Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Bramble Rye Barrel

At Goose Island our brewers take every opportunity to experiment with new ingredients and aging techniques. For this edition of Bourbon County Brand Stout, they aged the classic recipe in rye whiskey barrels with raspberries and blackberries from Michigan. The result is a powerfully rich beer with notes of tart fruit and jam that fade into the warm spice of a fine rye whiskey.

337 reviews

Chicago, United States

Community reviews

3.8 Pours black with a medium tan head. Oak and whiskey dominate an aroma that also finds blackberry, raspberry, chocolate, and earthy malt. The taste has a whiskey base and is lightly sweet. Flavors are a balance of blackberry, chocolate, cherry, oak, rye, and traces of licorice. It finishes with blackberry and whiskey. Light to medium bodied, slick in texture. Quite solid, but this is a weak entry in the Bourbon County lineup.

4.5 2018 pite jakiś czas temu. uzupełnienie profilu. Ocena przepisana z utpd. Miłego dnia.

4.0 Aromat wyraźnie owocowy z kompozycją malin, jeżyn, porzeczek. Dalej bourbon, alkohol, wanilia, czekolada, paloność. Barwa ciemno brązowa do czarnej, nieprzejrzysta. Piana beżowa drobno pęcherzykowa, niewielka. Smak umiarkowanie słodki z lekką kwaskową kontrą i alkoholem. Dużo owoców, beczki, czekolady, melano. Trochę szorstka, alkoholowo-palona goryczka. Pełnia wysoka, wysycenie średnie i palono-owocowa końcówka z wyraźną nutą alkoholową.

4.5 500ml bottle, 2018 vintage. Jammy raspberry and blackberry aroma with notes of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, oak, rye and whiskey flavors. Pours deep brown with a thin mocha brown head that has little retention and lacing. Starts with rich caramel, chocolate, rye and oak flavors as well as having a rich, full body and slick, smooth mouthfeel. Finishes impeccably smooth with jammy raspberry and blackberry flavors as well as lovely notes of vanilla and whiskey. Fantastic!

3.9 Aromas of dark fruits blackberries, raspberries, lingonberries, plum concentrate, red wine, merlot, alcohol heat, oak, whisky, roasted malts, cacao and roasted barley. Taste is deep berry, pie crust, chocolate, roasted malts, chalky cocoa, wort syrup, molasses, blackberry, raspberry, lingonberry, gooseberry funk, licorice and tree bark upfront. Mid palate is heavy whisky, alcohol burn, vanilla, burnt caramel, campfire ash, roasted malt, barrel wood, corkscrew and wort syrup . Finishes with a nice residual berry/red wine character and very subtle rye spice from the whisky. Overall, quite nice but boozy as hell. Blackberry is dominant with booze.

4.4 On tap at Goose Island in Shoreditch. Pours jet black with a dirty tan head that quickly retreats to clinging onto the glass. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, coconut, blackberry, molasses and boozy bourbon. Once it warms up the jammy fruits comes through more. Taste is chocolate, cocoa, coconut, marshmallow, tart blackberry tempers the sweetness. Cracking balance of flavour. This is some seriously good shizzle.

4.0 0,5l bottle at my place in Cartagena, bought at Brooklyn Farmers Market. Bottled 24. 08. 2019. black color, small coffee colored head. smells of blackberries, bit acidic, raspberries, wood, earthy, some more berry notes, smells was very berry forward at first, but after a while more malt notes come through. nice smell. full body, light carbonation. tastes of raspberries, very light blackberries, wood, earthy notes, bitter chocolate, toffee, raspberry chocolate, bit fudgy, some whisky and brandy notes after it warms up. finishes lightly boozy with notes of whisky, bery notes and some bitter chocolate. Good stuff, I acutally like this a bit better when cold, easier to drink that way, flavours are a bit all over the place once warm. Recommended.

4.5 Keg at beertemple. Pours black, nose is BlackBerry jam, chocolate, bourbon, taste is similar, fruity, rich, delicious. 9/5/9/4/18

3.6 Well done beer, but not to my taste. Black pour. Aroma is grainy rye. Taste is sweet ghetto purple drank.

4.0 Bottleshare: pours black with a beige head. Aroma is berries, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla. Taste is sweet, berries, fruity. Good body. Solid beer. I liked it much more than I thought I would.

4.2 Bottle at share. Pours black. Chocolate, raspberry, strong raspberry, blackberry, toast, vanilla, cherry, red fruit liqueur, dark chocolate. Good body. Very good.

3.8 Pours almost black with tan head. Aroma of berries, whiskey, and wood. Taste is sweet and complex, lots of berry taste. Thumbs up.

3.9 Bottle from a friend. Black color, beige head. Bitter taste with roasted malts, blackberries, bourbon, chocolate, oak, rye and dark fruits. Bitter finish with roasted malts, blackberries, bourbon, rye, oak, dark fruits and chocolate. Very nice imperial stout.

4.2 22Feb2019 Intense brandy, apple, vanilla, burnt apple, brandy, molasses. Hazy, very dark brown, small, creamy, beige head. Light bitter. More apple, dark malts, juicy apple, brandy, sweet, candied apple, molasses, light spices, soft carbonation, full bodied. Outstanding, rich and complex. Bottle at CBR19, Shoreditch.

4.3 Jammy preserves-like aroma with booze and plenty of vanilla from the rye barrels. Flat black color with a tiny brown head. Berries are nearly overpowering in the taste, very chocolatey afterward with a chocolate/rye barrel finish. Nice palate, a bit lighter than other BCS variants.

