Bourbon County Brand Stout - 2-Year Knob Creek Reserve (2019)
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Rotating Out of Production|
Score
8.37
|
|
Stout aged for two years in 11-year-old Knob Creek® bourbon barrels.
Aging our beloved Bourbon County Brand Stout for more than a year is uncommon in the Goose Island Barrel House. This additional development process involves special care and is not suitable for all beers or even all barrels.
In this special case, we received uniquely older casks: 11-year-old Knob Creek® barrels. Spending prolonged time in these barrels brought out more complexity and intensity in the flavors from the barrel, allowing you to enjoy the signature flavor profile of an older Knob Creek® Bourbon.
This added complexity cannot be obtained from shorter maturation periods and greatly differentiates this special reserve release. We hope you enjoy and appreciate our labor of love.
(from box)
2-Year Reserve Bourbon County Stout was aged 24 months in 11-year-old 25th Anniversary Knob Creek barrels. The barrels of this once in a lifetime bourbon delivered an oak-forward intensity accented with subtle hazelnut and chocolate notes that complimented the flavors inherent in Original Bourbon County Stout. 2-Year Reserve is incredibly special, and we’re excited to share this variant with you all.
Hops: Millennium
Malts: 2 row, black malt, caramel, chocolate, Munich 10, roasted barley.
Aging our beloved Bourbon County Brand Stout for more than a year is uncommon in the Goose Island Barrel House. This additional development process involves special care and is not suitable for all beers or even all barrels.
In this special case, we received uniquely older casks: 11-year-old Knob Creek® barrels. Spending prolonged time in these barrels brought out more complexity and intensity in the flavors from the barrel, allowing you to enjoy the signature flavor profile of an older Knob Creek® Bourbon.
This added complexity cannot be obtained from shorter maturation periods and greatly differentiates this special reserve release. We hope you enjoy and appreciate our labor of love.
(from box)
2-Year Reserve Bourbon County Stout was aged 24 months in 11-year-old 25th Anniversary Knob Creek barrels. The barrels of this once in a lifetime bourbon delivered an oak-forward intensity accented with subtle hazelnut and chocolate notes that complimented the flavors inherent in Original Bourbon County Stout. 2-Year Reserve is incredibly special, and we’re excited to share this variant with you all.
Hops: Millennium
Malts: 2 row, black malt, caramel, chocolate, Munich 10, roasted barley.
Sign up to add a tick or review
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Pours pitch black, with a creamy mocha head. Aroma is is roasted malts with bread, dark chocolate, muscovado, leather, almonds and dried fruits, as well as honey, vanilla, tannins and wooden barrels. Full, velvety body, with soft carbonation. Flavour is roasted malts with bread, liquorice, muscovado, marsipan, nougat and honey, as well as leather, tannins and wooden barrels.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 May 2026
at 13:57
8.9/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9
Bottle 1pt0.9fl.oz. @ home - [ Virtual Tasting 💻👀 ] - fonefan & Brugmansia House. 🏡🇩🇰 🍀 ☁️☂️ [ As Goose Island 2 Year Reserve Bourbon County Brand Stout 2019 (14,9%) Bourbon (25th Anniversary Knob Creek) BA Imperial Stout ]. ABV: 14.9%. [20260507]. 8-/4-/9/4-/18
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 May 2026
at 17:07
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
500ml bottle. Jet black colour with small, frothy, fading, tan head. BA supported (if not dominated), roasty, slightly chocolately, dark malty aroma, notes of dark chocolate and Bourbon, hints of leather, vanilla, plum wine, plum butter, caramel, dark caramel, whiffs of marmite, oak, cinnamon, bramble, treacle. Taste is BA supported, sweet-ish, slightly chocolately and roasty, dark malty, slightly caramel malty, quite spicy and alcoholic, notes of marmite, caramel, Bourbon, some treacle, a touch of leather, vanilla, later some fruity-alcoholic hints of bramble and plum; lingering, warming, alcoholic finish.
Viscous texture, smooth, cloying, simulaneously slightly pungent (alcoholic) palate, medium, mildly prickly carbonation.
Excellent nose with a plethora of (sadly rather ephemeral) subtleties, relatively clumsy, hefty and naturally boozy concerning taste; overall a bit edgy and balky, unnecessarily excessive regarding strength/force/power - not worth the hype. Leaves you behind in a kind of postcoital dysphoria.
Viscous texture, smooth, cloying, simulaneously slightly pungent (alcoholic) palate, medium, mildly prickly carbonation.
Excellent nose with a plethora of (sadly rather ephemeral) subtleties, relatively clumsy, hefty and naturally boozy concerning taste; overall a bit edgy and balky, unnecessarily excessive regarding strength/force/power - not worth the hype. Leaves you behind in a kind of postcoital dysphoria.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2026
at 18:54
8.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
Schenkt vrijwel zwart met een kleine bruine kraaf waar weinig van overblijft. Geur van bourbon, geroosterde mout, zoet, vanille. Retronasaal is het boozy, bourbon, zoetig, iets umami ook, hout. Smaak is zoetig tot zoet en iets alcoholfruitig/zurig, tikje geroosted bitterig. Warmende alcohol. Vrij volle body. Afdronk met donkere chocola, iets geroosterde bitterheid.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Hoptimaal
on 20 Dec 2025
at 20:23
10/10
Tried
on 03 Dec 2025
at 22:11
8.8/10
Chocolate, bourbon, and sweet
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Nov 2025
at 22:46
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Ciemnobrunatne praktycznie czarne nieprzezroczyste piwo z niewielką pianą która szybko opada. Aromat ciężkiego oleju, nuty palonego słodu. W smaku dość wytrawne, nuty dębiny kawa plus wytrawne gorzka czekolada
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Nov 2025
at 18:46
9.5/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 9.5
Flavor 9.5
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
Bottle. Color: Black, thin brown head. Aroma: Roasted malt,Bourbon. Taste: Smooth and dense mouthfeel. Nice blend of roasted malt and sweetish Bourbon. Some liquorice and hop. Boozy and spicy hints. Full body, below average carbonation. Medium sweet, over moderate bitterness. Very nice slow sipper.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Hoptimaal
on 19 Oct 2025
at 15:20
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle July 10, 2019, drunk 12/15/2023. Dark, clear. Tan head quickly to ring. Cherry, bourbon, chocolate, vanilla. Intense. Rich caramel and graham cracker. Spicy whiskey with fruitiness, liquor forward notes and rich malt. No booze. Rich date, plum, prune, fig and such. Lots of bourbon spice and liquor intensity, but it seems like maybe it's just now taken a nosedive, as it's gotten very plummy/pruny. Soft, malty, toasty, chocolatey and with plentiful bourbon spice and dryness. Can't help but like the less dark fruit laden nose, but this is still fresh and delicious without any oxidation yet. Just a bit pruney for my tastes. No booze.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2023
at 00:42
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle. Pours black. Biscuit, liquorice, blackcurrant, nutty, walnut, honey, almond, booze, sweet nutty bourbon, cherry. Nice oily body. Excellent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Nov 2023
at 00:07