Review of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

I like the addition of the “packaging” category in the review.

You may want to taste this beer in a snifter glass as well. I noticed the aroma and flavor characters changed a bit from when I drank from my stein. I would be curious to hear if you noticed an difference…

Good review!

Yea, agreed.

I haven't gotten into all the glass ware stuff yet. I just know I won't have a clean glass for the appropriate beer. Plus, most people are not going to either ya know. I guess I feel that if the beer is solid coming out of a regular glass that I've got lying around, or even the bottle for that matter, it will probably be good in the correct glass.

I bet that the bourbon smell would be simply amazing coming out of snifter though.

Thanks for the comment man!

Mike

I agree from the standpoint that if the beer is *good* then it shouldn't matter the type of glass.

However, my experience has proved to me that a beer will take on a different aroma and flavor when drank from different types of glassware – case in point being Bell's Hopslam that I've been enjoying for a few weeks. The flavor of this beer out of a goblet is nowhere near the flavor from a tulip glass. I haven't done all the research as to why this is the case, but I have found it to be true.

That said, I'm sure not all beers would taste and smell different when drank from different glassware.

Looks like I've stumbled across a topic for a new blog post!

Yea, I don't deny that the beer is going to be better out of the proper glass, and I'm sure at some point I'll get the proper glasses. My only concern is that if I start using the proper glass and for some reason can't in a review, people are going to flame me for not using it for one beer and using it for another. I just don't have the money or space to go out and buy the proper glassware. At least, not at this time.

I agree though, beer has a glass associated with it, and I probably should drink out of those glasses to do a “proper” review. But I also think there are thousands of people out there that don't, that are going to try these beers in regular glasses, so I try to keep it to what my audience is going to be experiencing as well.

Make sense?

Thanks again for the comments dude.

I like your thoughts on how packaging helps complete the overall rating experience. There is a lot to that. I find that at times I do enjoy a beer better based on the “image” I get from the label and carton. It helps create a mood or sets the tone for the experience to come. Loved BCS '08. I still have several bottles stored away for later. You should try drinking this beer from a snifter glass to really bring out all the bourbon aroma.

If you enjoyed this beer, you'd also like Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Gold Imperial Stout from Full Sail Brewing (west coast). The bourbon aroma on that brew is just heavenly. One of the best smelling imperial stouts out there.

Awesome!

You are the second person to tell me to get a snifter. I suppose I should have a set of glasses for particular styles of beer. I just prefer to do reviews of beer in regular old glasses because I feel most of my audience is that type of person.

I may go pick up another 4 pack of this and store it till like 2012 or something. I'm not sure I can get anything from Full Sail, but I'll take a look when I get back to the store. Thanks for the tip!

Guess, I'll go look for a new snifter glass. You and Snobby Hops have convinced me that I at least need this for my personal pleasure.

Thanks for the comment!

Yeah- you can probably blame me for no snifter glass lol. Mike has really been getting me into the brewing scene though, so I'd imagine I'd have something more than a glass mug soon

Definitely get either a snifter or a tulip glass- de rigeur for enjoying belgians, as well.
Also: don't
a) undersell your audience
b) shortchange your own tasting experience
because you feel most of your audience are the “regular old glasses” type.
Drink the beer to maximize your experience, we'll do the best we can to use the proper glass when we sample same!
Great point on the packaging, it can add or detract from the perception of craft and quality.
Here at the BBC we sampled Bourbon County Stout and Brooklyn Black Ops (I know, it doesn't exist) back to back. Somebody please call a cab! Great stuff, the Goose Island being superior.
Great review, keep up the good work. A real sacrifice, this beer tasting.

You make a good point.

Some point react indifferently when you start talking about specific details and ways to do things. I suppose its how you present it though. I feel like I struggle with the line of coming off as a beer snob when I talk to people sometimes, even when I'm only trying to present a new idea to them. Again, its a fine line, because I never want to be a beer snob, just someone who knows a lot about beer!

I may have to start my glass collection!

Thanks for the comment.

You'd be surprised at how easily (and relatively cheaply) you could get a decent set of “proper” glassware.

It seems to me that everybody seems to think that the Duvel glass is the quintessential “if you only have one glass own this one” beer glass. You can pick one up for $5-10 (or I got one with a four pack of Duvel for $16).

My personal favorite is the Dogfish Head signature glass. I'd drink literally every beer in my collection out of this glass if I had to and wouldn't feel like I was missing out. Not a bad deal at $7 either. https://www.dogfish.com/store/beer-drinkin-good…

The other glass that I really like drinking out of is the trappist chalice. I think the best deal for that is buying the three pack of Chimay that includes the glass for $16-17 or so.

But to be honest, if you had to drink every beer out of a pint/shaker glass you'd be OK too. It does help to have something with the tulip/snifter shape for aromas but as long as you're not drinking out of the can or bottle you'll get the idea of the beer in my opinion.

