Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - Coffee
Everyday Goose Island smells the wonderful coffee roasting next to our brewery at Chicago’s Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea. This world class roaster puts the same passion and skill into their coffee as Goose Island does with its beer. This excellent stout is made with a different coffee from our friends next door each year. With the change in coffee comes a change in the flavor profile, making each release truly unique from the previous years.
- First bottle release seen in Spring 2010 as "Bourbon County Coffee Stout".
- Also available previous years at the brewpub as "Black Cat Bourbon County Stout"
2010 Bottling: Intelligentsia Black Cat
2010 Draft: Intelligentsia Bosque Lya
2011 Draft: Intelligentsia Honey Badger
2011 Draft: Intelligentsia Edelweiss
2011 Bottling: Intelligentsia Anjilanaka
2012 Bottling: Intelligentsia La Tortuga
2013 Draft: Intelligentsia El Diablo
2013 Draft: Kangocho Kenyan Coffee
2013 Draft: Fazenda Brazilian Coffee
2013 Bottling: Intelligentsia Los Inmortales
2014 Release - Intelligentsia Zirikana from Rwanda
2015 Release - Intelligentsia Los Delirios from Nicaragua
2017 Release - Intelligentsia Black Cat
2022 Release - Intelligentsia Turihamwe
- First bottle release seen in Spring 2010 as "Bourbon County Coffee Stout".
- Also available previous years at the brewpub as "Black Cat Bourbon County Stout"
2010 Bottling: Intelligentsia Black Cat
2010 Draft: Intelligentsia Bosque Lya
2011 Draft: Intelligentsia Honey Badger
2011 Draft: Intelligentsia Edelweiss
2011 Bottling: Intelligentsia Anjilanaka
2012 Bottling: Intelligentsia La Tortuga
2013 Draft: Intelligentsia El Diablo
2013 Draft: Kangocho Kenyan Coffee
2013 Draft: Fazenda Brazilian Coffee
2013 Bottling: Intelligentsia Los Inmortales
2014 Release - Intelligentsia Zirikana from Rwanda
2015 Release - Intelligentsia Los Delirios from Nicaragua
2017 Release - Intelligentsia Black Cat
2022 Release - Intelligentsia Turihamwe
4.2
1005 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
Bottle @ Seavans tasting, thanks Jon! Dark brown with some reddish hue. Dry dark coffee nose, lightly tart, chocolate. Tastes sweet, lightly spicy, melted caramel chocolate, coffee, salt umami and pretty amazing light bitterness there as well. Palate is dry, light bourbon, coffee, super well balanced. Dry and only just a bit boozy and not that sweet. Awesome.
Pitch black color. No head. Coffee and nice charred oak nose. The palate is fantastic, amazing bourbon, coffee, dark chocolate, the charred oak is fantastic. Off sweet. Super well balanced. No booze. Amazing
2013 vintage. For the record, the 12-oz bottle's label says "Develops in the bottle for up to 5 years" and I would say there's not much value in letting it go longer. Hardly any carbonation left in the bottle and just the most minor of head could be coaxed from the pour. The aromas are booze -- from a distance of a few feet and very distinctive -- followed by vanilla and chocolate. Nearly all indications of the coffee are gone (none in the aroma and no bitterness in the finish, either) and one is left with a super smooth and sweet beer that is very delicious but has none of the complexity of a younger coffee stout. This is the version that included Intelligentsia Los Inmortales, was bottled 15NOV13 and was consumed just shy of 62 months later. I've got a few more from this era that I'll have to drink up soon -- maybe if the Bears win the Super Bowl?
Taster, many thanks to Werckmeister and Sander!
Black body, with a small, creamy, coffee-colored head.
Beautiful, smooth aroma of espresso, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, bourbon, caramel fudge, sweet spices, liquorice.
Beautiful taste, with similar aromas, while with a great chocolate creaminess, some booze.
Full, oily mouthfeel, with a moderate carbonation.
Finishes warm, creamy, a bit wooden, with dark chocolate, coffee, cocoa powder, toffee, bourbon.
