Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Stout (365 Day 110)

By scot in 365 Days of American Craft Beer on Monday, March 21st, 2011

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

I think most people into the American craft beer industry know that Goose Island Beer Company was the first to start bourbon barrel aging beers. Bourbon County Brand Stout is one of the boldest, most straight forward bourbon beers around. The ABV is big (13.0%) while the tastes and aromas fill the senses to capacity. It is one mighty fine beer that people cellar to do vertical with. I think everyone has at least 2008 in the basement.

This past year, Goose Island took some of their best test batches and put them on the market. Coffee, Vanilla, and finally Rare hit the market. Each creating a frenzy fueled by the awesomeness of it’s predecessor. I was fortunate enough to get a case of coffee, that I mostly used to snag interesting beers from every nook and cranny of the U.S. Vanilla, I wasn’t so lucky, I ended up with two bottles; neither lasted long. Rare was last and the most expensive at $45. Ludicrous I said when I heard the price and thought i would never get one. Like a moron, I got four and I can say that I haven’t been upset. That is one solid beer.

If you are looking for a bourbon aged beer that goes to 11, try any of the offerings Goose Island has in this category. The easiest to get will be the old standby of Bourbon County Brand Stout, but you still might be able to find one of those other flavors. Enjoy!

Aroma: 9, Taste: 10, Look: 9, Drinkability: 9, Overall: 9.3

Useless Fact: The original captain of Star Trek’s starship “Enterprise” was Jeffrey Hunter – not William Shatner – as Christopher Pike, in the pilot episode “The cage” (1964). The cast was quite different from that of the classic series except for Leonard Nimoy as Spock.