Goose Island
It’s been more than 30 years since the folks at Chicago’s Goose Island unleashed Bourbon County Stout upon the beer world, and its release still remains one of the more anticipated events on the beer calendar each year. The brewery has also whipped up some phenomenal variants over the years, and it’s once again delivered courtesy of an unconventional creation.
I was exposed to Bourbon County Stout pretty early on in my craft beer journey, and I can still remember getting my first taste of the boozy concoction more than a decade ago. It may sound hyperbolic, but at the time, it was a genuinely mind-blowing sip that (much like my initial encounters with Heady Topper and a pucker-inducing gueze from Cantillion) made me rethink what beer could be.
I’ve gone out of my way to track down what the folks at Goose Island have whipped up every year since then, and while a couple of the releases in the 2010s left a bit to be desired, I’m rarely disappointed by the stout that spends plenty of time getting to know the bourbon barrels its aged in before being bottled.
I’ve been lucky enough to get an early taste of the entire Bourbon County lineup for the past few years, and it’s safe to say Goose Island still knows what it’s doing.
I was dismayed to discover the 2021 Proprietor’s Stout (which was actually just a rerelease of the 2014 option) was only available in the Chicago area, as the beverage that was bursting with the flavors of chocolate and strawberry remains one of the best beers I’ve ever had.
I was slightly skeptical of the Fig Newton-inspired BCS that was dreamed up by a Goose Island employee for the 2022 release after reading the description, but it ended up being the standout of the bunch. Now, I can firmly bestow that label upon one bottle from the 2023 collection that will drop on Black Friday after trying all six.
Bourbon County’s Angel’s Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout is the highlight of its batch of beers in 2023
Goose Island
Before I dive into the standout, I want to give credit where credit is due to Goose Island for producing an incredibly well-rounded group of Bourbon County beers this year.
The flagship offering (the “Original Stout”) comes out of the gate with a ton of chocolate that’s supported by notes of raisin and other dried fruits that make up the backbone. It gets an upgrade with the variant that spent two years in Eagle Rare casks, which instills hazelnut, cherry, and a hint of saltiness that adds a subtle savory layer to a decidedly sweet sip.
If you’re looking for sweet (but not too sweet), the “Backyard Stout” is basically a dessert in a glass that greatly benefits from the addition of the mulberry, boysenberry, and marionberry that were harnessed during the brewing process. There are two others that were inspired by actual desserts (specifically Bananas Foster and rice pudding), which are both solid offerings but not necessarily something I’d go out of my way to have again.
However, that is decidedly not the case with the collaboration with Angel’s Envy, which marks the first time Goose Island has gotten in on the “cask finish” craze.
If you’re familiar with Angel’s Envy, you may know they’ve drawn inspiration from the many Scottish distilleries that have traditionally harnessed used port and sherry casks to add an extra layer of depth to their whiskey. I’m an absolute sucker for brown spirits that get that particular treatment, but it’s fairly rare to find a good beer that underwent the same process.
I have no doubt BCS that spent two years aging in Angel’s Envy barrels would be great on its own, but that potential release was eschewed in favor of placing the beer in Ruby Port barrels for an additional year.
It’s pretty clear that’s the case once you take a sip, which is noticeably softer than the other beers and drier thanks to the tannins that were extracted during the aging process. There’s a fair amount of cherry, and I couldn’t help but compare it to cola, as it’s almost reminiscent of a Kalimotxo (a popular Spanish cocktail consisting of equal parts Coke and red wine).
The Angel’s Envy variant really comes into itself once you take a few sips, as the impact of the port becomes increasingly apparent as you make your way through the glass. As I’ve alluded to, it’s hard to go wrong with any of this year’s BCS releases, but if you can only try one, it should be this.