Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Backyard Rye Barrel
Always on the lookout for the next thing they can throw in a barrel, our brewers actually looked no further than their own backyard for this release – literally. Inspired by the berries they remember first eating from the trees in their yards; this Bourbon County release is full of the dark, spicy, and pleasantly sweet flavors of mulberries, marionberries, and boysenberries. This trio of fruit nicely rounds out the spice and heat of the rye whiskey barrels in which they were aged, resulting in a smooth, jammy stout perfect for sipping on your back porch.
4.1
340 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
Vintage bottle at Bart’s Bourbon County tasting in Bruges. BCBS aged on rye barrels (like several other variants) and ’fruited’ with rather unlikely fruits: marionberries (an American bramble species), boysenberries (a hybrid of bramble and raspberry) and mulberries (a completely different and delicate kind of fruit with superficial resemblances to brambleberries). Thin, yellowish beige, quickly dissolving head, black robe with mahogany edges. Wonderful bouquet of bitter chocolate, wet wood, vanilla-like oak, whisky, toasted brown bread, old dry sherry (maderisation effect - stunningly beautiful in this case), lots of berries but indistinguishable from each other (could just as well be blueberries or blackcurrant, though a blackberry juice aspect is certainly there), cooked dark fruit or even ’forest fruit’ jam, old raisins. Intense fruitiness in the onset, a ton of dark berries providing a soft, fruit jam-like sweetness alongside a crisp but soft, vivid sourishness surrounding a more ’deeply’ situated dried fruit sweetness and meaty umami aspects; thick, oily, softly carbonated body. A multi-layered, deliciously thick caramelly, nutty and eventually deeply chocolatey maltiness ensues, providing a mouth-filling bittersweetness in which this lush dark fruit sweet-and-sourishness unabatedly persists, cutting through the whole and refreshing it at the same time; drying wood tannins, spicy and perfectly dosed hops and a lot of warming, but non-astringent, old port- or sherry-like alcohol bring the finish to utmost perfection. I had great tasting experiences with this world famous brand of beautiful beers, but this one stands a good chance at being the most perfect, delicate, complex and wondrous Bourbon County I ever had the pleasure to taste. Absolute genius at work here.
Pours black with brown head. Aromas of bourbon, berries, roasted malt, chocolate. Similar flavors with some spice from the rye. Full body with minimal carbonation.
Merci à Lussier pour le partage de cette bière très convoitée! Le choix de l’étiquette est parfait. Avant même de lire ce qui y est écrit, on sait que des baies rouges et noires ont été employées dans l’élaboration de cette variante. Attention cependant car c’est jammy! Il faut aimer la confiture! En effet, le fruit est explosif et sucré. Au nez comme en bouche, je ressens une écrasante dominance de baies. Tentons d’imaginer une Bourbon County stout, bien bourbonnée, bien vanillé et sirupeuse à souhait, brassée avec une purée de fruits. En effet, les fruits prennent l’allure de fruits en purée ayant été mélangés à la bière originale. Mon palais détecte la même sensation alors que la bière coule dans ma bouche comme si je buvais réellement une confiture clarifiée sur le rond de la cuisinière. Beaucoup moins complexe que les autres variantes dégustée lors de cette mémorable soirée, j’ai tout de même aimé cette bière franchement décadente.
Bottle 22fl.oz. @ The Danish (Ulfborg) Ratebeer Summer Gathering 2016, TNO(U)DRBSG16 @ fonefan & Brugmasia House.
[ As Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Backyard Rye Barrel ].
ABV: 12.7%. Clear dark black brown color with a average, frothy - creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, chocolate, roasted, dark malt, raspberry, tart notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, raspberry, chocolate, rye. dark malt. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20160820]
Sampled from a 2012 bottle. Very smooth and drinkable. Nice fruity-tart berry flavor well balances out the intense sweetness. Good roasty backbone. Very tasty.
