Goose Island Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout (2014)

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bottle from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled on 11/03/2014, #1115)

Style/ABV: Barrel-Aged American Stout, 13.2% 

Reported IBUs: 60

Last year's 2013 Proprietor's was fantastic, so I am truly excited to crack into the 2014 vintage. This beer and brewery hardly needs an introduction, but here we go. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The 2014 Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout is a stout "aged in rye whiskey barrels with cassia bark, cacao nibs, panela, & coconut water." This is a Chicago-only release, and one-off brew. The base beer is brewed with the same stuff as regular Bourbon County (2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, Caramel, Roast Barley, and Debittered Black malts; Willamette hops), but unlike regular Bourbon County, this one is aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels.

The bottle reads: "This special variant is meant to show our immense gratitude to our neighbors here in Chicago - the loyal and adventurous fans whose support helped bring Bourbon County Brand Stout to towering new heights. Whether your first sip is today or was from that first batch in 1992, thank you for lifting us up on your big shoulders and joining us every year to celebrate the original barrel aged stout. Cheers -- Brett Porter." 

Goose Island Proprietor's Bourbon County Stout (2014)

The 2014 Prop pours into an oily, black, opaque body. There are little particles of stuff floating around, and the brown head is short lived. This beer is tepid and murky, like drunk chicks. There are some big glossy alcohol legs to go around.

Last year's Prop had a lot of variance, per reviews. Some people reported lots of coconut, others reported little to no coconut. My bottle of 2014 Prop smells like deep chocolate, fudge, raw halved coconuts, intense rye spice, intense cinnamon spice, and a little bit of alcohol. The rye barrel is endlessly complex, and adds a huge ripple of complexity to Bourbon County. Goose Island needs to throw the regular stuff in rye barrels and release two versions of the base beer. The cinnamon note in the beer is also very organic, and smells like the cassia bark. You do get some hints of french toast in this beer's aroma, along with spiced rum, and that huge underlying base beer that brings those brownies, fudge, complex chocolates, macaroons, and coconut pie. In a word: "dayum." 

This is insanely thick, delivering waves of sugary molasses, raisins, thick fudge, chocolate, cocoa, and brownies up front. The front end features pecans, macaroons, and growing sugar. There's also some coconut. The mids roll into more cocoa, thick chocolate, and big coconut notes. This never goes full Almond Joy, unlike last year's Prop, but instead keeps things anchored to earthy and natural flavors like raw coconut. The back end drops the cinnamon, and the beer leaves hints of spiced chocolate, french toast, and lingering chocolate. Between all of the above, are blasts of the rye. The rye barrel shows up in the front end as a contrast to the sweetness; it shows up in the mids with some rum-like alcohol notes; and it shows up in the back to compliment the cinnamon and play with your cinnamon french toast. 

This is full-bodied, with incredible palate depth and duration. The palate depth is far reaching, coating your mouth like Bourbon County bukakke. The duration is insane too: each sip lasts an upwards of 45 seconds. The beer literally coats your mouth. At 13.2%, this has some booze and feels just right. It's not fusel or hot, but you know you are drinking a big beer. This is also insanely complex. I think I like this better than last year's Prop, if only because of the added ingredients and added complexity. Last year's Prop was sticky, sweet, and good -- but felt a bit like rye and Almond Joys were invading your Bourbon County party. This year's vintage is just well done. One more go around in writing: up front I'm getting lots of chocolate, coconut, rye, raisins, and molasses up front; that rolls into some fruits, berries, rum, rye-alcohol, more coconut; and then the beer finishes with this fantastic cinnamon French toast aspect. The base beer is lurking, the rye is complex and fantastic, and the extra ingredients are popping. I wish this beer was more available, and cheap. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. In many ways, I think this is a clear improvement from the 2013 Prop. The 2013 Prop was more straightforward in some respects, but lost points for obfuscating the base beer. Regular Bourbon County is a top-notch Stout, so tinkering with what works is always a risky proposition. The 2014 Prop strikes a perfect balance between the rye barrel, the extra ingredients, and the base beer. This is not a beer that I would pair with food...but if you have extra bottles, why not, right? In that case, go with some french toast. 

Random Thought: Acquiring these beers has only gotten harder and harder...which is, I think, the exact opposite of what Goose Island projected or wanted. I realize that this circlejerk review is just contributing to the hype, but whatever. Stores are now selling single bottles of this beer for over $80, and the retail price isn't cheap either. Also, if you are fortunate enough to pay retail, you're probably standing in line. All of this begs the question: will I seek this beer out next year? Honestly, who knows. 