Delicious! Creamy and very well balanced, with a beautiful mix of the coffee, smooth dark chocolate and the bourbon barrel. A bit boozy, but not too overpowering. My favourite BCBS variant so far, very enjoyable, warming sipper.
Score: 9 / 4 / 9 / 4 / 17
0,5l bottle at home shared by Sander, big thanks. Vintage 2017. black color, small coffee colored head. smells coffee, some bourbon, cinnamon, earthy, vanilla, light sweetness. very nice smell. full body, light carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes of coffee, earthy, spices, cinnamon, molasses, light sherry, bourbon, vanilla. finishes light to medium sweet with notes of cinnamon, bourbon and vanilla. pretty good one, bit boozy, overall sweet coffee flavours, not bad but a bit heavy.
2016 vintage. Aroma of very faint cofee, toasted malt notes . Taste of bourbon, faint cofee,raisins(dark fruits),toffee, caramel, roasty malt,bitter aftertaste.
2016 vintage. Dark brown color with no head. Aroma has deep toasted malt notes and raisins. Taste has bourbon, toffee, caramel, butterscotch and roasty bitterness on the finish. Medium body with medium minus carbonation. Coffee is almost gone but overall it's a really tasty RIS.
500 ml. bottle. Bottled 25JUL17. Pours a medium, poorly retained brown head with no lacing, over a bubbly, clear dark brown (SRM 35) body......nose is roasted malts with cocoa, chocolate tones, mild coffee, whiskey, vanilla, oak nutty tones.....taste is mild sweet, roasted malts with cocoa, chocolate tones, vanilla, whiskey, mild oak,coffee, nuttiness, slight hop bitterness at finish......mouth feel, medium sticky body, alcohol warmth, high carbonation. The coffee, is controlled by the roasted malts, and barrel with vanilla, oak, and whiskey, which create a lovely complex beer that is remarkably soft. BJCP 9/3/15/4/7.
Did not enjoy this beer
2017 draft, small snifter glass, 12.9% ABV indicated. Appears near black with nary a head. Pretty good as a beer, but only decent all considering. I know lower ABV coffee stouts are best fresh, but I do not have a good point of reference for imperial stouts. This is kinda like drinking coffee that's been on the warmer to long with turbinado sugar and a bit of non dairy creamer. There is the flavor from the bourbon barrel aging, which is a highlight. A heavy sipper, and coffee is a superfluous additive.
Bardzo ciekawy aromat, mocno kawowy, ale wypełniony jakby kurzem, trochę też jak deszcz na betonie. W smaku mocno beczkowe, jak to w BCBS, ale finisz jest wyraźnie kwaskowy od kawy. Piękny balans, pyszne.
Bottle (thanks martjoobolut). Pitch black color. Small size, tan head, stays as a ring. Coffee, beans, sweet, cold coffee, alcohol covered. Solid brew.
473ml bottle. 2017. Thanks martjoobõlut. Pours dark brown colour. No head. Lots of coffee beans, sweetness, spicy notes, some dark chocolate in the aroma. Coffee beans, salty caramel, coffee, spicy notes. Some nutiness, bourbon in the end. Salty caramel and coffee beans in the aftertaste. Rather heavy bodied, really well balanced beer. Alcochol really well covered.
Bottle (thanks kuba). Pours black. Aromais coffee, roast, booze, malt. Flavor is sweet and bitter, roast, coffee, malt, bourbon, caramel. Overall: very good.
Bottle, thanks martjoobolut. Pours dark brown colour, small beige head. Aroma is beany, coffee, some hay. Taste is roasty, rich, mild salt, coffee, bourbon, very dark chocolate. Some salt in aftertaste. Full body, below average carbonation. Well covered alcohol, complex brew. Wouldn't say it's almost 13%.
Pours dark brown/black with little lasting lacing. Taste is up front coffee with good viscosity. I also taste tobacco, leather and no bourbon.
