Goose Island Bourbon County - 2022 (Chicagoland)

Here’s a fun question on the 30th anni stout does anyone have a blend that isn’t 36 33 17 14?

 

Thought the kegs were supposed to be ok. Been 5 years since I had that version of BCBBW myself though.

 

Actually, an Englishman, living in Canada, in Berwyn.

 

Did you enjoy our quaint little dumpster fire? Actual car fires aside.

 

2 data points here, one acquired at Prop Day, other at a Woodman's in the west 'burbs on BF. Both the same as yours.

 

rockford, crystal lake, and Woodstock all the same numbers.

 

Magic 8 Ball just proclaimed, "My Sources Say NO".

 

Mine is the same, too. 1,500 miles from Chicago

 

Not sure where you’re at but Skokie Binny’s had all HH out on the floor (cases).

 

thank you everyone! You all rock!

 

Geneva Binnys has HH

 

Some of my takeaways from Park & Field and the weekend in general:

I was able to try everything at the event, draft pours were generous. 30th and 2yr BW were poured from bottles and limited to one of each, but still a full 5oz. I appreciated that I could bring people not drinking bourbon county, but I will say the service was at times very slow even though the place didn’t seem overly busy. I think we might have been there right at a shift change and there was confusion as to who had our table, so this could have been a fluke.

I’m a huge Rev fan but I think 2yr BW is on an entirely different level and way better than Straight Jacket. So many layers in there. They’re trying to accomplish different things though so it’s not a real fair comparison. Given a choice, would I rather have 6 cans of SJ for my money? Yes, but I’m fortunate not to have to pick one or the other. I couldn’t resist grabbing a second bottle of BW while grocery shopping Sunday afternoon (crazy availability this year!!)

This year’s return of Coffee is so welcome. I preferred it over original by a large margin, which is unusual for me. Huge chocolate notes and sweet booze. I was able to try larger 10oz pours of original and coffee separately at a tavern that’s a 5 minute walk from my house (what an embarrassment of riches) so I’m pretty confident it wasn’t a fluke of taste. That said, this year’s original was kind of a let down. I had a 2019 and 2021 last week and enjoyed those more.

The Biscotti draft pour was all anise for me. I hate licorice so this wasn’t going to get a fair shake, but I won’t go so far to say that it’s undrinkable. No almond or anything else that I could discern though. It’s possible the bottled version offers a different experience but I’m still glad I passed.

 

Which vintage of regular people prefer is always interesting to me, because it usually isn't consistent from release through a 5-year period.

When BCS is fresh it is an entirely different beast than 2-3yrs aged. And certainly it changes each year, but I think there's a definitely change in the 2-3 year timespan. The char from the barrels mellows quite a bit. The bourbon has morphed from a more aggressive "bite" to being a more homogenized taste (e.g. more like a brownie vs. a brownie with icing on top).

Personally, I almost always prefer my BCS with "a little age" on it compared to 100% fresh. But, in recent years, especially if I only have 1, I try to open one right away to see how it is. If you feel it can't get better, drink it now. If you think from your history it can, let it sit and see how it mellows. Most of us have a pretty good idea of what we think it will look like in 1-5 years.

YMMV.

 

Drink a 2020 asap and tell me it's not the best you've had in a long time. It's on another level of chocolatey goodness right now. I only have one left!

 

I’m jealous. I had one last week and it was completely the opposite for me. Fridge-stored since purchase, I drank it over the course of 3 hrs and even letting it warm up didn’t bring out any of the rich chocolate taste you described (and that I remember). Overall it was the epitome of “meh.” Thinner than I expected, all of the qualities I loved upon release were severely diminished. No fudge, just a fair amount of barrel and a slight vanilla note. “very pedestrian” was how I described it earlier in this thread. It’s one of the main reasons I skipped buying any BCBS this year.

 

I hear you, but then:

This is pretty much this thread over and over again. Everyone's palate is different, and everyone's palate differs day to day - and week to week or month to month. It's just one of those things. At this point I believe that everyone's opinion is true for them, but it's an idiosyncratic difference that shouldn't be assumed to be true on average. -Unless affirm the same opinion.

It's always interesting!

 

I picked up a 4 pack of the Willet at the JewelOsco on Des Plaines and Kinzie. Although it was on Friday. I'm not sure what their inventory is looking like.

 

I was at that Jewel on Saturday and they still had a nice stack of 4 packs left. Binnys south loop also had willet 4 packs.

 

But we aren’t exactly comparing apple to apples here. We don’t know which barrel 2020 regular they are drinking.

 

I don't think 2020 had easter eggs, did they? Wasn't that 2021?

Or, do you mean which distilleries were included in the 2020 blend?

 

Have those who really enjoyed this year’s BCBCS also had this year’s Cafe Deth? Honest question.

 

Rockford woodmans $34.99, not sure if that far for you. Binnys Rockford got too but $39.99

 

Good point, I forgot about that aspect. Mine was HH.

 

Looks like I had my years wrong. Them skipping a year really screwed with my memory.

 

I haven't had them side by side yet, but I have had them within a week of each other and I slightly prefer BCBCS. Compared to BCBCS, roast coffee dominates Cafe and I feel some bitterness comes out as it warms. BCBCS seems "smoother" and has the mouthfeel most people would expect of a BA stout.

 

I look at this like the difference between Coke and Pepsi. You aren't going to get a consensus on which is the best, but you know you'll have to search high and low for a better option than them.

 

St Charles Jewel-Osco had some yesterday

 

If anyone ordered from Binny’s, but didn’t pickup up, check your credit card. I noticed a charge for $227 that was created 11/9 and posted 11/27. Despite the email saying it was a pending charge until picked up, I was charged. I called the store to have them process the return.

 

The Orland Park jewel on 159th has them!

 

The blend. No single distillery bottles were sent out of Chicago as far as i know. And I’m not mad at that

 

Pretty mean gag gift sir!

 

Rockford binnys had tons wllt

 

CraftShack has lost their damn minds

 

I didn't think CherryWood was worth the $5 more over regular that I paid last year. *snicker*

 

It was the worst of the lineup for me. Had a very offputting flavor. I know some people liked it, but I knew I should have skipped it the moment I took that first sip

 

Gotta say…just cracked a Willet and man it’s awesome. Easily one of my favorite BC’s in a while. Just perfect to me. Need to get some more of these somehow

 

Do the adjuncted BCBS beers use the same barrels as the blended original? Or do they ever tweak the barrel components for whatever reason?

 

I have two cans coming via Tavour. I’ll give a 100% honest opinion in a comparison. I love Rev, so no bias here. Seems to be a lot of BCBS hate in that thread.

I thought BCBCS was phenomenal, and Cafe Deth is one of my favorite stouts ever. Can’t wait