Ken (K. M.) Weaver

Cellar Report: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

In late August of 2008, just before embarking on a cross-country roadtrip and an extended period of fine Nica living, I shipped what remained of my cellar up to my father’s house in Pennsylvania. While he’s never bothered with any honest-to-goodness cellar building for his wine collection, the periphery of his basement stays cool, the humidity’s low, and I joked with him that every beer I was cellaring was sour, so he probably wouldn’t enjoy them (just to be on the safe side).

At 27 years old, this was my first honest attempt at cellaring beer. As it happens for many craft beer lovers, this resulted from the combined influence of (1) what I see as inevitable curiosity in the way beers develop over time and (2) having too much beer. And while there are plenty of rules of thumb available for cellaring – i.e., stick to higher-alcohol offerings or sour ales, store the beers upright (unlike wine) unless they’re corked, keep a lower humidity to prevent cap rust, keep them away from light, keep them away from any thirsty housemates, don’t use them as makeshift bowling pins, refrain from juggling them, etc. etc. – these informational tidbits are still only a starting point. Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself. Do I enjoy the effects of oxidation (dry caramel, sherry) in certain barley wines? Do I want heightened acidity, heightened brett, lower or higher overall bitterness?

Now that I have my cellar back (nothing’s missing!), I’ll be offering some side-by-side comparisons of seemingly cellarable beers. Sometimes it will go beautifully (a grand testament to the magical workings of time!), and sometimes it won’t. One of the more interesting things I’ve noticed on ratebeer is that, even if my palate differs from someone else’s, if they’re a consistent and thoughtful reviewer, their reviews will generally differ in a consistent and useful way. With that same end in mind, I’ll try to be as thorough and careful as possible in these cellar reports.

Cellar Report: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

I had some time on my hands. (© Anneliese Schmidt)

Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout has been one of my most-loved barrel-aged imperial stouts with good reason: well-tempered barrel character, perfect for cigar pairings, and (if you take bottle recommendations seriously) BCS will develop in the bottle for many moons. The recent change from 12oz bottles to the 22oz bomber format has raised a number of consumer concerns, not the least of which is the heightened price point (I paid $4 for the 12oz and $10.49 for the 22oz; more than a 40% increase in the per-ounce price). I’m going to try and focus on beers that are generally accessible for these cellar reports, and BCS can be found in 20+ states and through any number of online retailers (Google Shopping gives a good start).

For this cellar report, I’ll be focusing on the differences between the 2008 and recent 2009 bottlings, trying to pick out batch variations and overall impressions from both of these beers. An official brewer’s description can be found here.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2008 tasting notes:

Aroma: Seamless combination of barrel presence and stout: velvety, viscous display of softly roasted malts, chocolate, anise, and tobacco; no overt or cloying sweetness here; the barrel comes through with charred wood, delicate warmth; nothing is rough, nothing wasted; hints of a sour-mash character; smooth. (8/10)

Bottled on 10/16/08, #0949 (© Anneliese Schmidt)

Appearance: Even when poured from a significant height, there isn’t much head formation here: a thin, tannish-brown perimeter of impressively fine-bubbled lacing; I tend to frequently use the term “fine-bubbled lacing” in my reviews, but these bubbles really are miniscule, they glisten. Pours a very dark, black color, substantial viscosity, a thin perimeter of reddish-brown liquid apparent at the edges; everything else: black. (4/5)

Flavor: Very full presence: lots of tobacco notes, nougat, lightly roasted maltiness; the velvety texture of this beer really lets all the contributing notes appear: light oakiness and clear vanilla notes, very soft barrel presence (perhaps “soft-edged” is a better term for this); a generous, seamless barrel-aged imperial stout with a light cola character, dried dark fruits, and a near-perfect barrel presence. (9/10)

Palate: Relaxed carbonation, enough to keep this fully alive in the mouth; nice acidity on the perimeter of the tongue; coating oiliness; entirely full-figured. (5/5)

Overall: It’s great to see imperial beers that actually use their high alcohol levels and barrel aging to their advantage; this is anything but sticky or thrown-together. Hidden alcohol, generous amounts of cola and dark fruits; this is lovely. (17/20)

Review of 2008 vintage: 8.4.9.5.17 = 4.3

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2009 tasting notes:

Aroma: Lots of sweetness here, and not all of it’s necessary: toffee and toasted marshmallows dominate the front of the aroma; the anise and roasted notes take a back seat; the barrel character is still gently presented, it just seems sort of lost in the heightened sweetness; appealing, if a touch hollow; less serious. (7/10)

Bottled on 10/09/09, #2253 (© Anneliese Schmidt)

Appearance: Indistinguishable from the 2008 vintage. (4/5)

Flavor: This shows significantly more cola and lightly toasted wood than the 2008: full mouthfeel, lots of cola and dried dark fruits, well-integrated barrel notes; there’s some heavy maltiness / sweetness here that overshadows the barrel contribution and detracts from drinkability overall; lovely, but cola-driven and noticeably sweeter; the barrel presence doesn’t differ from the 2008, only its surroundings. (8/10)

Palate: Slightly heightened carbonation, the acidity coupled to the youthful mineral hop character is more than enough to keep this interesting. (4/5)

Overall: This beer does everything a good barrel-aged imperial stout should: seamless integration of the barrel notes, sufficient density of the malt profile to stand up to the bourbon, well-hidden alcohol… All of it: check. But next to an older, drier, more balanced version of itself, the 2009 simply pales. (15/20)

Review of 2009 vintage: 7.4.8.4.15 = 3.8

Batch variation or effects of aging?

While there are numerous changes apparent between the 2008 and 2009, it’s difficult to say for certain that any of these are due to batch variation. As noted, the barrel character is basically identical, and none of the lessened hop bitterness or changes in overall balance are so significant that they’re outside the predictable effects of aging. Even if there is some batch fluctuation, these are both superior barrel-aged imperial stout examples that will benefit from some cellar time.

Overall, the 2008 batch is drinking beautifully right now: a more refined and softer presence in the mouth (diminished hops, heightened clarity of flavors), lessened overt sweetness, and a better demonstration of balance amongst its constituent parts: malts, barrel, hop perimeter, etc. Will it last another four years? Very likely, but the hardest part to finding out will be keeping it in one’s cellar that long.

Winner: The 2008 vintage, hands down.
Peak drinking season: At least six months after release; this will last for years.
Cellar appropriateness: High.

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Is Bourbon County Stout a permanent fixture in your cellar? Attend the recent BCS vertical tasting event? Got a favorite vintage? Share comments below.

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