Yea.

I've actually put a set of glasses on my birthday wish list. Hopefully my family or friends pick it up for me. One thing I get nervous about with using these glasses is if I don't use the right one, some snob is going to call me out and be a real ass to me. Though, I shouldn't be afraid of that because I've always been honest that I'm still learning here and I love advice from others, so whatever…

Anyway, thanks for the tip on the Chimay glasses. I really would like to stay away from having it branded unless it had the “Mike's Brew Review” logo on it but it is also a good deal. I have an upcoming series on Redhook the brewery and they sent me some beer. Along with that beer came a Redhook glass, so I'll probably use their glass while I do their reviews.

Anyway. Thanks for stopping in and saying hi! I really appreciate it!

Mike

I actually stumbled across this blog entry that's worth a quick read regarding this subject:
http://www.hop-cast.com/?p=1053

As for having the glasses branded, whenever I'm drinking a non-Chimay out of it, I just turn it around for when I take my pics most of the time (if I care, if not then whatever).

The other thing you could do if you want take advantage of a good deal like the Chimay gift pack would be to just use a paint remover to get rid of the logo if it really bothered you.

As for the snobs calling you out, tell 'em to piss off. We're beer geeks and we should have no time for beer snobs. They're the ones that give the rest of us a bad name.

Cheers!
Mike

Good tips for sure!

Thanks for the advice too. I really appreciate it. I agree, we are beer geeks and I just like to drink beer and help others learn to appreciate it more. It is tough sometimes, with even a let loose kind of attitude, to sometimes not come off snobby. You ever get that feeling?

Thanks again!

Mike

I totally get that feeling sometimes. But it's usually with people who talk like they know about beer even though it's obvious they don't.

I almost got into a screaming match last week because of someone who was arguing with mme that “dark beers are typically bitter”. It's one of the most tired misconceptions about beer ever. That or “dark beers are typically high in alcohol content”.

Ugh. But when people come up to me and ask me questions because they legitimately want to learn more about beer instead of showing off how much they don't know about beer, it's easy to be a spokesman for better beer.

Mikey,

I agree with you 100%. I just really hate when I'm sitting at a table with people and they all order a Bud Light and I get a Vanilla Porter and they go, “ewe…” I ask them why and I get the same response. Oh, thats bitter, thick and gross…I say, well, this one might surprise you. When you take a drink, imagine your drinking a cold coffee from Starbucks.

I usually end up getting a surprised look and a, “thats not bad, but I still won't drink it” response. Either way, my point was made.

I love talking and teaching beer. Its part of the reason I started the blog!

Thanks for stopping in.

Mike

You don't even need a specialty glass – just use a wine glass. There are two reasons to use a specialty glass:
1) Head retention – this is why tulip glasses are so popular for full-bodied, bubbly beers. The lip at the top will help suspend the head above the glass and keep the bubbles from essentially collapsing in on themselves (diminishing head). I don't worry too much about this.
2) Aroma concentration – this is why wine and brandy lovers use snifters. Essentially, they concentrate the aromas into your nose. A wine glass works just as well for this.

While a pint glass will let more aroma escape and won't retain the creamy head on a lot of beers, any wine glass will fix that.

Awesome!

Thanks for the tip. I do really want to get myself a set or two. I just like having things like that. For example, I've got a decanter with my initials on it for my whiskey. When it comes to my beer/booze, I enjoy all the little details and such. If I wasn't so poor, I'd have a set of beer glasses by now. LOL.

Again, thanks for the tip!

Do you have a set of glasses?

Mike

It was an impulse buy, based on my experience with other Goose beers. Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout is a huge beer, full of character and made of 100 …

Schiller has been experimenting on the barrel side, too, following the single-malt scotch method of using different types of barrels — bourbon, port, sherry — at different points in the aging process. “You’re looking for depth and contrast of flavor …

I’m a big stout fan, and lately have really enjoyed “Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale”, so when I saw Bourbon County Stout I thought it was a match made in heaven. I have to disagree with your review though; this is one of the most vile tasting brews I’ve ever had the misfortune of trying. If I had to sum it up I’d say it tastes like a mixture of treacle and bile – I was unable to finish half a snifter before I poured this ludicrously priced bottle down the sink.
Obviously this stout isn’t for everyone’s tastes. I’d advise anyone curious to try a sampler before forking out for these $12 bottles.

I’m sorry you didn’t like it.

I still stand by this though. One thing that I’ve learned from other people is that it tastes much better after it has aged in the bottle for a while. Obviously, you don’t like it, but what about it don’t you like? Is it the bourbon, is it watered down? A “mixture of treacle and bile” doesn’t really help me to understand what it is you don’t like. Could you describe your dissatisfaction in beer terminology a little bit so we can understand it better? I don’t think I’ve ever had bile before

Just curious.

Thanks for the response.

I might have to see if I can find that Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. Where do you get yours?

Mike