Bourbon County Brand Stout - 30th Anniversary Reserve (2022)
Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Special Out of Production|
Score
8.20
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36% Booker's® bourbon barrels
33% Knob Creek® bourbon barrels
17% Basil Hayden® bourbon barrels
14% Baker's® bourbon barrels
30 years ago, before the 1,000th batch of beer at our Clybourn brewpub, putting an imperial stout in a used bourbon barrel had not been done before. That idea altered Goose Island's history and that of the craft beer world.
We thought we'd never make it again.
And after 30 years, we still find every year crafting Bourbon County Brand Stout more fulfilling than the last. It started as an idea shared over cigars and whiskey by an unlikely union between brewer and distiller. It was brewed to commemorate the 1.000th batch of Goose Island beer. This year, we honor that partnership, the friends we’ve made along the way and a legacy of brewers as passionate as the beer drinkers we serve.
Each year of Bourbon County Brand Stout is a snapshot in time—with a remarkable journey from oak to stave, cooperage to rickhouse, and finally to our Chicago barrel house. To every person involved in-between, to every Black Friday event, to every bottle share and beer trade, beer dinner and fest: Bourbon County Brand Stout is a testament to the dedication of a community built around the creation and love of a truly original beer.
Cheers to all who understand and appreciate this journey; cheers to an incredible 30 years of the original Bourbon County Brand Stout.
In 1992, Frederick Booker Noe II, 6th generation master distiller of James B. Beam distilling company, fundamentally changed the whiskey industry forever. A tour-de-force that indelibly made his mark in history by launching the small batch bourbon collection. Inspired by a 200-year-old tradition, Basil Hayden®, Knob Creek®, Baker’s® and, of course Booker’s®, marked the beginning of a new chapter elevating and transforming bourbon forever. Like siblings in a family, each expression brings their own personality and nuance for every type of drinker. A true representation and celebration of the meaning of heritage.
We created a special 30th Anniversary Stout to pay homage to the serendipitous union between Gregory Hall and Booker Noe that then led to subsequent years, variants, and traditions - from Black Friday lines to bottle shares and more. Going back to the inception of Bourbon County Stout, the 30th Anniversary Stout is aged from a blend of Jim Beam barrels from their Small Batch Bourbon Collection barrels. Each of the remarkable bourbon barrels offer characteristics unique to each bourbon's distinct nuances. They are then blended together for a complex and balanced expression that celebrates the heritage and legacy of both brands. And, as history would have it, Jim Beam launched their first-ever Small Batch Bourbon Collection 30 years ago. This 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout is a culmination signifying the historical, groundbreaking shifts in both the bourbon and beer industries from two visionaries all those years ago. Both the concept of small batch bourbons and bourbon barrel-aged beers have changed our respective drinking communities forever, and the 30th Anniversary Stout is a celebration of all the people that have enjoyed, worked on, and been a part of the Bourbon County Stout brand over the years. Expect notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, cherry, and almond. We’re excited to raise a glass to this extraordinary 30-year-old history and craftsmanship.
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Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Near black, thin head. Nice and boozy, rich chocolate and massive bourbon character. Solid.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
50cl Bottle via US Trade. Pours mega black with a small mocha beige head. Deep roasted and chocolate covered nose and flavor. Wood, bourbon, vanilla and chocofanter with a roasted dry finish. Super slick and vinous. Lovely sipper.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
500ml bottle. - Intense barrel notes, roastiness, vanilla, bourbon, hints of licorice, rye, chocolate, cocoa and burnt coffee. Quite heavy and complex
Special beer for a milestone checkin. Big, big bourbon notes on this one. Almost overpowers the stout character, but retains a nice bitter finish.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
bottle - shared with friends. Such a damn great Imperial Stout - beautiful balance, viscous on the palate - super beer
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Brown bottle, 500 ml, 2022 vintage, from, with and at Jean-Frédéric Pleau (merci!), savoured on 1 October 2023; colour: black, opaque, no effervescence, no head, no lacing; nose: bourbon, chocolate, alcohol, aniseed, malt; mouth: bourbon, chocolate, alcohol, aniseed, malt, alcohol warmth, finale in bourbon with light presence of aniseed, full-bodied, average carbonation, mildly sweet, alcoholic texture; to sum up: fine FRANÇAIS
Bouteille brune, 500 ml, millésime 2022, de, avec et chez Jean-Frédéric Pleau (merci!), savourée le 1 octobre 2023; œil : noire, opaque, pas d'effervescence, pas de mousse, pas de dentelle; nez : bourbon, chocolat, alcool, anis, malt; bouche : bourbon, chocolat, alcool, anis, malt, chaleur d'alcool, finale en bourbon avec légère présence d'anis, corsée, carbonatation moyenne, moyennement sucrée, texture alcoolique; en résumé : bien
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
500mL bottle, pours jet black with a small brown head. Aroma reveals a complex bourbon barrel blend character, with gentle vanillin, and some alcohol heat. Flavour is remarkably complex, with a lovely blend of bourbon barrels, light vanillin, very gentle dark sugars, and some booze. It's a bit hot, but the bourbon barrel character is very well-done. Honestly not sure if this is better than base BCS, but it's obviously great.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Poured from 500mL bottle. Near black with small beige head. Bourbon, chocolate, some mild vanilla, quite nice.
A deep dark stout with a very thin mocha head. In aroma, sweet chocolate malt with dark fruits, licorice, light bourbon barrel notes, woody notes, alcohol warmth, very nice. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity chocolate malt with dark fruits, alcohol warmth, light bourbon barrel notes, woody notes, pleasant.