Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Every year, Bourbon County Brand Stout from Goose Island is released to ravenous public demand. This bourbon barrel aged Russian imperial stout has been an eagerly awaited winter seasonal beer over twenty years, originally brewed to warm beer lovers on even the coldest Chicago nights.
It pours a deep midnight black, sliding from the bottle to the glass, a sharp burst of bourbon gently burning the nose. Not enough to overpower, just an opening salvo of the bold and complex flavors that aging in oak bourbon barrels provides.
Before taking that first sip, smell the roast coffee, vanilla, oak, and molasses that follow the bourbon. It’s one of the best smelling beers ever brewed; don’t rush this.
When drinking the beer, savor the thick, almost syrupy smooth mouthfeel, and taste the intense flavors of deep, dark chocolate, thick caramel, dark currant, and the faint char flavor from the balance. Let the beer, at 15% ABV, warm your throat and chest as you taste the finishing notes of bourbon at the end of your sip.
Now do it all over again — but take your time and savor each sip, for the glass will be empty before you know it.