Lots of dark chocolate and roasty malt with a hint of sweetness from the maple and booziness from the barrel.

Founders knocked it out of the park with this one. Loads of chocolate, very rich, no bitterness. Only a few sips in, but looking forward to seeing how it changes with some warmth.

This one has not held up as well as others. Mouthfeel is a bit thin and while there’s barrel left on it, there’s a hint of bitterness as well. Hoping it gets better as it warms.

With Phil in Colorado during steak night.

Bourbon County Vertical 2023

Not my favorite year, but crazy depth of flavor and very boozy.

Bourbon County Vertical 2022

Bourbon County Vertical 2021

Tons of dark chocolate, malt, and bourbon goodness. Decadent and rich.

Vertical 2020

Still tastes great. Starting to detect a hint of age, but not in a bad way.

Still tastes as I remember it. Sad they haven’t made this again.

Holding up really well.

Still so good.

Holding up nicely so far. Still strong whiskey and fig flavors, with malt on the finish.

Really interesting. Bold malty flavor, softened by the brandy and made slightly sharp by the whiskey. Sweetness from the figs and dates.

Lots of dark chocolate and roasty malt with a hint of sweetness from the maple and booziness from the barrel.

Founders knocked it out of the park with this one. Loads of chocolate, very rich, no bitterness. Only a few sips in, but looking forward to seeing how it changes with some warmth.

Really nice, bourbony and smooth. Thankfully the chili spice is minimal - I love spice, but not in beer.

Sad I only have 1 more of these.

This is still excellent. Incredibly rich and decadent, with a nice warmth from the barrel.

Drinking this along with a sample of Old Forester 150, the same barrels this was aged in. What a pairing! Thanks Richard!!!

This is the clear winner for the 2021 lineup. Sadly I never got to try the OF 150 bourbon this beer was aged in barrels of, but now I want to even more than before. Low carbonation, but depth of flavor. Tons of barrel. Enjoying it even more as it warms.

This tastes like someone mixed a barleywine with an extremely bitter, hoppy west coast IPA. Three years later and it hasn’t gotten any better. Will probably be a drain pour.

Malty and hoppy.

This has held up remarkably well. Still plenty of coffee and flavorful maple syrup flavors.

Lots of coffee and molasses, along with dark chocolate. A bit thinner than the regular stouts, but flavors linger for awhile.

Coffee is still prominent, with a hint of sweetness from the maple. Holding up well so far.

Lots of coffee; more than I remember. Glad I have a bunch of these left.

Did a side by side with 2019 Café de Olla and 2020 Special #4. In the end, they’re both fantastic, but the Café de Olla wins. Thankfully, the cassia bark aka cinnamon has calmed down in the Café de Olla.

This is a mouthful of coffee and not a whole lot of other flavors. There’s a subtle hint of the sweetness from the maple. It would have been better if Goose Island stuck with the base stout instead of the thinner, less malty, less flavorful oatmeal.

This has held up amazingly well. Lots of coffee and velvety mouthfeel with a dark chocolate finish that lingers on the palate. I’m glad they started making these again.

Nice malty, roasty, coffee flavor and boozy. Yum

Lots of coffee and dark chocolate. Definitely taste the age, but still enjoyable.

Definitely taste the age. Still tons of coffee. Best fresh.

This was their off year. I will say while it wasn’t good overall, it seems to have held up to where it was back then. Still best fresh.

Either this was the off year or this didn’t hold up well. Flavors aren’t right. Maybe it will improve as it warms.

2 years later, it still hasn't improved much.

Slightly better than it was when fresh, but still not up to the standards of other years.

It now has a year on it and hasn't improved much. This year's is fantastic; 2016 still is not.

Still not any better. I think this year's batch will need 2-3 years before it tastes decent.

Really great depth of flavor on this and the Utopias barrel definitely comes through. Cant wait to see how this transforms over time.

This is really good. Great flavor, lots of booziness, hint of sweetness, not too much bitterness. Can’t wait to see how this ages.

Mmm, just as good as I remember with lots of flavorful coffee. Oh how I wish they’d make this exact recipe again. This one was stored very well and purchased recently from another BC enthusiast.

Aroma is still on point. No carbonation left. Flavors have changed - it’s past it’s prime, but still good. Lots of dark chocolate on the finish with a touch of booziness. I hope they make this exact style again someday.

Not exactly as I remember it, in that the coffee has faded a little and the dark chocolate from the base has amped up. Still fantastic, but best fresh. I hope Goose Island makes this again someday.

Bourbon County Vertical 2024

Not getting much banana this time. I’m getting a lot of warm cinnamon and of course, the bourbon.