Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Bourbon County Stout. Goose Island. Chicago, Illinois.

This is a fairly legendary modern imperial stout, from a great brewery.

Aged in bourbon barrels, perhaps my favorite type of stout.

I’ve had this once before, but didn’t realize how special it was at the time and didn’t take the time to appreciate it.

Been waiting for the right time to review this one.

This bottle is a 2019 vintage.

14.7% ABV.

Appearance

Dark black.

Little brown head that dissipates quickly. Tiny bubbles. Must not have much carbonation.

4

Smell

Chocolatey. Surprisingly mild smell, not strong, even after swirling.

Aimee adds “caramel and vanilla”.

Burnt sugar? Yes, ok.

It’s a good smell, but disappointingly weak.

3

Taste

Sweet and chocolatey. Huge blast of flavor. I recoiled physically on first taste, but in a good way.

Blast of alcohol that wafts up the nose.

Aftertaste fades pretty fast, but is sweet, not bitter. Lingering aftertaste is a little odd, can’t quite identify it.

Aftertaste is a lot different from the lagers I’ve had recently, which left the mouth bitter.

4

Mouthfeel

Thick.

The minimal carbonation I think hurts the overall experience of the beer.

Too sweet. Before I finish the bottle I am tired of having my mouth coated with syrup.

4

Overall

I’m disappointed, this being a premier Goose Island brew, and so highly regarded.

I think I like it less than Dragon’s Milk, which I am very familiar with, and Boulevard’s barrel-aged stout, which I am less familiar with, but recall enjoying even more than Dragon’s Milk.

It’s very thick and flat.

Aimee: “I feel scared to drink this. It’s too strong for me”.

I am finding this a challenge to drink actually. I’m sipping it and not really enjoying the experience, whereas I drank dozens of bottles of Dragon’s Milk over the summer.

Before even finishing the bottle I feel intoxicated.

It takes me a long time to finish this.

4