Our 2024 Bourbon County Stout Critiques & Rankings

It’s a Uncommon yr. Does that imply it’s instantly our #1?

Completely satisfied Uncommon Day to all who’re celebrating this afternoon! A few weeks in the past, Workforce GDB returned to the Bourbon County Stout 2024 media scrum.

Not like previous occasions, this time there have been two of us available, and we had been capable of take part on separate nights – one in individual, the opposite through Zoom. Eric attended the Salt Shed gathering whereas Karl logged on remotely, and each of us had been guided by the complete lineup of barrel-aged drinks and their variants by Goose Island workers.

This yr is fairly equally distributed: One OG, two barrel-focused variant stouts (Uncommon and Bardstown Cask End), two adjunct variant stouts (Macaroon and Vanilla Rye) and one barleywine (Proprietor’s Mexican Spoon Sweet).

What did we predict? How would we every rank these? What sort of beer disagreements are in entrance of us? Learn on to seek out out: 

Click on right here for all of our Bourbon County Stout content material all through the years.

Night time 1: Eric Krol, Stay on the Salt Shed

Eric: The 2024 Bourbon County Stout lineup is a return to kind for Goose Island, that includes the Chicago brewery’s finest choices since 2020 (the yr of these glorious Birthday Bourbon and Weller variants).

The throughline of this yr’s lineup is the ability of rye. Three of the six beers characteristic rye barrels or a rye stout recipe, and so they’re the three finest.

Goose ended the night with an announcement that may have BCS followers excited: Single-barrel variations of the OG stout can be launched all through 2025. This goes far past the Easter egg hunts of the OG BCS core 4 barrels of a pair years in the past, with provides of every model naturally restricted by the single-barrel nature.

Eric’s rankings:

#6: Proprietor’s

On the Salt Shed tasting, they saved essentially the most polarizing beer for final … which is the place I even have it within the rankings. Most of this yr’s lineup hits middle of the green, in order that buys Goose some goodwill to take a giant swing. Brewer Colby Magratten did so along with his tackle tamarind spoon sweet. This beer is prone to get the identical response because the divisive Prop 2016 (the one aged in maple bourbon barrels with chipotle peppers and cocoa nibs) , as a result of sturdy presence of Guajillo chiles.

There’s some lime and sweetness on the entrance finish, and particular warmth on the again finish. That is the primary time Prop is a barleywine. “It’s undoubtedly completely different. It’s conserving the spirit of doing new issues alive,” mentioned Mike Siegel, Goose’s head of innovation and barrels.

#5: Macaroon

This one was the brainchild of gross sales staff member Paul Spiller, who you would possibly know higher as “the man who walks round at Prop Day in scuba gear.” They’re going for the BA stout model of the cookie, and we bought chocolate and just a little ginger … however no coconut.

It jogged my memory of the 2018 model of Proprietor’s; the one which was like a liquid chocolate bar, and even the 2018 Midnight Orange after the orange fell off and simply chocolate remained. Not going to be any little coconut floaties on this one, not less than. It’s good, however the competitors on this yr’s lineup is stiff. 

#4: The OG

There’s that acquainted nostril. The bottom stout spent 16 months in bourbon casks this yr, the now-standard mix of Wild Turkey, Buffalo Hint, Heaven Hill and 4 Roses barrels. I bought rather less of what former Tribune beer author Josh Noel would have referred to as  the “leather-based” word this day trip.

The OG BCS stays strong and reliable, and also you’ll by no means be disenchanted, realizing precisely what you’re getting. And within the Chicago space, when the worth per bottle drops after the New 12 months (I’ve seen it for underneath $10!), it’s among the best values in barrel-aged beer with regards to high quality vs. price.

#3: Bardstown Cask End

It’s a lot smoother than the OG BCS, with some rye spice. It’s aged in Bardstown straight rye whiskey barrels, then went into barrels with cherry wooden staves bookended with oak staves. It’s value in search of out.

#2: Vanilla Rye

We’ve bought this at #2 on our record. It’s not going to beat your reminiscences of the 2014 launch, nevertheless it’s miles forward of the non-rye 2018 variant. It’s an  imperial rye stout aged in rye whiskey barrels with Madagascar vanilla beans, so that you in all probability have already got an concept in your head of what it can style like. The rye spiciness performs effectively with the vanilla. It’s superb. BRB, going to pre-order this one.