Opaque black beer with no head. Heavy aroma; taste starts medium/heavy sweet and ends slightly bitter and dry. Bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, mocha, roasted malts and coffee. 9/5/10/5
Nie zachwyciło mnie przez swoją jednowymiarowość. Mnóstwo kawy, czekolady, pralinek, kakao i wanili w aromacie. Również trochę alkoholu. Piana szybciutko zredukowana do zera. W smaku mocno kawowe, w tle czuć kakao, wanilię, migdały. Mocno alkoholowe, po kilku łykach alko męczy, jest to zdecyowanie największy mankament tego piwa. Ok, ale oczekiwania były wyższe.
Bottle at Matt's
Black color. Strong aroma of fried cheesy jalapeno peppers (jalapeno poppers); roasted malts proper aroma appears later. Good body strength; the mouthfeel is oily, good roasted malts, dark bread, some chocolate, coffee, and some acidity from the malt.
Good but not harmonious.
(2017 - Intelligentsia Black Cat)
Barwa ciemno brunatna, piana beżowa, szybko znika.
Aromat intensywny, na pierwszym planie kawa (ziarnista, espresso), z czasem wychodzi dużo kakao i wanilia, migdały od beczki.
W smaku pełne, gładkie na języku, kawy nieco mniej niż w aromacie, gorzka czekolada, nuty palone w tle, wanilia i migdały wyraźne. Alkohol ułożony.
Sample at Belgium Chimipalooza. Aroma is lots of earthy coffee mixed with strong bourbon notes, merged by chocolate. Taste is dominated by coffee, then dark chocolate, vanilla, wood, more dry than other versions, very tasty but a bit imbalanced.
2013 butelka. W aromacie dominacja intensywnego bourbonu, który po otwarciu uniósł się w całym pokoju. W tle jakaś kawa i czekolada, ale beczka wysuwa się na pierwszy plan również po ogrzaniu. W smaku już jest większy balans, dochodzi do głosu w normie kwaskowa kawa, więcej czeko, ciemne owocki, stonowana paloność. Dużo ciała, słodyczy. Lekka goryczka na finiszu. Być może odrobinę za wysokie wysycenie, jednak nie na tyle, by przeszkadzać. Alko przyjemnie grzeje w przełyk, nie ma tu mowy o jakiejkolwiek przesadzie. Piwo ma ok. 5 lat i zachowało się fenomenalnie.
27-03-18 // shared with the local crew, thanks! 2017 realase, thanks to a trade with jdizzle. Deep black. Lovely coffee nose. Heavy sweetness, strrong coffee sweetness. Oily mouthfeel. Coffe bitterness. Loads of bourbon. Excellent.
W aromacie kawa, świeżo mielona kawa i jeszcze raz kawa, może lekka czekolada, bourbon, dębina. W smaku półsłodkie. Na finiszu kawa i delikatna paloność. Alkohol dobrze ukryty, wysycenie średnie, sporo ciała, intensywne, fajne piwo.
Barwa nieprzejrzyscie czarna bez pianki. W aromacie typowe wloskie espresso z bourbonowymi klimatami czyli wanilia i migdaly. Super sprawa i klasa swiatowa. W smaku super wloskie espresso, pralinki, deserowa czekolada. Bardzo przyjemne cialo, gorzkie espresso na finiszu. Mega ulozone i alkohol bardzo szlachetny. Finisz robi robote swieza kawa. Klasa coffee ris. Hype uzasadniony.
On tap at Whole Foods Market in Redwood City, CA. Aroma is coffee, brownies, vanilla extract. Taste is coffee, vanilla, brownies, bourbon. Enjoyed the coffee notes but the vanilla seemed a little too artificial and overpowering.
Well it is not a big discovery but it is a coffee lovers beer. I kinda like this addition to a regular BCBS. Less barrel but it is replaced by the glorious beans.
One of my favorite BA Coffee stouts. Previous years are stellar compared to recent. Like drinking a creamy coffee frappe. Yum!
Dark brown. This has a pretty vegetal aroma...that's not like Black Cat...but there's some nice chocolate and a touch of the barrel. Soft, sweet, with light chocolate notes, and a hint of coffee.
500ml bottle (thank you, Brian!!!) at Matt's. Pours a very dark brown with dark beige head. Aroma is molasses, some green pepper and coffee. Taste is a very smooth with bourbon, coffee and some chocolate notes. Nice one.