Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Cherry Rye Barrel
Our brewers love experimenting with their beer almost as much as they love drinking it. This unique blend, aged in rye whiskey barrels with loads of whole Michigan cherries, is the one they are proud to finally let you share with your friends at home – or not. After your first sip, you’ll agree, this beer has some real stones.
4.2
325 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
Merci à Marc-André pour le partage de cette bouteille pour laquelle nous avons travaillé fort! Beau liquide qui me paraît présenter des reflets rouges. Est-ce une simple illusion attribuable à ma grande hâte de déguster ce mythique produit? Peu de mousse, beaucoup d’attentes. La cerise se fait discrète au nez et ça me plaît. J’eus été très dérangé par une abondance de cerises trop sucrées ou trop acidifiantes. Il n’en est rien ici. La cerise est perceptible mais demeure très en retrait. Toute la place est laissée à la chaleur de ce stout et à Père Rye. Une pointe de ce fruit en arrière-scène me plaît toutefois beaucoup. Le liquide me ravit cependant moins en bouche. Non pas que la cerise soit mal intégrée au produit, mais je la trouve lourde et fatiguante. Trop de sucre résiduel. La cerise me semble tout à coup sirupeuse et même artificielle. Je crois que c’est trop. Le vieillissement en fût de Rye apporte toutefois une note épicée qui atténue l’effet confituré de la cerise, mais je peine à imaginer affronter un verre de plus de 3 onces de cette bière.
Bottle - pours black tan head - nose/taste of rye, bourbon, cherry, chocolate roast, oak and alcohol in finish - full body
Bottle sampled at a tasting.
No head. Clear black pour. Whiskey aftertaste with subtle cherries
going from memory. Bottle in July. Not as much Cherry as i was hoping based on all the reviews, but definitely had the cherry flavor. base was classic with little head. Overall very good, but not worth what is trading for in my opinion.
3 years old. Deep heavy dark brown with no head. Big Oaked whiskey barrel nose with lots of rye and coconut and deep earthy cherry. Deep sumptuous flavor with rye barrel whiskey and oak and coconut and oak, deep cherry, sweet chocolaty roast, booze heat, and roast. Lots of whiskey and rye and cherry and earthy roasty chocolate.
2012 bottle pour. Black pour with tan head. Cherry, chocolate, roasted and oak aromas. Chocolate, sweet cherry, touch of oak and rye.
On draft at Rare Day 2015. Smell is fruit and whiskey forward. Smells more like a plum than cherries but I digress... Dark brown pour with tan head. Flavor is well balanced between tart cherries and thick, creamy, chocolatey stout. This is delicious.
Pours viscous and pitch black with mahogany edges and a half finger beige head that quickly fades, settling into a thin ring. Spotty lacing left behind.
Sweet boozy aroma with a nicely integrated barrel presence that’s countered by dark fruit and sweet and roasted malt notes. Subtle dry oak along with a strong boozy bourbon character. Barrel presence is strong but doesn’t overpower the malt backbone that has notes of silky, fudge-y chocolate cake and subtle roast along with sweet cherry juice and dark berries. Smells very good.
Full bodied and viscous with a prominent barrel presence that’s pretty much perfectly integrated into the base beer and the addition of cherries puts it on another level. Strong whiskey/bourbon flavor with plenty of sweet alcohol that’s countered by luscious, silky chocolate malt, fudge/cake sweetness and subtle roast. Some dry, toasted oak, vanilla bean and coconut but the bourbon and cherries really stand out. Dessert like with sweetness and pastry like flavors under the barrel. Also, the addition of cherries is wonderful adding a vinous sweetness that compliments the other flavors without being cloyingly sweet or syrupy. Slightly dry/tart dark fruit presence is most prominent in the finish providing a lingering complex flavor that is really delicious. I usually really dislike cherry stouts or fruit forward dark beers but it works really well here.
