Review – Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

From Goose Island Brewing –
Serving Suggestions:
Preferred Glass: Snifter
Preferred Serving Temperature: 40º
Food Pairings: Flourless Chocolate Cake
Cheese Pairings: Capriole Bourbon Chocolate Torte
Cellaring Notes: Develops in the bottle for up to 5 years

Goose Island Brewing –  Bourbon County Stout, Vintage 2008 – Sent to me by a good friend. Poured into a 12 oz beer glass.

Appearance: Pitch black with no light shining through. Very little head; started as 1/8″ even after an aggressive pour, expanded to 3/8″ then quickly dissipated to nothing. What head there was was milk chocolate brown.
Aroma: Caramel, molasses, vanilla and oak (though, strangely, not charred).

Taste: One of the sweetest beers I’ve ever had, yet has a ton of bitterness on the finish. Lots of dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel and butterscotch (all the flavors of a good, aged bourbon, in other words).

Mouthfeel: This is, without a doubt, the thickest beer I’ve ever had, including several Doppelbocks. Cloying and rich, this beer clings to your tongue and refuses to let go.

Drinkability: This is another “dessert in a bottle” beer and is not for those lacking a prodigious sweet tooth. At 13%, a 12 oz bottle of this is more than enough for an after-dinner drink (and is probably strong enough to split between two people). The website says people have said this is a good cigar beer. If you smoke, go full-bodied.