Episode 9: The Bourboniest of Stouts

This week we discussed:

We reviewed:

Episode Notes:

Sadly, the bottle of Bourbon County ended up being defective due to no fault of our own. We contacted Goose Island, who offered a refund. We’ll discuss our conversation with GI on Episode 10.
We lost about 2 minutes of our recording, starting at about 20:00. Sorry about that. Most of what was lost was introduction to the Bourbon County

North Coast Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin

Review

Appearance: Uneven, creep-esque cover, but with wonderful hazy brown suds above an opaque blackness. Leaves some nice lace behind.
Smell: Malt heavy coffee nose that warns of booze and hints at hop oil. Rich and a bit sugary. A little slightly chemical candied smell occassionally arises.
Taste: Not at full bodied as the smell and appearance imply, but still heavy. Rich taste of malt, slight hop bitterness, bourbon is rather light but present, and becomes more apparent on the finish. Sweetness is nice on the tongue but burns a little on the aftertaste. There were notes of roasted coffee bean throughout.
Mouthfeel: A mostly creamy, viscous mouthfeel, as is appropriate. Very light carbonation, also appropriate. A little sudsiness here is actually rather pleasant.
Drinkability: Moderately drinkable; I could happily split a bomber, probably finish a bomber myself. More than that would be pushing it. Too much could make me sick.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 3.75
Devon: 4

Review

Appearance: Dark as dark; like, really dark. Black. Opaque. Little to no head. Very little carbonation. Did I mention it’s dark?
Smell: Notes of dark fruit; raisin/prune. Toffee as well. Roasted malts have a presence. Not as potent as anticipated. Issue: there is no real bourbon smell, which is abnormal.
Taste: Taste is marvelous. Smooth, not bitter or sweet, but soundly and eloquently in the middle. A little bit of coffee peaks out in the finish that complements the toffee. There is a nice bourbon harmony that accentuates the sweet grainy flavors of the imperial stout.
Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel is not as it should be – not as effervescent as it should be, though still creamy and a little bit sticky.
Drinkability: Considering the potency of the libation, it’s highly potable, despite being less compelling than it should (due to bottling flaws). Not worth $40 in this state, but highly enjoyable.

Score (out of 5)
Brian: 2.5
Devon: 3.0