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Episode 183 - Goose Island BCS 2026 Lineup
28 Plays4 days ago
This week we discuss the 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Lineup and which variants we're looking forward to the most. Along the way, Brandon reaches deep into his cellar and opens three variants from previous years.
Get the full lineup here: https://www.gooseisland.com/view-all#filter=bourbon-county-brand-stout
Theme music provided by Myke Kelli (@mykekelli)
Outro music provided by @FluidMinds
Check out all our episodes at www.themaltinghour.com
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Transcript
Introduction to 'The Molten Hour'
00:00:00
Speaker
You know what? Why are you here? we you're just You're just causing trouble. Seriously. Making me uncomfortable. Already making me angry. i do appreciate the cushy island, though. Thank you So I've done all my jobs. I can go.
00:00:15
Speaker
the
00:00:21
Speaker
What's the haps on the hops? Got yeast, that's peace. This the molten hour where we talk about our drink and tell you what we think every other week. And if we get drunk, well, we might slur our speech. Got the gift of gab, the friends who wish you had.
00:00:34
Speaker
Join us for a drink.
Impact of Wildfire Smoke on Chicago's Air Quality
00:00:35
Speaker
Join us for a laugh. Time is never wasted. When you're getting wasted? The molten hour here. People, people, take your places. People, people, take your places.
00:00:53
Speaker
and didn't winning turn
00:00:57
Speaker
there's a delay but it's uniform that's good i can hear it bounce back yep and matthew we're gonna start that over no you're delayed
00:01:13
Speaker
fair enough fair How are you guys? Good. How are you, Matthew? It's delightful day. Actually, it was beautiful this morning. this this like this This whole week in Chicago has been quite nice after the smoky maple smoke we've been having in the very hot days.
00:01:34
Speaker
I heard we're about to get more, though. don't want that. Oregon's on fire now. The whole world's on fire. you know it' set so In the warehouse that I worked, it was like it was actually
Work Environment Challenges Due to Smoke
00:01:46
Speaker
smoky in there.
00:01:47
Speaker
And the like three days afterwards, or like after the first day, like we had air purifiers by us, but still like yeah at my desk all day. And we didn't know how, nobody knew how bad it was going to be that first time it came through. So we didn't have masks or anything.
00:02:02
Speaker
I developed a cough, like a smoker's cough, like when I used to smoke for like four days after that. it finally It's gone away finally. It was the worst recorded air quality in Chicago history. yeah it was It was bad.
00:02:13
Speaker
i think we were number three in the world that day. Or four. We're lucky. All of Minnesota was fucked. We rule. Let's see. Canada would probably have pretty fucked up. You know. They had some smoke. A little bit of smoke. A little bit of smoke. A little smoke show. I saw a map of all the Canadian wildfires. And it was like, what Americans think? And it was like, one dot wildfire. And was actual Canada. The entire thing was on fire. The whole border.
00:02:41
Speaker
Yeah, it was ridiculous. It's like they're doing it on purpose. Dude, when I, like, last, yeah, last Thursday. By the way, that's not a real thought of mine. When I took it Benjamin, like, we walked out to go to camp, and I was like, what in the actual fuck? I mean, I knew it was going to be smoky, but I was like.
00:02:58
Speaker
It was bad. could barely see down the block. Like. Yeah, it was it was really, really bad. But hopefully we don't get more, and hopefully everybody in Canada is okay. Yeah. Brandon, how are you? I'm doing great. Great, man.
00:03:11
Speaker
I'm doing great, too. Everything's good. Who asked you? I know. just thought I'd just throw my two cents. I'm good. I'm good. Yeah. Doing pretty good. All right. Well, thanks for listening, everybody. See everybody next time. All right. Everyone go back to the beach. Like and subscribe.
Exclusive Reveal of Goose Island's 2026 Lineup
00:03:26
Speaker
No. So this week, if you know you follow Chicago beer or barrel-aged beers,
00:03:33
Speaker
We got the full lineup of Goose Island's 2026 Bourbon County Stout. we do We know what the lineup is. We do not have... oh you son of a... That's not what I meant. You goddamn liar. I meant we got it as a... they You invited me here.
00:03:48
Speaker
Under the guise. False food justice. That would hate drinking. Yeah, they gave it to us first of all the fucking people and podcasts in the world. They're like, let's give it to the malting hour. As they should.
00:04:00
Speaker
I mean, it was very nice of them to... Hint, hint, Goose. Hint, hint. Thank you for... And see at the dinner. yeah Thank you for inviting us and still telling us everything. So, yeah. So, for those you don't know, here is the 2026 Bourbon County Stout lineup.
00:04:13
Speaker
I have the announcement fact sheet in front of me, too. do I. So I've got, like, the full... So do All right. Here we right. What day? What? You had a fact sheet. I thought we were just going bombard you with questions. Are you going tell us the answers?
00:04:24
Speaker
No. I kind of want you to go. Yeah. Me, No.