4.4 Taps dark chocolate with a minimal buff head. Aroma yields roast malt, bourbon and sweet berry. Flavor presents sweey and slightly tart blackberry, roast malt, bourbon and woody tones, a bit of chocolate on the back end. Texture offers fair body and lively fizz. Dare the brambles!

4.2 On tap at Gammon Coach House. Pours dark brown near black. Aroma is alcohol and typical stout aromas. Flavor is really nice a balance of the nice flavors you get in the typical BCBS, but with some additional tartness and fruityness. However, they are fleeting and the finish returns to regular BCBS flavors. A good beer, but only slightly better than the less rare variants.

4.7 2018 relase. Aroma: really great note of raspberries and forest frits, some chocolate. Taste: a bi sour fruits, a bit sweet, a bit chocolate. Oily, nice body. Best version of Goose Island 2018 relase imo!

4.4 ⭐️Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout (2018)⭐️ Imperial Stout z leżakowany w beczkach po żytniej whiskey z dodatkiem zblendowanych malin i jeżyn. Alkohol: 12,7% obj. Ekstrakt: 23.08.2018 W aromacie potęga owoców. Sugestywne jeżyny, borówki, maliny oraz szczypta czarnych porzeczek. Na równorzędnym poziomie beczka po whiskey zapewniająca dużo nut dębiny, owoców oraz beczkowej wanilii. Nigdy nie przypuszczałem, że połączenie malin i jeżyn w piwie może być takie dobre. Wyjątkowa beczka po whiskey, nuty drewna, kawy, czekolady, ciasta z wiśniami. Umiarkowane ciało i odczucie alko. Super piwko!

4.0 B2018. Owoce ładnie współgrają , dużo malin w czekoladzie. Daje to fajny efekt czekoladowo - malinowego ciasta. Tradycyjnie dość wytrawne, aż lekko kwaskowate (od owoców) . Dość wyraźny alkohol.

4.1 Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout (2018) Barwa czarna, piana beżowa, szybko zanikająca. Całośc intensywna, jagodowe owoce, o nieco kwaskowym charakterze, dużo gorzkiej czekolady, kakao, nut palonych. Alkohol wyczuwalny.

4.2 2019/02/07 Bottle shared at putterjes’ thanks to Maakun! Black with not much head. Deep roasted chocolate malts, tar, rubber, rye, licorice, raspberries, dark fruit, blackcurrant, rich fruits. Big sweet, and bitter. Full body and soft carbonation. Score: 8-4-8-4-17 /// 2019/09/12 Tap at the Beertemple (Vintage 2018). Black with thin tan head. Big sweet deep roasted chocolate malts. Dark fruits, berries, blackberries. Big sweet and bitter with a fruity tart edge. Lovely. Big sweet and bitter. Full body and soft carbonation. Score: 9-4-9-4-16

4.1 2018 bottle shared. Black with short lasting brown head. Strong raspberries, blackberries, roast, vanilla, bourbon, soft spicy rye and cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice, dark chocolate, jammy fruits and light earthy. Quite sweet, medium bitter and light tart. Full bodied. Dangerously drinkeable because of the freshness from the fruits. Quite like this!

4.1 Rami Rami is drinking a Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout (2018) by Goose Island Beer Co. at Żytnia 16 Beczka i stout w dalekim tle ale w miare obecne. Slodka porzeczka czarna? Chlalne, smaczne, soczkowate, super ukryte alko, robi wrazenie

4.3 500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 8/24/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy blackberry, raspberry, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, cherry, plum, prune, currant, fig, date, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, coffee, licorice, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, berries, and rye whiskey barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge juicy/tart/tangy blackberry, raspberry, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, cherry, plum, prune, currant, fig, date, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, coffee, licorice, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light herbal, roast, char bitterness; fruit tang/tartness; and rye whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy berries, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, cherry, plum, prune, currant, fig, date, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, coconut, coffee, light licorice/smoke/char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, berries, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet, tart/tangy fruit, and rye whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, tart/tangy fruit, and rye whiskey/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety mouthfeel that is fantastic. Light slickness, sticky hops, chalky char/roast, fruit tang/acidity, and oak tannins. Minimal warming alcohol for 12.7%, with no barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing fruited barrel aged imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, berries, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mellowly bitter/acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish. Insanely perfect balance of jammy berries, rich malts, and rye barrel presence/integration. Not overly boozy/tannic on barrels, or tart/tangy on fruit. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example. Was a big want for years, and it definitely delivered on expectations.

4.0 Taster at the Lincoln Fill Station. Pours black, with a thin, beige head. The nose is tart berries, rye, oak, pine, bittersweet chocolate, and leather. Sweet and roasty, with a touch of tartness. Heavy body, with a smooth, boozy finish. Mellow barrel character, only a hint of fruit, and lots of roast. Very nice.

4.2 2018 vintage. Poured a deep brown with an averaged sized head. There was a reddish / purple tint in there too. Raspberries, berries, whiskey, wood/oak, jammy and chocolate.

4.2 Picked up at local beer store on black Friday 2018. Beer is a dark color. Aroma is berry type fruite chocolate and oak barrel. Texture is dense. Full bodied beer. Medium sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes like a fruite filled chocolate out of a box of chocolates.

4.0 Draft. Brown in color and poured with a thin tan head the receded to a nice lace ring. The aroma a was light (too cold) with a flavoring of berries, chocolate, caramel and spices (rye?). It is warming but not boozy given the abv. Very nice.

4.0 Opaque black with a medium tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Roasted malts, dark chocolate, blackberries, vanilla, wood, and bourbon.