Brew: Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale

Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.

Style: Barley Wine ABV 14.2%

Well its that time of the year again.  Bourbon county has graced the halls of local brewhouses and disctracted me away from sours, ciders, and creative head turners for the moment.

Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale Pours an amber brown with a nose of malt and molasses.  Tastes of a welcoming oaky bourbon background, raisins, vanilla, smokey spices, and molasses.  Bourbon County Barleywine Ale is incredibly smooth for the style and the ABV (14.2%) and becomes more complex with every sip. As it warms additional qualities become evident including the depth of the bourbon flavor and the mouth-feel of honey.  I can’t rave enough about the background notes of bourbon that are balanced by flavors of malt vanilla. Because this barleywine was aged for so long and in so many barrels it has an aged tempered flavor that is exquisitely pleasing to the palate. Just like an aged Imperial IPA develops complexity, so does this Barley Wine in the form of flavor not a.  Bourbon County Barleywine Ale is brewed in a third use barrel that previously housed Kentucky bourbon and Bourbon County Stout (another holiday release I am posting about below).  Bourbon is one of my favorite spirits and the increasing wave of bourbon barrel use as an aging agent in the U.S. is truly staggering.

Seller Description:
Aged in the third-use barrels that were once home to Kentucky bourbon and then our renowned Bourbon County Stout, this traditional English-style barleywine possesses the subtlety of flavor that only comes from a barrel that’s gone through many seasons of ritual care. The intricacies of the previous barrel denizens – oak, charcoal, hints of tobacco and vanilla, and that signature bourbon heat – are all present in this beer. Hearty and complex, Bourbon County Brand Barleywine is a titan and a timeline; a bold, flavorful journey through the craft of barrel aging.

Brew: Bourbon County Brand Stout

Brewer: Goose Island Beer Co.

Style: Imperial Stout ABV 14.3%

The Bourbon County Brand Stout pours a charcoal brown with a nose of pure boozy bourbon and malt.  The flavors are not as intimidating as the nose with enveloping layers of bourbon flavors and warmth that balance the sweetness of vanilla and caramel, as well as a complimentary nutiness.   Malt and molasses permeate this libation creating a mouthwatering adjunct to the downright pronounced bourbon flavor.  While the Brand Barleywine Ale is a tempered brew with smooth qualities, the Brand Stout is a stronger experience with an added kick in the pants.  Find a proprietor willing to sell this before it runs out.. and stay tuned for some interesting ciders and brews of all kinds.

Seller Description: Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at our original Clybourn brewpub. A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer.