Over the last few years I have been able to try Goose Island Beer Co’s Bourbon County Brand Stout.  The Bourbon County Brand Stout is an amazing Imperial Stout but I have finally been able to try this Chicago breweries “Bourbon County Brand Barleywine” 2015 vintage.  The beer pours a deep brownish red with a brown head.  The aroma consists of dark fruits, molasses, caramel,  candied sugar, sweet vanilla and some wood from the barrel aging.  The flavour is of plums, dark fruits, molasses, caramel, candied sugar, toffee, vanilla, wood and some alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 12.9% with an IBU of 60.  Much like the Stout the Barleywine is epic with tons of amazing flavour and if you can find a bottle buy it and drink it!

Commercial 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.