Brown black colour, beige head. Aroma of cherry, caramel, berries, soy and vanilla. Sour cherry flavour, vanilla, brown sugar, malts, some coconut and soy sauce. Finish cacao, sour cherry, bourbon and caramel.
(from 66cL bottle @ ZZT XII, ’Getting Joes’d to it’, Oirschot. Thanks for sharing, Benzai!)
#6000. Thanks! to Benzai. 650 ml. bottle sampled @ ZZT XIII. Deep black with a light Bordeaux hue & no head. Nose is sour red fruits, varnish, wood, barrel, molasses with sour fruit. Taste is molasses, sour red fruits, maple, mocha, light varnish barrel, chocolate,… Thick body. A tad too sour, possibly not at its prime, happy to have tried this one. It is still a very good beer, the others are just even better.
Bottle @ ZZT XII. Opaque black color, very small brown head that diminishes almost instantly. Aroma is malts, sweet, whiskey, wood. Taste malts, wood, whiskey, red fruits, a slight hint of red fruit tart in the aftertaste. Love the aroma but the flavor is too much fruit tart for me. Still nice though. Heavy but nice.
Bottle @ ZZT12. Dark brown to black colour with no head. Smells roasty, chocolate, fruity, very sweet. Tastes sweet, roasty, coconut, bounty, chocolate. Full body, soft carbo. Too sweet for now.
From notes. Shared at a BCBS tasting put on by Brian Winters. Thanks! The pour on this baby is just like the other variants of BCBS. Thick, black, chewy, with a dark khaki/medium brown head and no lace. The aroma is full of cherry. This is like a cherry syrup mixed with the regular BCBS. There is a good oak, rye spiciness, vanilla, molasses. and chocolate. The cherry almost seems a little forced here. The flavor is even more forced than the aroma. The cherry is there, but not the tart sharp that I was hoping to see. The chocolate, molasses, and rye are beautiful. It’s so good. There is a little alcohol burn on this one. The mouth feel is viscous and chewy with a soft carbonation and a lovely lingering finish. Aftertaste is all molasses and a sweet cherry with a little bit of alcohol burn
Bottle at all killer no filler. Pours jet black. Aroma is cherry, cocoa and vanilla. Taste is cinnamon, slight cherry tart, cocoa, milk chocolate and a nice balance of oak. Full bodied.
Stouty smell. Taste is a nice barrel aged stout with the addition of a significant amount of great cherry flavor. Thick with a slight booze bite.
Per usual, Bourbon County is good and this doesn’t disappoint. It is probably my least favorite one I have had though.
Okay, I know this stout is extremely well made. So I was generous with some of the rating categories. But man, this stuff is just TOO SWEET. People really enjoy sipping this stuff?? It has the gravity and mouthfeel and taste of cough syrup. Why?? You can’t escape the sweetness, it is off the charts. It’s there in the beginning, then towards the middle when the sweet and sour cherry explosion-- assertive yet still ethereal in nature-- appears. Then at the end there is this candy sugar candy like sweetness. Too much. Last note is one of a nice subtle, low-humming roastiness that trails off gently. But it is not enough to help one forget of the sugary sweetness. Almost-- almost-- a drain pour.
22oz bottle pours oily dark brown black with small dark head. Nose has dark chocolate cherry, bourbon spice, dark fruit, berry. Taste has creamy nice mouthfeel, rounded soft cherry juice sweetness, dark fruity bourbon chocolate, some wood spice, roast. Finishes with sweet chocolate berry, roast, charred cacao, light vanilla, bourbon. Still very tasty.
Bottle. Thanks John for sharing. This was pretty much gold. One of the best stouts I have ever had. Period. Goddamn, this stuff was amazing. The cherry melded so well with the rye whiskey barrel and base stout it was truly out of this world good. I was not prepared for how much I would like this one. I am a fruit beer guy for sure, but damn, this stuff really brought the heat. My favorite stout that I have tried.
