Sunday, December 23, 2012

Review: Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2012)

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2012)
15.0% ABV
Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL
12 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass 
Bottled on 9/26/12
Reviewed on 12/14/12

This stout pours a thick dark brown color with a thin brown bubbly head.  Decent lacing evident. Pouring this into a glass, you can't help but think, in the best way, motor oil.

On the nose, strong aromas of malt, alcohol, coffee.  Slight aroma of soy sauce.  Also, a chocolate syrup like aroma.

Taste has full, strong flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, alcohol, malt, hops, brown sugar, syrup, toast, soy sauce, and whiskey.

On the palate, smooth with a solid alcohol kick.  Good syrupy thickness.  Nice bit of bitterness.  Coats the tongue well.

Overall, bold, strong flavored stout that goes near the border of being overwhelming but doesn't go over.  The alcohol taste is there--how could it not be considering the ABV--and comes with a soy sauce like thread of taste.  This one probably would be quite interesting with age, but it's quite interesting fresh, and I only have one bottle of this highly sought after item.  One to savor.  And, yes, Budweiser owns Goose Island, proving that high quality craft can still exist even with macro involvement.

My score: 97

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