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The Beer Circle » Beer, Blend, Goose Island Brewing Co. » Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

November 4th, 2012 | 2 Comments | Written by Kenton Martin

For my first TheBeerCircle review, I decided to review a beer that I got my hands on from Brass Rail Beverage via their V.I.P. program – Bourbon County Stout. I was told by some friends that I needed to give this beer a taste, so I jumped on the opportunity and picked up a bottle. Given the rave reviews I heard from others, I decided to find out for myself.

Bourbon County Brand Stout

Appearance
This is a very dark, black-colored stout. It pours as a light head on top, but then quickly settles in.

Aroma
The bourbon is noticeable right away. It contains a dark, coffee-like scent very similar to Bell's Black Note Stout. I was fortunate to try Black Note on the last Beer Circle tour.

Taste
This contains a mix of chocolate and caramel at first. Then, the smokey oak and barley flavors come forward. The aftertaste holds a hint of the high booziness, but it's not too prominent. The various flavors compliment each other to mask the high ABV.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability
This goes down very smoothly. A creamy texture rolls down the tongue, and then teases you to have some more.

Value
In southern PA, this brew is hard to find (it cost me $8), but it's definitely worth trying at least once.

Overall
This is something you should try at least once. I highly recommend for anyone who as not tried this beer before to pick it up when the opportunity arises for a taste. This is a really smooth beer with exceptional taste.

Beer Stats
Style: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Serving: Bottle
Size: 12 oz
ABV: 14.50%
BA Score: 97
RB Score: 100

Not only was I able to get a bottle of this year’s Bourbon County Stout, but writer Garrett Miller was able to get a sample at Al’s of Hampden as well. He too agreed that this smooth-tasting stout is very comparable to Bell’s Black Note Stout from our previous TheBeerCircle tour.

Last updated by Kenton Martin at November 4, 2012.

Written by Kenton Martin

Kenton is a Southeast PA native who began diversifying his beer tastes alongside many of The Beer Circle writers at Zeno’s beerfests in State College, PA. He continues to live in the area and is an avid follower of the local microbreweries – going so far as to try his hand at brewing himself. Initial results have been very successful. Find Kenton Martin on Google Plus

Follow Kenton Martin on Twitter

Filed under: Beer, Blend, Goose Island Brewing Co. · Tags: Bourbon County Brand Stout, Goose Island Brewing Co., Review

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