Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Review

Name: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 14.9%

Right now we are in the midst of what I consider to be the worst snowstorm that I have ever experienced in my life. Everything from high winds to accumulating snow; From reckless drivers to poor snow plowing jobs, this storm has it all! Since I was let out of work early today due to our wonderful weather, I decided to spend the afternoon playing some Diablo 3 and having a couple of beers.

Since I have no plans tonight other than to just hang out and ponder my existence among the swirling winds of Lake Superior, I figured now would be a good time to review another beer from my bucket list. I'm talking about Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout! You'd think that it would be almost impossible to get but there seems to be a steady supply this year! The first thing that caught my eye was the ABV, which comes in at 14.9%. For comparison sake, Rum-Chata, my favorite liqueur, clocks in at 13.8%.

Now a disclaimer before I begin this review: I have had this beer once before at the Goose Island Wrigleyville taproom in Chicago but I never gave it a proper review. By the way, if you ever find yourself there, they have great food but it's pricey; Hey it's Chicago after all!

Bourbon County Stout pours a pitch black color with a filmy brown head that fades rather quickly. There also isn't really much in terms of lacing and the carbonation visible is quite high.

While it isn't anything special in the looks department, the nose is quite different. Here there are potent vanilla, oak, chocolate nibs, cherries and roasted malts. It's worth pointing out that while the aroma is quite robust, it's also very strong smelling in an almost boozy sort of way and it's no surprise when you consider the ABV.

The flavor is very vanilla and chocolate forward with oak, cherries, and roasted malts. The bourbon characteristic here is also very strong and makes itself known in the flavor, which has a boozy kick to it. The aftertaste is a mix of sweet vanilla and roasted malts.

The body is pretty heavy and thick and the carbonation ranges from mild to moderate. In terms of palate feel, you shouldn't have too much difficulty drinking this.

If you have been paying attention to my review, I shouldn't have to tell you that this is best enjoyed in moderation because this is an Imperial Stout that will grab you by the neck collar, throw you onto a table, run you across the length of the table and toss you into a wall, which then it'll proceed to laugh at you and flick a cigarette in your direction. With that said, it is quite robust and will please anyone who's looking for a stronger Imperial Stout.


Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - 9.5/10

Top 10 Beers I would like to try out (Part 2 & New Format)

Continuing on with the Top 10 Beer list from my previous post, it's now time to reveal the second half of my list. I've also changed up the format just to see how it works out so if you absolutely hate it and want it changed back, just let me know. Anyways, onwards with the list!


5) Russian River Pliny The Elder

Any craft beer fan knows that Russian River's Pliny the Elder needs no introduction. Widely regarded as one of the best beers in America multiple times, people will regularly form lines or camp outside the brewery just to get their hands on what many consider to be the Holy Grail of Craft Beer....

So why isn't this higher on my list? Since Pliny the Elder has so much hype regarding how awesome it is, I start to question if it actually does live up to the hype or not. In my past experiences, I've had similar experiences with movies, TV shows and even video games which have had hype surrounding how great it is. When I finally get around to experiencing it, I occasionally will come to the conclusion "Wait, THIS what everyone has been talking?" With that in mind, I would like to try this out one day. Since Russian River's is distributed in places very far away from me and I have no beer loving friends in California, it may be a while before I finally get to try it out.


4) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

When I lived in Chicago, you could pretty much find Goose Island anywhere they had beer. Now I've had this before at the Goose Island Wrigleyville Brewpub and it was a fantastic beer but I never gave it a proper review and I would love to have some more again. I do know it's distribution is sporadic but it's not impossible to find. I will try to keep my eyes peeled for this in the future; Ya know, for science!


3) Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Barleywine

If you know me, I love my Barleywines, and I love my barrel aged beers. Central Waters Brewing offers the best of both worlds with this Barleywine. I think obtaining this will be a bit easier for a couple of reasons. The first is that they are located in neighboring Wisconsin and they distribute here to Minnesota. The second reason is that I've actually seen this on shelves in Minnesota so it's a matter of being at the right place at the right time.



2) Cigar City Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout

A couple years ago, I did a beer trade with a friend of mine who lives in Florida. I sent him some Surly and in exchange he sent me some beers from Cigar City Brewing, which the only major craft brewer in South Florida. When I tried them out, I was blown away with how good it was, especially the Jai Alai IPA & Cubano-Style Espresso Brown Ale. It wasn't until after I looked into Cigar City's lineup that I saw Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout; Knowing how awesome my beers from Cigar City were, I knew I had to try to get my hands on this. Hopefully I can arrange something in the near future but for the time being, it's a no-go.



1) Firestone Walker Double Jack

Firestone Walker has been at the top of my list of breweries to try out ever since I got into craft beer, but they currently do not distribute to the Midwest, they are only distributing West of the Rocky Mountains at this time. If I had access to Firestone Walker, this would be my first beer to try out because I love my Imperial IPAs like no one's business.


I hope you enjoyed reading because I enjoyed sharing this list with you. I have other obligations I must attend to at this time, but look out for a review later tonight!

Cheers!