#1: Uncommon

The hype is actual. You don’t need to miss this double barrel rye stout aged for 2 years in two units of previous King of Kentucky barrels. These barrels are undoubtedly the star. It’s bought some good rye spiciness as you’d anticipate. The stout shouldn’t be the OG recipe, and it’s just a little sweeter than OG BCS. It’s incredible. In some way, the 18% ABV doesn’t burn.

I requested whether or not this may be out there at retail. “Our retail,” they replied, that means Goose Fulton and Goose Salt Shed, in addition to on Uncommon Day, with a MSRP of $50. It’s unclear whether or not Uncommon can be offered individually; Goose was solely promoting Uncommon as a part of a full lineup bundle for Black Friday. What number of bottles of Uncommon did they produce? “Not quite a bit,” mentioned Todd Ahsmann, Goose Island president.

Different notes:

After tasting the six beers on this yr’s lineup, Goose introduced out some meals and a particular beer with an announcement: For the primary time ever, Goose can be releasing single-barrel BCS variants. 

The entrance label could have a code date. Retailers throughout Illinois will have the ability to showcase their picks, which can be launched all year long. We tasted a 4 Roses 6-year aged for 20 months, which was superb. The Goose staff mentioned the thought began eight years in the past however they shelved it till they may do it the best way they needed. Professional tip: search for a single-barrel launch at Fulton and Salt Shed on Black Friday.

As for the meals, the pork rinds had been tremendous tasty, which is a sentence we didn’t suppose we’d be typing in 2024. The BCS lamb burger was featured as a pop-up merchandise; we extremely suggest it’s an addition to the Salt Shed menu.

A shout out to Adan, our bartender on the Salt Shed tasting. He’s been slinging beers with Goose for 29 years.

2024 Bourbon County Stout Night time 2: Karl Logs On, Drinks Sturdy

Karl: As a result of my timing is impeccable, I had agreed to hitch the 2024 Bourbon County Stout tasting on an evening the place I assumed my plans had been open – nevertheless it seems I had forgotten that my mother and father had been coming to city that evening prematurely of the subsequent day’s Halloween extravaganza. (Youngsters go loopy for trick or treating up right here. You must see it.)

As such, my tasting expertise discovered me sitting in a spare bed room on my laptop computer cracking open bottle after bottle of sought-after BA stout and cramming all of them onto a small desktop whereas my of us frolicked in my front room watching Youtube. Barely awkward, however we bought by it. 

Did which have any impact on how I skilled these beers? I don’t suppose so, however I give you that context in case any potential distraction could matter to you. And for some extra context, regardless that I haven’t had the possibility to pattern all the BCBS variants over the previous couple of years, I’ve had a couple of from ‘23 and ‘22 … and I’ve to say that these had been a little bit of a letdown, truthfully. (Particularly final yr’s Bananas Foster. That was an actual bummer.)

So think about my comfortable shock when I discovered myself fairly excited on the finish of this yr’s tastings. Solely one in every of these six beers was a little bit of a letdown and the remainder all punched effectively above their weight for various causes. Let’s get into ‘em. 

#6: Macaroon

For me, that is a straightforward choose. Coconut is a high quality taste for a stout, and including ginger to the combination had me , however sadly the mix was far lower than the sum of its components. I barely bought both taste, to be completely sincere – I used to be anticipating mild wafting toasty coconut sweetness counterpunching towards spicy, sharp brilliant ginger rawness … and simply discovered my palate looking for notes of both. Nothing incorrect right here, however a transparent alternative for my backside rating.

#5: Vanilla Rye

I’ve this at #5 whereas Eric has it at #2? Astonishing, proper? I completely agree with Eric’s evaluation that 2024 is The 12 months Of The Rye however this one hit me with a sledgehammer of cake-batter taste that I didn’t precisely adore. This one suffers from the identical overdose of vanilla that dominated the same but rye-less 2018 variant, although I think about a yr of age would put this into a really candy spot. 

If it feels like I’m down on this beer, I’m not, actually – I discovered it considerably extra complicated than what I bear in mind of the ‘18, with scrumptious sweetness following the aroma of uncooked vanilla extract that popped off the neck of the bottle. Good, sure. Nice? Not fairly, nevertheless it’s a powerful yr. 

#4: Proprietor’s Barleywine

After a long time of constructing the OG BCBS, I like that Goose remains to be keen to get method on the market with their flagship beer model. And make no mistake, this beer is exclusive. I’m guessing most individuals received’t discover it to be to their style, however that’s high quality – that leaves extra for these of us that like playful flavors and items of latest tradition coming into beer like this.

