The Important Bourbon County Question

Yes it is worth what we pay. But it is probably not worth the time and expense of running around to multiple liquor stores trying to buy more BCBS.

 

Personally, BA Plead the 5th is a better beer than BCBS, lessy boozy and a lot more complex, at least in regards to 2013 & 2014 BCBS. GI may use higher-quality barrels, but the base stout isn't anything special, whereas Plead is just fantastic before aging.
Coffee Stout and Barleywine are far better than the stout.
Now, Proprietor's and Vanilla Rye are worth it. 2014 Prop may just be the best.

Is there a bourbon-aged Espresso Yeti or Cappuccino Stout? With Lagunitas in Chicago now, I'd expect them to test out more Midwest styles and aging.

 

And yet you name none of them.

 

Central Waters BA Stout to name one off the top of my head. $14 or less.

 

I disagree with you. They don't distribute where i live, aannnnnnd I don't think their stout is that great. Real talk. It's like a dragon Milk for me.

Now their barleywine..... that's a different story.

 

This 100%. Unfortunately or fortunately for us/them, Central Waters BA Stout and BW and what not is beautifully priced, and is readily available almost anywhere in Wisconsin. I'd rather have 8 CW BA Stout than 4pack of BCBS. BOOM!!!

 

As always for everything, taste is subjective. Also, their Brewhouse Coffee is another great cheap (5-6 a bomber) for a coffee stout!! WHAT?!?

 

Off the top of my head Wulver is a 4-pack at $20-24. Biscotti, Choklat, Mokah, I love you with my stout, and big bear black stout I think are all the same or below in price. I know Wulver is not the same style but it is BA goodness.

 

See above.

 

Putting aside the fact that Mokah, Choklat, and Biscotti Break aren't in the same league as BCBS taste-wise, neither is barrel aged either, so I'm not seeing the comparison. There is a BA Biscotti, but probably harder to get in most areas, at least in my experience, due to much lower distro. And in my recollection it sells for about 22 bucks a bomber, so it's about twice as expensive as BCBS. Wulver I haven't had but have heard great things, although it sounds like it's the exact same price as BCBBW, so again, what other comparably good barrel aged beers are cheaper than Bourbon County?

 

Speedway is close though. Four packs are the way to go for craft beers though. Four packs of sixteen oz cans being my particular favorite.

 

For some reason we have been getting Dragons Milk in Vermont. Sorry, it can't compare to BCBS. Speedway is awesome and readily available, going for $13 a bottle though- is my alternative.

 

It's worth the price, it is the BA stout every other similar brew is measured against. I drink maybe one a month, makes a great nightcaper. If it wasn't worth the price guys simply won't do what they do to get it imo, it would fade away, but it survives quite nicely and is time tested.

 

I find BCS too boozy. much prefer Bell's Black Note or Parabola.

 

See, but this is exactly the problem. CW BA Stout? Too thin a mouthfeel for me. Haven't had Wulver, but at $20-24 a 4 pack, that's pretty similar to BCBS, so not really much of a money savings (if that was the argument). Choklat is much more bitter and roasty, so would be closer to a BCBCS in my book (not saying it's a chocolate stout, but it's not super similar to BCBS either), and personally didn't blow me away. Haven't had Mokah, so I can't speak to it (although given its description, I'd imagine it would be the same argument I had against Choklat).

So at the end of the day, it's a preference thing. BCBS is the grandfather of BA beers, the prevailing theory seems to be that it's one of the best, and the massive hype each year seems to support that. Is it going to be everyone's favorite? Nah. But it's clearly good enough that it should be on most people's radar, at least to try. After that, individual palates will kick in, and I'll be with the BCBS lovers every year, waiting for my favorite beer to drop.

 

If I recall right, and I hope this doesn't come off as aggro/personal, you'd mentioned in another thread being willing to pony up for The Bruery's Black Tuesday, right? I only ask because BT is like the mirror opposite to BCBS for me -- an incredibly pricey brew that, though tasty, doesn't nearly warrant its pricetag. BCBS, on the other hand, is tasty as well (in my book, far more so than BT, but YMMV), and is nearly 1/3 the price of BT. There are less stark examples out there, sure, but as folks have noted throughout this thread, it's pretty darn rare to find a BA stout of the caliber of BCBS at the prices it sells at. If anything, I think it's underpriced and could reasonably command $32/four-pack, if not a little more.

 

I paid $20 for a 4 pack. That's $5 a beer. Lot's of people go to a bar and pay that kind of money for swill. I'm happy to pay more and drink less - because 'enjoy more' is the X in that equation, and the rest is a wash.

What are these beers?? I don't get anything Barrel Aged in my market. BCBS (no variants) was a huge deal. This was our first time getting it.

 

Most BA stouts on the market are trying to be BCBS, when BCBS is just being itself.

Or has my SO put it after trying BCBS this year, "Everyone else should just stop trying."

 

The waiting in line comment has to do with the variants, not the regular BCBS. If you're saying you'd rather buy another BA stout off the shelf than wait in line for regular BCBS, you don't have to; BCBS 4 packs are sitting on the shelves all over the place here.