Revolution 3rd Year Beer

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company (Revolution Beer LLC) in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Barleywine/Wheatwine, 11.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tomorrow night I'll be busy and won't have the opportunity to punish my liver or enjoy tasty, rare beer. So I figured I'd put a dent in my cellar and crack this one open. I've been camping on this for a while, but I want to drink this sooner than later. I love rum and I'd hate to see the rum fade out of this. About Revolution:

Revolution Brewing is a brewery and brewpub based in Chicago. Revolution's roots are tied to founder Josh Deth, a homebrewer who began working at Golden Prairie Brewing. A few years later, while working at Goose Island, Josh dreamt up the idea for Revolution Brewing. In 2003, Josh and his wife opened Handlebar, while Josh worked as an Executive Director of Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. While working for the Chamber of Commerce, Josh found an old building on Milwaukee Avenue, and the wheels began to spin to open up a brewery. After three years of raising funds, Revolution Brewing opened its doors on February 2010. In July of 2011, Revolution added a 2nd floor Brewers' Lounge. And in 2012, the company opened a new production brewery and tap room. The brewpub is located in Logan Squre on 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave; the brewery is located on Kedzie Avenue at 3340 N. Kedzie Ave. For more information on Revolution, check out their history page here!  

The 3rd Year Beer comes in a fancy box ala Firestone, and gives a bold impression. The back of the box states: "In celebration of our Third Anniversary we brewed this hearty wheat barley wine with piloncillo. This unrefined Mexican cane sugar can be found at your local bodega, often in the shape of small truncated cones. The rich ale matures for 4 months in Jamaican rum barrels, resulting in a sweet, delicious, malt-forward winter warmer." 

I don't think there's much to add...you can read more about Panela/Piloncillo if you're inclined. And let's be honest, rum is one of the best things ever. It's nice to see more beers moving in different directions than Whiskey, so let's crack this open and see what we have.

Revolution 3rd Year Beer

In low light, the beer pours into a rich, burnt orange/brown/auburn color, and kicks up a finger or two of wheat-fueled, caramel/khaki-tinted head. When held to a bright light, the beer takes on a hazy amber-orange color, and the head picks up some bright amber/orange tones. There's moderate carbonation streaming upwards in this. The head is impressively persistent, but big, glossy alcohol legs betray this beer.

Straight legit, you get huge rum on the nose of this beer, with dark rum spiciness and that caramel/fruit rum character. There's noticeable wood and barrel character on the nose as well, along with raisins, figs, cinnamon, cane sugar, caramel/toffee, and some light nuttiness. There are elusive fruits too, hinting at a Quad or Wheat Beer, but not really there.

Yum...this tastes really fantastic. I immediately prefer this over the Very Mad Cow. There's a ton of rum in this, along with raisins, cinnamon, wood/barrel, seductive booziness, and that caramel/spice/earthy fruit kick you associate with rum. There's even a bit of that "rum burn," with some tannin assertiveness. The wheat pops up, along with low to mid-level bitterness, but none of the wheat/hop character is overly assertive. There's definitely big oak character in this, which leads me to believe this was aged in a rum-soaked oak barrel. What an invention. /dr. nick

"What a country!"

Like the Very Mad Cow, this beer is punishingly sweet. You can feel the sugar grinding your teeth, and each sip is like one year off your life. This beer was made for diabetic alcoholics and pirates, I'll let you sort out the overlap. What should be full-bodied with Sam Adams Imperial White levels of non-drinkability is actually kind of quaffable, thanks to lively carbonation and a nice drying finish. There's also some nice booze/burn on the back end, which is certainly welcomed with this type of thing. It's aged in rum barrels for 4 months, you pussy. What were you expecting? Don't even think about prolonged aging. While palate depth is outstanding for a winter warmer, complexity seems a bit "rum-dimensional." Don't worry, we'll be firing the intern. You get caramel, sugar, and fruits on the molasses wave-length up front; then the rum, cinnamon, and huge barrel/oak show up; the back end is lingering barrel/oak, rum spice, and some nice tannin assertiveness and alcohol burn. It's dry and sticky, but that's nothing compared to the scurvy.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I would say this is a notch above the Very Mad Cow, with the two big faults being the over-the-top sweetness and the middling complexity. Then again, when you consider the 11.2%...this beer is a sipping beer. For sure. This is a beer that you could mull over for an hour or two on a cold winter night, and in that regard, it almost seems perfect. Unfortunately, today is one of the hottest and most humid days in Chicago. I would pair this beer with ribs, sweet barbecue, pulled pork, spiced poultry, grilled meats, tropical salsa, and maybe even some fish. This is good stuff but I'd drink it fresh to get the most out of the rum character. Also, this was a bit pricey if I recall. 

Random Thought: July is apparently eternal Florida. It's hot and the humidity is at very uncomfortable levels. It's ridiculous weather, bring on some low-80s and a nice breeze.