00:04:30
Speaker
Here we go. here's the am me I can tell you're tired. You're a little cranky. a little dick. I'm always a dick to you. Yeah. That's what's up.
00:04:41
Speaker
Aw, but we always hug at the end of the day. Tip to tip. Okay, here we go.
Tasting the 2020 Carmela Barleywine
00:04:47
Speaker
We got the original Bourbon County brand original stout, as always.
00:04:52
Speaker
The next one is the 2026 Bourbon County brand tiramisu cask finished stout. Following that, we've got the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple. Why did I say it like that? Sorry. 2026. no. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout.
00:05:09
Speaker
Then the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor Stout, which is a pineapple upside down cake. Very interesting. this year and then the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barley Wine. And then the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout.
00:05:27
Speaker
So ah since we're doing a Bourbon County episode, I thought maybe would be fun to have an old variant. And Brandon happened to have It's one of my favorite variants of all time.
00:05:38
Speaker
It is the 2020 Carmela barley wine. And it's supposed to be like a caramel apple. I thought this would be a good one considering there is an apple variant of this year.
00:05:51
Speaker
So let's give it a sip and talk about it first, John. Still smells like apple.
00:05:58
Speaker
Yeah. That's as good as I remember. Me too. I think it's my first time having it. I think it's Brandon's first time having And I've had this the entire time. which is moving Because what? You got your allotment or went out and bought it and that was it, right? Because it was the pandemic. Yeah, I don't remember.
00:06:16
Speaker
i think that was the drive-thru year. Right. I don't remember if it was a part of the prop day. I don't remember. But I ended up getting it it at some point. Yeah. And I wasn't... I thought I had it because I thought I remember seeing it and then I came home and I was checking the shelf. I was like, oh, look, there it is. I do have it.
00:06:34
Speaker
What's your first impressions of Brandon? This is actually pretty tasty. um it It's got that barley wine essence. um But I feel like the the apple kind of does... And like even now, still kind of shines through.
00:06:49
Speaker
And then it's got that like undertone of caramel for me that...
Exploring the 2026 Bourbon County Apple Crisp Stout
00:06:53
Speaker
Compliments it. this is This is a really good... This is really good. I like it. There is also like a hint of like cinnamon in there as well. Yeah, a little bit.
00:07:02
Speaker
And you can smell it too. Yeah. It comes in the aroma. Yeah. Those hearing like official words. Oh, that's an official. I'll read it the script shop real quick.
00:07:13
Speaker
Carmella or candy in Italian is a wheat wine. Wait, Carmella or candy in Italian is a wheat wine aged in larceny weeded bourbon barrels with apple, cinnamon, and natural caramel flavors or caramel. i don't know you it. Added after aging, just like last year, 2019. Excuse me, I'm about to burp. The sweet smoothness from the larceny weeded bourbon barrels at a lingering warmth Oh my God. That compliments the added flavor nuance.
00:07:43
Speaker
I should have waited. It's nostalgia inducing flavors are reminiscent of a caramel apple. Our lab tech, Joey... I can't believe it. Joey. Joey. Created this variant as a tribute to his love of seasonal flavors. This luscious embodiment of caramel apple perfectly paired with a slightly tart apple flavor will transport you to a crisp autumn day.
00:08:04
Speaker
It's 14.6% ABV. Tasting notes are caramel, apple, and cinnamon. It's a wheat wine aged in bourbon barrels. So it's not a barley wine. I was wrong. It's a wheat wine. My bad. My bad. No, but it's still... I feel like even wheat wines... mean, it's a barley wine, but it's made with wheat instead barley.
00:08:21
Speaker
so I mean, there's a fine line, and it's still got that essence. so Yeah, this was one of my favorite... I think this was my favorite variant that year, and I think I went back and got another bottle of it, and then...
00:08:36
Speaker
couple years ago maybe in 2023 when clark and i went up to michigan we brought it and like it actually like in september it felt like a fall day it was like the perfect time to drink it but it just felt like a great so you're saying september felt like a fall day yeah yeah thanks all right carry on well yeah you know my little words son
00:09:01
Speaker
still Kind of like summery. I really... Matthew, what do you think about it? I really like it, though I don't necessarily think caramel apple. I think almost like wheat wine aged in like Calvados, where it has like apple essence, but it isn't... If you've had like, you know, the phase three, like taffy apple now, and like a lot of the breweries that do The stouts with especially apple, it tastes kind of that fake green sour apple.
00:09:32
Speaker
And this just more tastes like the essence of apple kind of on the back end. Yeah. yeah I've had the afet apple. It is not subtle.
00:09:44
Speaker
No. no it's It's gotten better though. I'm sure it has. it really has. But um i don't, I like to compare the two. i Yeah, they're they're different beers. Obviously, one hour just yeah one of them is barrel aged. One of them isn't.
00:09:59
Speaker
But I feel like the apple flavor in this is so much cleaner, I would say. It's not that, well, you said it It's not the fake apple flavor. Yeah, and that's what I'm saying. like Especially the the barrel, the larceny barrel, even though it's also a wheat whiskey that has more of that sweetness, which you definitely get from all of the beer, that apple just tastes more of that like spirit ah where you have you know Calvados.
