Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2011)

My buddy Matt picked up a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2011) at Wooden Keg Liquors in Hagerstown, MD and he decided to share it with us. The beer pours thick and viscous with a black color and no head at all, although some bubbles do surface. The aroma consists of deep chocolate, lots of vanilla, bourbon, oak, and molasses. The taste is big on chocolate with a big alcohol burn that has a nice bourbon flavor to it. The burn lingers for a while, but then some vanilla sweetens out the flavor. Oak and molasses peek through on the finish and round out the beer. The alcohol content is 14.5% ABV.This beer really is the epitome of bourbon barrel aged beers. It has a wonderful bourbon taste with the vanilla and oak that come along with it, but the chocolate body with it really stands up to the bully-ish characteristics of the bourbon.