Bourbon County Brand Barleywine (2017)
(Batch of Bourbon County Brand Barleywine)
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Rotating Out of Production|
Score
8.20
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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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8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 9
27 February 2026. BCBS Tasting @ Stacks (Sint-Kruis). Cheers to Ward for hosting the event!
Hazy dark brown, virtually no head. Candied date & fig, nougat, vanilla, bourbon, fruit cake, plum jam, rum-soaked raisin. Very sweet raisin, date & fig in a thick malt body of toffee, vanilla and brown sugar, lightly toasty as well, touch of coffee somewhere. Herbal hops in the finish, lots of dried fruits lingering, toffee and oaky vanilla with warming bourbon alcohol. Full body, oily-sticky texture, soft carbonation. Complex and elegant and surprisingly (dangerously) drinkable at this ABV.
Hazy dark brown, virtually no head. Candied date & fig, nougat, vanilla, bourbon, fruit cake, plum jam, rum-soaked raisin. Very sweet raisin, date & fig in a thick malt body of toffee, vanilla and brown sugar, lightly toasty as well, touch of coffee somewhere. Herbal hops in the finish, lots of dried fruits lingering, toffee and oaky vanilla with warming bourbon alcohol. Full body, oily-sticky texture, soft carbonation. Complex and elegant and surprisingly (dangerously) drinkable at this ABV.
Tried
on 27 Feb 2026
at 14:41
8.6/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
Brown colour, minimal ecru-ish lacing; aroma and taste of dried cherry, some vanilla, chocolate, nutmeg and se Bourbon notes; quite good one
Tried
on 28 Jul 2025
at 20:41
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottled many thanks to Lore. Brown body with a thin beige head. Aroma and taste of orange zest, nutmeg, oak, bourbon, vanilla and aome booze. Well rounded, complex barleywine. Wow!
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jul 2025
at 20:34
8/10
Tried
on 11 Feb 2023
at 17:11
Boozy and sweet, not my favourite style, but figured was an opportune moment to get it out of the fridge. Toffee and caramel.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Oct 2020
at 17:14
9/10
Classic barleywine, lots of bourbon, all I expected. Malty, thick, rich and bittersweet. Bourbon adds a nice softness, nicely smooth mouthfeel. Proves again that a beer doesn't need additives to be great.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Oct 2019
at 22:00
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
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
8/10
No uwielbiam to piwerko acz chyba ta warka jeszcze moglaby polezec
Tried
on 02 Jun 2018
at 21:30
8/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Apr 2018
at 20:08