Review: Goose Island Backyard Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout

Goose Island Backyard Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout
12.7% ABV

Goose Island Brewing Co.,Chicago, IL
22 oz btl

Served in Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale snifter
Date on bottle: Bottled on 11/20/13
Reviewed on 2/21/14

This imperial stout pours a thick dark brown color with a toasty beige, slightly red head that dissipates quickly. Decent lacing.

Smell consists of strong dark fruit, alcohol, whiskey, malt, chocolate, some coffee, wood, soy, sugary cherry, vanilla.

Taste consists of strong flavors of cherry and berries, muted alcohol, wood, vanilla, whiskey, slight chocolate, coffee, malt, touch of caramel.

Mouthfeel is smooth and syrupy on the apalte with some muted through noticeable bitterness.

Overall, this is a strong tasting imperial stout with prominent flavors of berries and dark fruit. Alcohol is prominent on the nose, but takes to the background on the palate. Vanilla, whiskey, chocolate, and wood flavors provide solid flavorful accents.  This one compares quite well to the other Bourbon County Brand offerings.  Quite tasty and worth savoring, though it's far too easy to drink quickly.

My score: 97