Bourbon County Brand Stout - Bramble Rye (2018)
(Batch of Bourbon County Brand Stout - Bramble Rye)

Bottle at share. Pours black. Chocolate, raspberry, strong raspberry, blackberry, toast, vanilla, cherry, red fruit liqueur, dark chocolate. Good body. Very good.

Bottle shared at putterjes’ thanks to Maakun! Black with not much head. Deep roasted chocolate malts, tar, rubber, rye, licorice, raspberries, dark fruit, blackcurrant, rich fruits. Big sweet, and bitter. Full body and soft carbonation.

2018 bottle shared. Black with short lasting brown head. Strong raspberries, blackberries, roast, vanilla, bourbon, soft spicy rye and cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice, dark chocolate, jammy fruits and light earthy. Quite sweet, medium bitter and light tart. Full bodied. Dangerously drinkeable because of the freshness from the fruits. Quite like this!

500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 8/24/2018. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy blackberry, raspberry, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, cherry, plum, prune, currant, fig, date, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, coffee, licorice, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, berries, and rye whiskey barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge juicy/tart/tangy blackberry, raspberry, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, cherry, plum, prune, currant, fig, date, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, coffee, licorice, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light herbal, roast, char bitterness; fruit tang/tartness; and rye whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy berries, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, cherry, plum, prune, currant, fig, date, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, coconut, coffee, light licorice/smoke/char, leather, tobacco, herbal, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, berries, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet, tart/tangy fruit, and rye whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, tart/tangy fruit, and rye whiskey/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety mouthfeel that is fantastic. Light slickness, sticky hops, chalky char/roast, fruit tang/acidity, and oak tannins. Minimal warming alcohol for 12.7%, with no barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing fruited barrel aged imperial stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, berries, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mellowly bitter/acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish. Insanely perfect balance of jammy berries, rich malts, and rye barrel presence/integration. Not overly boozy/tannic on barrels, or tart/tangy on fruit. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example. Was a big want for years, and it definitely delivered on expectations.

Woopwoop! Fruity as fuck, loads of blackberries and raspberries. Thick stout with a hint of acidity that balances out the sweetness. Barrel has gone AWOL, though. For me, it works, but needs more barrel to be real great.

My Original rating form 2014 vintage got deleted?!?!?!?!?! How the hell did that happen? Ok, here we go again. 2014 vintage had on draft at G.I. Clybourn and 4 different 22 oz. bottles from that year. The thing I rememeber most and loved about it was the blackberry jam and raspberry I got from it. Bourbon was always there but never overwhelmed the stout. Since this is a rebrew and my review from 2014 got deleted, this is a combo score from both vintages. Although I gave 2014 vintage a 4.4 (from memory).
2018 vintage. Draft at G. I. Brew House, Philadelphia. 23 Nov, 2018. Aroma had a solid amount of berries. Subtle bourbon. In the flavor the bourbon does pop but smoothed out by the berries. Slick, oily mouthfeel with a slight warming after the sip.