Bottle. Black beer with an brownish head. Chocolate licorice fruity cherries caramell coffee vanilla woody aroma. Roasted chocolate cherries caramell coffee raisins vanilla and woody flavour. Lovely beer :-)
Bottle. Dark purple-black with some thinner highlights and a silky, sandy tan head. Tangy nose, like mulled cider. Sour cherry, cinnamon, vanilla, dark chocolate, toasted coconut, caramel. The flavor reminds me of a soda -- black cherry. Dark chocolate-soaked tart cherries, French vanilla, tons of alcohol. Oily, creamy, full body. Mild, prickly carbonation. Very noticeable alcohol. Nice balance of tartness and sweet roast flavor. What a unique beer.
Number 2000. Pours the part. Smells like all the other BCBS varients with some cherries. Taste follows the same lines. Bourbon, chocolate covered cherries, vanilla, oak. Medium body with decent boost. Great beer.
My neighbor who worked at Total Wine & More grabbed a bottle of this before he switched jobs. I was lucky enough to be involved in the sharing. Heavy and sweet... with flavors of chocolate, cherries, coffee, bourbon, etc. Complex and bold. Probably more of a dessert brew. Not only is it delicious, but it will get you very buzzed!
66cl bottle sample via trade with AdamJackson @ lucha libre night comes to LeRoeulx.
Anno 2012.
De couleur brune foncée, col fin blanc-cassé, léger doré au verre.
Arôme est malté avec un bouquet de cerise qui reste très présent et fort prenant. Cela est en parfaite harmonie avec le bouquet chocolaté de cette bière.
Palais offre une belle complexité de la cerise qui reste profonde avec une petite touche surette. Le tout est en balance avec un profil malté conséquent qui donne un caractère plein de chocolat et de malts grillés. Pointe de chaleur se dégageant des 13% de cette bière et une petite touche épicée de seigle. Comme souvent avec ces séries de BCS, on n’est rarement déçu.
Aroma and taste: Cocos and cherries. Dense beer. Very sugary. Bounty on kriek. Tasty sipper. thanks berntholer for sharing
Tasted on 1/24/15 from a capped 650mL bomber bottle, big thanks to Kyle for sharing! Pours nearly black with a thick brown head that leaves average lace. The nose is cherry tootsie roll with some maple, caramel, and vanilla oak. The flavor is more whiskey and cherry with the chocolate tootsie roll on the mid palate. The body is full with light carbonation and a long cherry and chocolate syrup finish.
Bottle. Pours out black with an almost not there medium sized tan head. Aroma is of cherries, lots of cherries. Chocolate, mild boozy notes, wood and some roast. Taste is very complex with a silky smooth mouthfeel, lots of cherries, chocolate, wood, fruity sweetness, roast and a mild bit of some boozy notes from the whiskey. This was one of the best variants to date.
Bottle @ the Epic Bourbon County Tasting. Last beer of the BCBS variations, completed the list now. Pours a pitch black beer with a small brownish head on top. Aroma of coco, cherries, red fruits, some vineous stuff, slight bourbon. Flavor is sweet and very fruity, like the Bramble Rye, but now less overpowering. A big boozy background and fruity front makes this quite enjoyable to drink. Both the cherries and the whiskey are easily picked out alongside some chocolate notes. Again the base beer is present, but tweaked into something slightly different. Smooth silky finish. Another great example here.
Drank at the magnificent BCBS tasting in Bodegraven 10/1/2015. Not as rich and complex as the other fruit-beer (backyard). Just bourbon county beer with some cherry hints. No added layer.
Sample at the Bourbon County tasting, De Molen. Poured a deep mahogany witn a round bubbly tan head. The aroma is rich roasty, alcohol bitter, red berry fruit. The flavour is moderate acid sour light sweet with a rich cherry malt yeast acid palate. Medium bodied with average carbonation.