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.