Bourbon County Brand Barleywine
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Rotating Out of Production|
Score
8.14
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Aged in the second-use barrels that were once home to Kentucky bourbon, this traditional English-style barleywine possesses the subtlety of flavor that only comes from a barrel that’s gone through many seasons of ritual care. This year’s variant will pick up more bourbon barrel character by switching from third to second use barrels. The intricacies of the previous barrel denizens – oak, charcoal, hints of tobacco and vanilla, and that signature bourbon heat – are all present in this beer. Hearty and complex, Bourbon County Brand Barleywine is a titan and a timeline; a bold, flavorful journey through the craft of barrel aging.
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8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Bottle on different occasions. Rating a 2014 had 2019. Deep reddish brown with almost no head. Dried fruit overload with prunes, dates. Some caramel sauce, vanilla, oak. Quite boozy overall, but a very nice sipper.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Jul 2019
at 18:16
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
2017 bottle shared at Lucky Bamboo for Aaron's birthday. Pours a deep caramel colored amber with a finger of off-white foam that dissipates. Lots of prune, fig and raisin aromas on the nose with milk chocolate caramel, dried vanilla bean and toffee as it warms. Rich and decadent on the palate. Yes, it's sweet, but there's toasted malt and woody notes to balance out the sweetness. A year and half in the heat has toned down and it's really smooth and mellow. Would pair immaculately with cheese cake. Lingering bourbon oak, vanilla, toffee coated chocolate, cacao nib and prunes. --- Beer merged from original tick of Bourbon County Barleywine on 06 Jun 2019 at 20:17 - Score: 8. Original review text: Thanks Alex!
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jun 2019
at 22:24
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Taster courtesy of Sander, big thanks. Vintage 2016. almost black color, small coffee colored head. smells of bourbon, bit boozy, marzipan, nutty, very nice smell. full body, almost no carbonation, slick mouthfeel. tastes of bourbon, marzipan, nutty, vanilla, light sherry. finishes lightly sweet with notes of vanilla, bourbon and some marzipan notes. very smooth, not very complex, great barrel notes, almost a bit too smooth, overall very nice one though.
Tried
on 19 May 2019
at 11:01
10/10
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Apr 2019
at 20:53
9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 10
Texture 8
Overall 10
2017 edition, bottled October 6th 2017.
A rather vigorous pour brought a finger of tan foam, quickly dissipating, very dark brown liquid with reddish hues.
Smells...English. caramel malt, burnt sugar, toffee, dark pitted fruits. Aromas worth remembering.
Vibrant flavours of caramel, burnt sugar, toffee, raisins, plums, oh my! All working in unison and hiding the ample abv very well.
Almost full bodied with perfect carbonation.
Amazing! World class!
A rather vigorous pour brought a finger of tan foam, quickly dissipating, very dark brown liquid with reddish hues.
Smells...English. caramel malt, burnt sugar, toffee, dark pitted fruits. Aromas worth remembering.
Vibrant flavours of caramel, burnt sugar, toffee, raisins, plums, oh my! All working in unison and hiding the ample abv very well.
Almost full bodied with perfect carbonation.
Amazing! World class!
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Apr 2019
at 21:34
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Very much an English barleywine, chock full of toffee and caramel backed up by fig, date, black cherry, and candy apple, with a bourbon-oak bitterness on the back end finished off by creme brulee and whiskey. Tasty, but on the sweet side, as if a year and a half on the shelf might have been one too many.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Mar 2019
at 02:43
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Flaska från trade. Vintage 2013. Mörk smutsig brunsvart i färgen med liten beige krona. Doftar av bourbon, kolaremmar, marsipan, rostad malt med lätt rågsyrlighet och stor sötma från lönnsirap. Stor, kletig kropp med tydlig fatkaraktär. Smakar ungefär desamma med mycket bourbon, läder, torkad frukt, kandisocker och lätt nötig karaktär.
Tried
on 23 Feb 2019
at 13:16
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
09.02.2019, 12 oz bottle (2013 vintage) @ home:
Nice slightly bubbly-creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is slightly sweet boozy, oak, dark malts, dark sugar, bourbon, minerals, bark, old rope, toast, soil, burnt caramel, raisins, chocolate, grass. Taste is sweet boozy, dark sugar, fruit stones, booze, minerals, raisins, toffee, toast, bark, grass, bourbon, caramel malts, chocolate, soil, dried dark fruits, butterscotch. Medium bitterness, sweet boozy mouthfeel. Nice.
Nice slightly bubbly-creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is slightly sweet boozy, oak, dark malts, dark sugar, bourbon, minerals, bark, old rope, toast, soil, burnt caramel, raisins, chocolate, grass. Taste is sweet boozy, dark sugar, fruit stones, booze, minerals, raisins, toffee, toast, bark, grass, bourbon, caramel malts, chocolate, soil, dried dark fruits, butterscotch. Medium bitterness, sweet boozy mouthfeel. Nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Feb 2019
at 23:36
9/10
06OCT17. Mmmmm vanilla caramel toffee. So sweet, slightly boozy on the finish. Sweet sweet death, also on the one day of winter in Miami, perfect.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Nov 2018
at 19:05
