Bourbon County Brand Stout - Regal Rye
(has 1 batch)
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Rotating Out of Production|
Score
8.13
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Bourbon County Brand Stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with blackberries, Luxardo candied cherries, fresh sour cherries and sea salt
The brewery opted for blackberry juice sourced from Valley Processing, in Sunnyside, Wash., instead of whole fruit both because it’s easier to use as an ingredient and for its richer flavor. The cherries used in Regal Rye are Luxardo cocktail cherries; the beer also incorporates the cherries' bright, sugary syrup. The sea salt “adds another layer that will make the flavors pop slightly — depth to something that’s already deep.
The brewery opted for blackberry juice sourced from Valley Processing, in Sunnyside, Wash., instead of whole fruit both because it’s easier to use as an ingredient and for its richer flavor. The cherries used in Regal Rye are Luxardo cocktail cherries; the beer also incorporates the cherries' bright, sugary syrup. The sea salt “adds another layer that will make the flavors pop slightly — depth to something that’s already deep.
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8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
3800th review! 500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 10/27/2015. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense dark brown head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge milk chocolate, cocoa, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, caramel, vanilla, toffee, toasted oak, rye whiskey, light smoke/char, and roast/oak earthiness; with some light booziness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt, berries, and rye whiskey barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge milk chocolate, cocoa, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, caramel, vanilla, toffee, toasted oak, lightly spicy rye whiskey, light smoke/char, and roast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate roasted bitterness and whiskey/oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, berry, cherry, caramel, vanilla, toffee, oak, rye whiskey, light smoke/char, and roast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible robustness, complexity, and balance of dark/roasted malt, berries, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; with an awesome roasted bitterness/sweetness and spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and full bodied; with a smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is incredible. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light-moderate warmth lingering after the finish with zero booziness. Overall this is an absolutely incredible fruited barrel aged imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt, berries, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; and extremely smooth to sip on for the huge ABV. There was very minimal salinity and salt flavor in this, so it was likely used to enhance the overall flavor profile. A highly amazing offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Dec 2015
at 22:27
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 7.5
Botte - Warning, end of a hard drinking night, palette is suspect. Dark roast and some light boozy notes. Deep brown black with a brown head. Bourbon notes, some dark fruit and roast malts. Soo thin on the palate though, just not enough body to carry these flavors.
Tried
on 07 Dec 2015
at 13:11
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
500mL bottle at Brouwer's Cafe, pours black with a small brown head. Aroma brings out rich bourbon barrels, followed by sea salt, and a touch of blackberries. Flavour is huge on the blackberries upfront, followed by bourbon barrels and a touch of salt. Fantastic balance here. The blackberries are superbly situated. Not too boozy for such a high gravity beer, but still "big". Excellent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Dec 2015
at 02:43
8.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle thanks to Russell. Pours a very dark brown with smal beige head that diminishes quickly. The aroma is strong bourbon, sea salt, cherry skin. Slick mouth, berry, bourbon, light salt, very sweet, really nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Dec 2015
at 23:30
8.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at Churchkey shared with Shelton (no relation), Brian and others. Pretty much opaque black color, brown head. Aroma has earthy cherries dipped in coffee dipped again in cocoa. Taste has fruity berries, chocolate, coffee. Body and beeriness are both preserved. Delicious.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Dec 2015
at 19:27
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
2015 release, on draught at Bukowski’s Cambridge, 12/1/15.
Very thin, tan head tops an opaque, ebony beer with violet/magenta tints on the edges. Head retention is low.
Well, there’s the luxardo, right smack dab in the center of aroma (which is also where it is in the flavor). Can’t deny it’s rather medicinal, but a bit more authentic blackberry character, mixed with brown sugar, lightly spicy whiskey and tons of chocolate fudge are right behind it. Kept sniffing all the way down to the bottom of the glass, and I will say, it never got boozey/hot, which is impressive for a beer this young. Light sharpness at best, but it mixes in with (and perhaps exacerbates) the medicinal quality.
