Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
For nearly a decade Goose Island has been making and releasing an annual Russian Imperial Stout (RIS for short) by the name of Bourbon County Stout, on Black Friday. The base beer is massive, with ABV’s varying from year to year and batch to batch. One batch of the regular 2014 Bourbon County Stout (BCS for short) came in at 14.4%, or to put that in perspective, stronger than the majority of wines, and more than three times the percentage of a typical beer like PBR (4.74%).
For being as alcoholic as it is, BCS has always been appreciated as a sipper. BCS has previously been sold in four-packs of twelve ounce bottles. Twelve ounces is about the most a person would want to drink alone, as one BCS will get you as intoxicated as three standard beers. It’s the kind of beer you might sip slowly over the evening, letting it warm up and tasting the variety of flavors including hints of chocolate and vanilla. Every year Goose Island also releases several “variants” of Bourbon County stout in larger bottles as well (650ml). These are bottles to share at beer tastings and special events, and they cost a premium (typically $25).
This year, all versions of BCS will be packaged in a new and distinctive 16.9 ounce bottle. Several years ago massive beer company A-B InBev purchased Goose Island. While they have thankfully not changed the recipe of BCS, they have helped to scale up its production. This bottle change is surely a move made by the marketing team of InBev, as they try to find a way to set the look of their product apart, even as it sells out nearly instantly as is. The 16.9 ounce bottles also present a chance for them to make more money per ounce, and to charge a premium for the unique bottle design you will be purchasing, which includes embossed letters. I’m not happy to see the move in bottle design, as I feel that we are simply paying for a marketing move, and a completely unneeded one at that.
Bottles aside, this years variants have now been named, so we have this list to look forward to, so long as you’re willing to line up on Black Friday to find them. This year’s list includes:
Regal Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout: “Stout aged in rye barrels, with blackberries, candied cherries and sea salt added”
Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout (2015): This Chicago-only release is “Stout aged in bourbon barrels with maple toasted pecans and Guajillo peppers added”
Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout: Stout aged in 33–35 year old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. Expect this one to go for a premium, as the only other time Bourbon County Rare was released it sold for around $40 a bottle.
Bourbon County Coffee: Bourbon County Stout aged on coffee.
