★ Review: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout – Rare

Cpetrone84 graciously shared this bottle with me on his way home after visiting Hill Farmstead. We had a few other special treats.

A – Pours pitch black, not quite as oily as I thought it would be, minimal head with almost no lacing. Appeared mostly flat

S – Licorice, Vanilla, Plums, Coconut and charred oak were the biggest notes. Smell was something bigger though, something I couldn’t quite place my finger on but it smells fantastic.

T – Very little sweetness, Lots of flavors going on, very big but yet well integrated bourbon notes. After drinking a lot of Pappy and other wheated bourbons lately, this tastes just like Pappy 20 at least as far as the bourbon notes go. Not too oaky, loaded with vanilla, some plums, brown sugar, candy corns, not too sweet at the finish and NOT boozy.

M – Oily, slick and heavy. Not fudge-like or thick but smooth and just a bit thinner than ’10 BCBS in a 12oz format

O – It’s amazing how drinking half of this bomber was so easy not because it was tasteless but because it was so refined and not boozy at all. BCBS Rare is not the king any more though. There are a lot of great beers that have taken it’s place but, for a 2010 stout, it’s fantastic and lovely. Really something special.