“That is kinda wild,” my notes learn as I used to be whalloped with earthy guajillo chili taste adopted by waves of lime, sugar and tamarind. Two completely different sorts of tamarind puree went into the flavour profile, plus unrefined piloncillo sugar cane, all of which provides as much as nearly a riot of enthusiastic sweet-sour-acid-spice taste that bounces across the palate from word to notice to notice. 

I’m placing this at #4 due to the best way it made my mind work arduous to determine what’s happening, and the best way it constructed and intensified with each spicy sip. Divisive? Actually. Enjoyable? Completely. YMMV.

#3: The OG. 

I knew we had been in for an excellent lineup the second I took my first sip of this yr’s Unique. Though this stout is completely different from the rye stouts that make the premise of some different beers, the truth that I’ve the OG at #3 ought to inform you that it’s scrumptious this yr. Deeply fudgy, chocolatey however not bitter, with vanilla and loads of raisin on the nostril. Because it warms, the oak actually emerges together with some barely astringent tannins on the end. 

Apparently this yr’s version spent about 16 months in barrels, which is just a little longer than common, and it appears to have benefitted. The physique is thicker than in previous years, too, hefty and creamy in that method that’s so satisfying in huge stouts. Goose President Todd Ahsmann mentioned this yr’s reminded him of 2019’s OG, “and 2019 was one in every of my favorites,” he added. 

#2: Uncommon

It’s an excellent yr for the barrel variants, with Uncommon sitting juuuuuuuust behind my #1 choose. As ever, Uncommon is known as not only for the amount produced but in addition the entry to the barrels used. This yr’s Uncommon spent two years in two completely different units of 15-year-old single-barrel King of Kentucky casks, and the double-barrel method to this implies an explosive quantity of bourbon taste sitting on prime of the rye stout used for this version.

An enormous nostril of grain alcohol is adopted up by gargantuan caramel and toffee flavors plus the booziest model of vanilla custard you’ve ever tasted. The spice from the rye amps all of it up and leaves you with one of many longest tails I can ever bear in mind on a BCS. As Ahsmann put it, “Simply because we get some uncommon barrels and a few uncommon bourbon, doesn’t imply the beer goes to prove worthy of the identify.” This one clearly did. 

#1: Bardstown Cask End

The place Uncommon blew me away with its monster bourbon character, Bardstown Cask End impressed me just a little bit extra, and nonetheless managed to retain a way of stability, which is why I’ve popped it to the highest of my rankings this yr. The OG stout began in Bardstown rye whiskey barrels after which was transitioned to some very particular “zebra barrels” unique to Bardstown, the place cherrywood staves are bookended by oak and toasted with infrared warmth to melt the conventional char flavors. 

This beer required a little bit of endurance nevertheless it rewards it: The flavour delivers deep cola, nearly Dr. Pepper-esque complexity on prime of the richly chocolatey stout, after which lands with a punch of black pepper on the end. It’s surprisingly dry, light-drinking and total “brilliant” in a method that stunned me. I cherished it, and since Uncommon might be going to get the lion’s share of the eye this yr, I believe it’s possible that a few of this model is likely to be extra attainable than common, which might be superior. 

Different Notes: 

Goose president Todd Ahsmann was requested a couple of potential return of the Vertical Assortment, which was launched a couple of years in the past and packaged three years value of BCBS OG right into a mini-vertical. Drinkers had been inspired to see how the beer modified by the years, and whereas it was a worthwhile experiment, “I don’t know if folks actually bought it,” Ahsmann mentioned. I agree with that, and I additionally agree along with his different assertion on the matter: “It’s such an exquisite story to inform.”

I requested a pair questions of the panel – one in every of which was met with equivocation and the opposite a extra agency reply.

First, I requested if there have been any barrels on the market that the staff actually needed to get entry to however hadn’t but. Their dream barrels, if you’ll. Nobody was keen to provide me an outright reply (in all probability to keep away from setting expectations or disappointing present companions; I get it.).

Once I requested if there was any 2015 Uncommon ready within the wings that may make a return look at Fulton alongside the brand new Uncommon, that reply was clearer: There’s nearly none left on the brewery. (“Slim pickins” was the way it was described, which isn’t a tough “no” however I get the sensation that it’s not prone to emerge this yr.) 

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