Bottle@Danish Ratebeer Summer Gathering 2016 - Black pour with tan head. Sweet and roasted malty with notes of sweet chocolate, some caramel, some berry fruits, sweet cocoa finish.
Bottled at TNOD(U)RBSG2016. Black, small head. Rich vanilla aroma with some blackberry. Sweet with full body and dense, rounded mouthfeel. Licorice, sugar and vanilla, lots of black berries. Peppery warming finish. Rich, but overly sweet.
TNOD(U)RBSG16. Black with small tan head. Aroma has whiskey, syrup, spice. Flavour is boozy with jammy berries and light spice. Thick mouthfeel, stille quite drinkable. Good one.
Sampled @ Danish Ratebeer Summer Gathering 2016, Saturday, Day 2
65cl bottle. Pours very dark brown colour with a small tan head. Aroma of sweet dark malt, red berries, vanilla. Taste of very sweet dark malt, red berries, vanilla, some wood.
Malzig kirschige Aromen im Antrunk, zunehmend unsüffig werdend. Dabei steigt die Süße an, die kirschigen Noten sind ganze vorne mit dabei. Weich holzig, Tannennadeln, wenig alkoholisch. Vanille zum Ende. 12/12/12/10/11/12
Bottle, 12.7%. Very dark brown with small beige head. Aroma is roasted malts, berries, wood, oak, chocolate and coffee. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, berries, medium sweet, bourbon, vanilla, rye, wood, warming with notes of alcohol.
Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Black with a brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, red berries, chocolate, wood and bourbon. Flavor is quite sweet and rather bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish with warming alcohol. Oily. 200816
Bottle @ Danish Ratebeer Summer Gathering, fonefan. Nice head with good duration. Color is black. Aroma and taste are roast malt, berries, fruits, chocolate, coffee, wood and hops. Nice and smooth.
September 18, 2015. Bottle, received in a trade, thanks!
Black with a small brown head. Aroma is roasted malts, a good amount of berries with blackberries and boysenberries, some caramel, vanilla, bourbon, dark chocolate, roasted coffee and some spicy rye notes. Taste is sweet with malty and berry notes, light to medium roasted bitterness, light tart berry astringency. Finish is light tart and sweet berries,sweet caramel, spicy peppery rye with some oak notes and warming bourbon. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, oily texture.
A bit too much berry character which gives it an astringent note so the great base beer is disappears.
bomber pour..dark brownish-light black color with a slight tan head..quite a bit of noise from carbonation action..lingers longer than expected..nose is berry dominant with blackberries, raisins, boysenberries and vibrant berry fruit very noticeable..jammy essence as well..good quality jam, not the cheap stuff here...mouthfeel is super smooth with the massive berries hitting surface of palate first..berries are a bit sweet, perhaps a tad too sweet, but as that fades next layer of the rye whiskey hits which is nice because the sweetness is kept in check by the woody, slight vanilla essence from the wood..final finish has expected warmth and the booze is felt on close..this really was an interesting combination, not my favorite of the GIBCBS varietals but a complex well crafted offering as anticipated..a bit too sweet n jammy for me..Cheers to 700 ratings!
22oz bottle thanks to rich. pours out black topped with a small tan head. nose is big roast malts bourbon barrel vanilla a nice berry sweetness some gram cracker notes aswell. Taste is more of the bourbon barrel goodness a nice Berry touch vanilla sweetness. This was tasty.
(Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Backyard Rye Barrel) Bottle 650 ml at home, served into a snifter, ABV 12.7%
Pours a black and thick beer, with a small dark brown head on top, with low to average retention.
Lots of berries still on the aroma, with whiskey following, vanilla, light roasted malts, wood, light soy sauce, alcohol.
Very sweet on the taste, with the whiskey more notable now, the alcohol too, still some vanilla notes, not so much of the berries, molasses, wood, roasted malts.
Thick body, nicely carbonated, very sticky on the palate while having a smooth, silky texture.
Great beer.
This beer has peaked and has started to fade a little. Less Jammy than in the past, and transitioning towards the stout characteristics. Probably my least favorite of the variants.
