I found were 14.7.

 

They're 14.1 here. What's distribution like in Antarctica? Maybe higher ABV there to prevent freezing?

 

It's a legal requirement that all beers sold here be able to survive one polar night with only partial freezing.

 

So there's a 14.1 version and a 14.7 version? Maybe that's why I found it to be watered down. I had the 14.1 but I am sitting on 2 bottles of the 14.7. I see people are liking the 14.1 better but I always find the higher abv to be tastier in almost any beer I drink. Now I know I've been Criticizing BCBS all day yesterday but let me just say I still found it to be very very good. But what I wanted out of this beer was a feel like "I'm licking the barrel" taste and yes I get that in KBS. Hey maybe i set my bar too high for this beer. But I did feel something lacking in flavor. I read people taste vanilla along with straight up barrel flavor with some oak and caramel. All I got was tamed down whisky that was a bit watery, some syrup, and dark fruit. Maybe I need to open up a 14.7 and perhaps that extra .6% will add in the flavor I wanted. But hey before I get attacked some more, keep in mind I liked this beer. Yes I found other barrel aged stouts to top it imo, but I still have it a 4 rating. A lot of people given it 3's, 2's, and 1's and those would be the ones who don't know what the hell they're talking about.

 

Enjoy and find out for yourself. It's an iconic beer, kinda like Pliny, kinda like Heady. Everyone needs to give them a try at some point.

 

"Watered down"? Really? That's the first. Pretty sure .6% ABV isn't going to be noticeable.

 

I have to say I find BC to be very viscous, it is thick, it can be a bit sweet and its definately bit boozy. I still like it though, depends on my mood. But you can't compare it to KBS, Kbs is a coffee based stout, it's just a completely different beer. You can like either, both, neither, but they're both top notch beers IMO.

 

What that would mean is a corner was cut causing a lack in flavor. I'm not a brewer but I've tasted beers from same brewer brewing same beer but had a .5% abv difference and made huge difference in flavor. This was my first time having BCBS but yes i found the bourbon flavor to be a bit tamed/watered down and this would may be explain the reason for it. But i mentioned before in earlier posts about difference in flavor from batch to batch well now I have support for that.

 

I compare it because KBS tastes like I was "licking the barrel" this is why I compare it. Sure it had chocolate, coffee, vanilla, coconut components to it but I could taste the barrel in it and that's what I had hoped for in BCBS.

 

Dang. I absolutely love Rye on Rye on Rye and Cabernet Cask. Both are top notch. I keep skipping over Foeder Project #2, but it looks like I need to pop into the brewery and pick one up.

Pretty sad I missed One Love, but I think I have a friend with some Requiem he doesn't want.

Love Child series is great. Some of the better limited sours coming out of regional breweries IMHO.

 

The fineprint on the bottle of Coffee I got still says can be aged for up to five years. I'm sure all of the rest do as well because that text is a part of the base Bourbon Country graphic template.

 

My 2 bottles from MI were 14.1 ABV. My 2 cases from Chicago were 14.7 ABV. Most noticeable to me is the difference in availability between the two locations...

 

13.7 and 14.2 last year iirc.

 

I know that 2015 was an infection year, but I had two different ABV's (14.3% and 13.7%) from three different lots. These were not on the list as infected and I did not detect any souring. But I can definitively say that they tasted different. The best was 14.3% lot 0826 and the worst was the same abv 14.3% lot 0927 and they were both bottled on 10/20/2015. Lot 0927 had very little chocolate but high on sugar and heat. The 13.7% was slightly less delicious than lot 0826. A little less fruit and a little more heat. It was weird to detect more heat from a lower ABV.