I've Been Waiting 8 Months for Tonight's Dessert

Posted by: Tyler Rippeteau

Aug. 13, 2011

Eight or nine months ago I was lucky enough to get a fantastic gift from my former bar's Goose Island rep - a half a case of Bourbon County Brand Stout - one of my all time favorite beers and currently ranked as the 64th best beer in the world on Beer Advocate. I gave a few away, put one in as an extra on a beer trade and drank all but one of them, which I was saving for a special occasion.

Shortly after receiving that gift, my wonderful girlfriend surprised me with a bottle of Bourbon County Rare - it is currently rated the 6th best beer in the world.  Then just a few weeks later, my buddy Chris, a former Goose Island employee brought me a bottle of  Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout - a very rare beer, which I have only had the pleasure of tasting twice - once the night Chris gave me the bottle (he brought another one for us to share that night) and once at the brewery.  It supposedly will never be made again.

So with three of Goose Island's finest works of art from the pre-InBev days, I figured the first night that we are finally settled into our new home in Colorado would be a special enough occasion to indulge in that bottle of Bourbon County Stout along with the bottles of Rare, Vanilla and the Night Stalker that I've have had for the past few months as well.

Of course, I will review each beer and post some results on the site for you.  Although, I have already reviewed the regular Bourbon County Stout when I put it up against Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout.

Just as an FYI, since I'm sure some of you will ask and it might be tough to see in the picture, all of these beers are 2010 releases and all were bottled last fall, so they're almost a year old.  I am very excited!