REVIEW: Goose Island Bourbon County (2011)

This is an elusive beer. It's in a class with beers like Russian River's Pliny the Younger, Three Floyd's Dark Lord, and Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout. These beers are produced in extremely limited quantities and therefore demand is incredibly high. Fans of these beers will wait in line for hours to grab a bottle. My girlfriend, Meredith, was able to track down a bottle of the Bourbon County for me and gave it to me for Valentine's Day. Who needs Chocolates?! So yes, she is awesome, and now I have this insane bourbon barrel aged imperial stout to review. Will it live up to the hype? To the beer!

Bourbon County pours a dark, inky, opaque, motor oil black. There is only a very thin layer of brown head that receded very quickly. Not surprising that that this beer doesn't have much in the way of head retention since it clocks in at 14.5% ABV.

The aromas coming off of this beer are intense. Huge bourbon notes with accents of vanilla and caramel. It's backed by some nice roasty aromas as well.

If the aromas on this beer were intense, it's nothing compared to the flavor. As you would assume from the look and aroma, this is a big full bodied beer. Honestly, this beer is almost closer to a liqueur than some beers. It's very very boozy. Tons of alcohol warming. This beer is a sipper. I couldn't drink it quickly if I wanted to. While this beer is dominated by big flavors of caramel, vanilla, and bourbon imparted by the barrel aging there is still a stout under there. You just have to dig a little to get to it. There's a very nice malty dark chocolate base underneath all of those huge delicious bourbon flavors. There's also a decent hop presence in there as well. It ends with a nice crisp lingering bitterness.

This beer is certainly intense. I imagine it might turn a lot of people off. For me though, who loves big beers as well as bourbon, I loved every sip. The roasty chocolate flavors of the stout mixed with bold bourbon flavors and all rolled into a 14.5% ABV package was a delight. If you can find Bourbon County at your local liquor store or bottle shop it's worth checking out. If nothing else, it's an experience. Fans of big beers and fans of fine bourbons will find something to enjoy. Thanks, Mere!

HD