Rich, coating, thick and borderline syrupy in the mouth, it’s nonetheless got a very endearing character to it that I can’t quite put my finger on. While there’s no shortage of sugar here, it somehow dosen’t seem cloying. Perhaps there’s just enough attenuation and maltiness, and certainly the blackberry/sour cherry acidity and barrel dryness help, as well. Lots of luxardo character, but a lovely blackberry fruitiness and an incredibly rich, soft texture with low, but fairly tight carbonation. Not too hot/boozey and seems like it has a ton of potential to improve and dry out with age. As much as I like Luxardo, I don’t think that helped the beer at all and just adds sugar, cherry syrup and medicinal character. Without that element, this thing would be much, much better.
Would like to revisit in about 3 years.
Very thin, tan head tops an opaque, ebony beer with violet/magenta tints on the edges. Head retention is low.
Well, there’s the luxardo, right smack dab in the center of aroma (which is also where it is in the flavor). Can’t deny it’s rather medicinal, but a bit more authentic blackberry character, mixed with brown sugar, lightly spicy whiskey and tons of chocolate fudge are right behind it. Kept sniffing all the way down to the bottom of the glass, and I will say, it never got boozey/hot, which is impressive for a beer this young. Light sharpness at best, but it mixes in with (and perhaps exacerbates) the medicinal quality.
Rich, coating, thick and borderline syrupy in the mouth, it’s nonetheless got a very endearing character to it that I can’t quite put my finger on. While there’s no shortage of sugar here, it somehow dosen’t seem cloying. Perhaps there’s just enough attenuation and maltiness, and certainly the blackberry/sour cherry acidity and barrel dryness help, as well. Lots of luxardo character, but a lovely blackberry fruitiness and an incredibly rich, soft texture with low, but fairly tight carbonation. Not too hot/boozey and seems like it has a ton of potential to improve and dry out with age. As much as I like Luxardo, I don’t think that helped the beer at all and just adds sugar, cherry syrup and medicinal character. Without that element, this thing would be much, much better.
Would like to revisit in about 3 years.
Tried
from Can
on 04 Dec 2015
at 14:37
9.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
Draft 10 Oz pour at Malt and Vine. Poured into the Bourbon County glassware, as it should only be served. Pours black with an active tan swirl head. This is exactly what a barrel aged stout should be. They may have found the closest to a perfect beer in the category. Vanilla, oak and soft cherry aroma. Flavor has just enough berry to make it noticeable and give it that unique touch. Medium body, no harsh booze bite here. Easy, smooth bourbon, vanilla, and cherry. Could be blackberry. All I know is its good. Lingering dark fruit with just a touch of oak and bourbon. Looking back at this, my deScription does this no good. I should have simply said, this stout is as close to perfect as a stout can get. Loved it.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Nov 2015
at 18:46
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
4 oz pour on draft at ChurchKey. Black with light tan head, brown hue around the edges. Aromas of sweet potato, whiskey, spices, cherries & dark fruit. Tastes of dark fruit, cherries, whiskey, dark chocolate, light spice and salt. Full body with a dry finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 Nov 2015
at 15:37
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draft at Stoddard’s for their Black Wednesday Event. No head on a pitch black liquid. Aroma is a nice mellow Bourbon with chocolate and just a slight touch of spicy Rye.
Mouthfeel is slick and oily with a high viscosity. Fuller body but is slightly thinned by a flavor of cherry cough syrup. Very little.alcohol heat which is.pretty impressive. The cherry doesn’t add sourness, just a cough syrup cherry. 13.5% really is hidden well.
Mouthfeel is slick and oily with a high viscosity. Fuller body but is slightly thinned by a flavor of cherry cough syrup. Very little.alcohol heat which is.pretty impressive. The cherry doesn’t add sourness, just a cough syrup cherry. 13.5% really is hidden well.
Tried
from Draft
on 25 Nov 2015
at 15:24