Aroma is wonderful, barrel, roasted malt, licorice, sweet, booze, boysenberries, wonderful. Appearance is black, not much head left but wonderful. Taste is fruity, barrel, booze, tart, then like regular Bourbon County, just great. Mouthfeel is thick, soft carbonation, tons of berries in the aftertaste. Overall, my god. This is wonderful.
Dark black in color... Aroma of berries, rye whiskey, roasted malts... Flavor is sweet juicy berries, spicy rye, roasted malts... Rye whiskey, fruit on palate... Really nice beer
Last years version, rare as fuck! Strong roast nose chocolate rye barrel sweetness spicyness, fruit underneath. Rare. Black pour tan head dissipates a little. Barrel and fruit up front jammy for sure then dark malt chocolate some oxidation for sure good body still. Better than any of this years variation. Sweet jammy finish. Really good.
Bottle @ Abijen’s Christmas non-tick tasting. Aroma of strong vanilla, earthy cream and cherry. Rich thick flavor of cherry, vanilla, roasted malt, cream, red fruit, mildly tart fruit core and a long lasting delicious finish. Piece of art this one.
Bottle @ Abijen’s Christmas non-tick tasting, small sample. Dark color, short head. Aroma of chcolate, cookie, biscuit, roast, bit vanilla. Bit sweet in taste, chocolate, touch of roast, cookie. Nice.
Mooie zwarte kleur met een goede kraag. Ruikt vol, vanille, crème, koffie. Smaakt vol herfstfruit, vanille, koffie. Beetje alcohol. Mooie volle afdronk.
Donker bruin bier met een kleine beige schuim kraag. Ruikt overrijp fruit, vanille, geroosterd. Smaakt vanille, rood fruit, chocolade, geroosterd.
Ruby red colour, berrilicious, sweet rich aroma, fruity booze
Surprised that I didn’t rate this two years ago
on New Years. That one had tannins (sigh)
Quite a heavyweight
Bottle pour @ Noble Fir for Cubs playoff game. Pours thick deep inky black with reddish brown notes and very thin head. Aroma is big chocolatey roasty malt, tons of fresh coffee, then sizable bourbon cut by crisp spicy rye on the finish. Dry oaky notes throughout. Taste is similar - heavy chocolate, coffee, and bourbon; rich syrupy mouthfeel. Tart dark cherries show up here as well and add a nice flavor. Rye and age seem to mellow the sharp boozy notes you sometimes see in younger Bourbon County versions. Layer after layer of rich flavor, this is excellent.
Bottle. Opaque black liquid with small to medium tan head. Aroma of bourbon, red berries, raw sugar, chocolate, wood, light vanilla, licorice and sweet alcohol. Taste is medi sweet, light sour and light bitter with notes of chocolate, red berries, bourbon and wood. Full bodied with medium carbonation. Lots of berry presence, quite different from the other variants.
Bomber courtesy of Hackobock. Pours viscous black with a small mocha head that doesn’t leave much trace but some legs on the glass. Smell is malty and fruity with roasted malts, burnt caramel, vanilla fudge, charred wood, blackberries, raspberries, dark chocolate, coffee, moist soil, dried pine needles and bourbon alcohol. Taste is sweet, bitter, slightly sour, malty and fruity. Mouthfeel is round, tart, astringent, boozy and medium to full bodied. Finish is sweet, bitter and slightly sour with roasted malts, burnt caramel, vanilla fudge, charred wood, dark roast coffee, sour berries, moist soil, black pepper corns and bourbon alcohol. Sour berries very much run over the bourbon county base. Sour berries and astringent pits. Fun beer but ruined bourbon county version.
Drinking this out in the open, campfire going and cant see how it pours. Bet it looks good... The smell is like dark chocolate with blackberry and cherry filling. Fruity! Clear bcbs backbone in the taste but with candied, jammy qualities. The afteretaste is sweet and ultra rich with even some sour berry notes. Vulgar and charming at the same time.