Hey Cyber mofo, and other beer connoisseurs - step inside please (Beer)
 

Recently I discovered beer aged in bourbon barrels. :dance:

I don't know how this concept escaped my attention for the last 20 years of my drinking career, but that's all in the past. After trying several now, I believe I have stumbled across true beer nirvana . . . Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout.

https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/m...bon-county.jpg

If you know about it, what are your thoughts about it - and are you aware of anything else this special I need to hunt down? :D

The day after Thanksgiving I found it lingering on a shelf labeled "1 per customer please" (one 12 oz. bottle mind you!). I think it was 7 or 8 dollars, and being limited I had to try it. Then the cashier informed me it was kind of a big deal, and I might perhaps let it age a while in the bottle and save it for a special occasion.

Hogwash.

I anxiously opened the bottle with my old trusty Schmidt's metal opener, and poured it into my fancy Sam Adams glass :lol:

The aroma was intoxicating . . . I held it up to the light - nada. This nectar is blacker than black. I couldn't wait a second longer . . . :datawiz:

Oh . . . . . dear . . . . . Lord.

Was this actually happening?

In one word - Incredible.
In two words - Holy Sh!t
In three words - I Need More!

A couple days later I stroll into a new establishment, and I'm checking the place out. The only Goose Island on the shelf was their Festivity Ale. I asked for some assistance, and inquired about the Bourbon County.

I got a hairy eyeball.

After looking me over he says, "What else are you gonna buy?"

Wha . . . huh? Umm, I don't know yet.

"Tell you what . . . shop around, and when you get to the counter to pay I'll bring a bottle out from the back for you. One bottle . . . but only if you buy something else. We've had a problem with people trolling for this stuff to resell."

RESELL?!? Who in their right mind would part from this after tasting it?!?

"Happens all the time. There are places where hundreds of people stand in line to get this stuff, the day after Thanksgiving."

Wow, ok thanks. Let me get to shoppin' then.



For those people that get to buy a whole four pack or more of these - You suck :issues:

That is all. :D :cert:

Boulevard does it in their Smokestack Series.
Bourbon Barrel Quad (BBQ) | Boulevard Brewing Co. | Kansas City, MO | BeerAdvocate

Lucky Bucket (Omaha) has one called Certified Evil.
Certified Evil | Lucky Bucket Brewing Co. | La Vista, NE | BeerAdvocate

Those are the only two I have had.

Of all the different beer I've drank, I don't think I've come across anything like that.

I'm intrigued.

Victory - Oak Horizontal , is also no joke, imho.

:iagree: sounds like I'll have to put it on the short list. :yum:
Scott

I will gladly pay for a bottle and shipping for any of these if anyone wants to help a brotha out

^^ I'm gonna stop by another place on the way home tonight.

I went through this same crazy stuff years ago, when Sam Adams used to sell their Chocolate Bock in the large 750 ml bottles around Valentine's day. I remember spending up to 30 bucks a bottle at times :crazy:

You don't think a local place will carry it?

[Chas] The blackness of that beer can really only truly be appreciated by watching a VHS tape video of the beer on a Kuro. [Chas]

We get several of them around these parts. Some even come in six packs. :D I will make a list of what we have in the next day or so when I stop by the store. :cert:

The place I stopped at last night gave me almost the same wierd treatment. This time I shopped around first, and brought some decent stuff to the cashier. Of course I had already done an exhaustive search of the place first, but asked the girl if she knew of any Bourbon County left somewhere in the store. She immediately said no, If I didn't find it there isn't any left. I explained that I didn't know where it would be kept, so how could I be sure? She told me to hold on, and slithered up a flight of steps to a loft where "the beer guy" camps out.

So I'm trying not to get excited, and just kinda pretending I don't see them. I notice her whispering to an unseen person, when suddenly a head pops up and peers down from his perch. They exchange some dialog, and she slides back down the stairs and says she's sorry, they don't have any. :sadangel:

She's almost finished ringing me up, when suddenly the beer guys stands up and says, "Sir, hold on a second,"

To self: You fuggin' bet I'll hold on . . .

"How would you like to try some Bourbon County Barleywine?"

Knowing I didn't see that on the shelves either, and the fact that he had it stashed up in his not so secret den, I excitedly said that I would like to try that very much. Oddly, I see him descend from his lair with two different bottles . . . one of which looked a lot like the coveted Bourbon County Stout I was after!

Sure enough, he was yielding a bottle, but it had a yellow sticky attached. He leaned over to the girl and asked if "the guy" that had this last bottle called for, had intended to come in tonight to pick it up. She said no, but he called the day before and said he'd be there for sure. I'm standing there with money in hand, salivating. I jokingly exclaimed that there should be some kind of expiration for held items, and I would be happy to take it right now.

No dice. Thanks for torturing me azzhole. :issues:

Next year I will be prepared for the Black Friday release, for sure! :datawiz:

I'm still happy I scored the Barleywine. I'll taste it this weekend: BOURBON COUNTY BARLEYWINE | Goose Island Beer Company

Obligatory pic:

http://i.imgur.com/33GsqUp.jpg


Happy hunting! :cert:

Scored two four packs just minutes ago...he said he thought he had at least one more case...I advised I'll be back later. :D

While I'm happy for you . . . you suck! :D

Edit: In the unlikely event you don't particularly care for them, PM me so I may take some off your hands!

The BCBS is a pita to get around here - when word hits the street that a store has it, some fool goes and buys all of it and then posts on the local craft beer sites that they bought it all.

I have people shipping me beer from all over the place and I also do quite a bit of trading. I actually have to hit the beer store and the local chocolatier today to get some things.

I wish I could buy more than one at a time. I guess it depends on the volume each store is allotted. I'll start my rounds early next year for sure.

He told me where I picked this up that they didn't send as much this year as they did last, and that they hadn't sent any of one of the crafts (sorry...my mind was wandering off to how good this is going to taste... :D).

If, by chance, I don't like this years batch...ok, sorry, I'm back, fell off my chair laughing there...I'll see about dispensing it evenly and fairly among the VB tribe. :seasix:

Translation...I'll be taking bids. :shots:

It appears I'll have three more I need to try :hurray:

Found some at a local place. Two four packs now on hold for me. :hurray:

Geez . . . I just called around five or six places and only found two bottles.
Hopefully the guy pulls through and holds them for me :willy:

First place I called said "Yeah, we have one left"...then I hear mumbling in the background.

"I'm sorry, my manager said we're out." Yeah....right...

Next two locations have a half dozen packs left with a two pack limit....I ain't sayin' shit.