00:10:26
Speaker
that's whatever So you're saying apple spirit and as opposed to like real apple. Yeah. That makes sense. The only, ah I remember Rev had an apple brandy. <unk> Yeah. it Was it right away? Yeah. That and again, another one that like, which is crazy that I would not have expected myself to be like these apple like barrel aged stouts are like some of my favorite. So yeah,
00:10:52
Speaker
Before we talk about that anymore, I do want to go into that variant of what's coming out this year. Yeah, let's do it. Which is the 2026 Bourbon County brand Apple Crisp Stout, which I'm very excited about. No ABVs have been released for this yet. It says the tasting notes are fresh baked oat crumble, caramel, and crisp apple.
00:11:09
Speaker
I think that I like that it's not a wheat wine or a barley wine. I like that they're keeping it a stout because, don't know, I feel like that... What Bourbon County has will lend the vanilla and like burnt sugar will lend itself better to that. Yeah, that's the like the base. yeah So it says Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with apple, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, oats, and pinela sugar.
00:11:35
Speaker
View this. This is so long. I'm going to go through it Here we go. a Few things are more familiar or more comforting than the warmth of aroma of a homemade apple crisp baking in the oven. Goose Island's Chase Craig leaned into that exact feeling for this year's Bourbon County style, building around his favorite parts of the classic dessert, the caramelized edges, the toasted spices, and that unmistakable crumble top.
00:11:57
Speaker
The 2026 Bourbon County brand Applecrest Stout embraces the warming expressions bourbon barrels carry naturally. The cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg layered throughout don't fight the oak, but let it shine.
00:12:07
Speaker
The apples offer a gentle brightness while toasted oats soften the body into something plush and inviting, like me. Pinella sugar, raw and deeply caramelized, draws out the same toasted sweetness found in the barrel's own char.
00:12:22
Speaker
Rounding rich decadent finish that defines Goose Island's barrel aged stout. Now there's an echo. yeah I'm really excited about that variant.
00:12:36
Speaker
Obviously because I mean, it's like an apple crumble. i mean it's It's coming off more like, ah when Goose does what sounds like is going to be like a pastry stout for Bourbon County,
00:12:50
Speaker
rarely is it like beat you over the head with sweetness in those flavors yeah yes there's some that are a bit stronger than the others but as years have gone on i get more excited about beers like that because some of those things kind of become subtle but they still stand out where you can taste it where it's better to drink fresh than to let it age agreed I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Can you reread that? Sure, here we Don't do it. Don't do it!
00:13:15
Speaker
I just go back and listen to it, Matthew. um yeah I do like the sound of oats in that. I think, especially if you're going to do that crumble, yeah you I really liked what you were saying, especially going back to a stout and having the burnt sugar, but having that like crumble, yeah you really need that almost like...
00:13:34
Speaker
oh butter biscuit kind of flavor and texture. And so I think that o will really help blend itself to that. i did hear that each beer is going to come with like a crumbled top that you have to like chug down and chew live in a ba of chew a little bit. Like they stuff it at the top of the bottle like yeah before. ye Nice. ne That's not real guys. that's Goose Island is not doing it.
00:13:58
Speaker
But I might do it. I might do it. Ooh, I wonder what they would make for that dinner.
00:14:06
Speaker
it's ah this The Carmelo that we're drinking from 2020, this is ah Bourbon County that I would like to bake with or cook with or do something with. and i I feel like... and and This is not a knock at Goose, but I feel like the this year's variant...
00:14:23
Speaker
will be profile wise, similar to this, but just layering on that extra. Well, that's why i think when they, they're talking about, that's, that's fucking fantastic. I feel like that extra bit will be enough to cut.
00:14:38
Speaker
You can make it sweet, but like, it'll help blend everything else. Yeah. Um, And if all the flavors come through, that'll be fantastic. Well, yeah, I think that goes to what Matthew was saying but like the crumble. And then in the description, they're talking about like, you know, the, like, not like the crumbles, my favorite part, the brown edges, you know, the brown edges of the pastry, you know, like that. Oh God.
00:15:00
Speaker
I'm really excited about Let get the nice juicy apple. So to the crumble and have that as the last bite. Oh, There was a couple days this week where it felt like autumn. and that was I'm not trying to rush through summer, but fall is definitely my my favorite season. so i'm A little tease. I was ready for an Oktoberfest on the cold day. It's it's a typical... you know fat guys don't like the summer. They like it when it's cool in the fall. Yeah, I can put a hoodie on. You don't see my man boobs. what Anyways, about the Carmella brand. How many...
00:15:33
Speaker
Caramel apples, would you give that? ah I'm four and a half. This is, it's great. Yeah. i Matthew, as and I texted you this morning about possibly grabbing it. They still have it at the tap room. Let's go get them all. Yeah, I mean. They're like Pokemon. Let's get them all. Like, I really do want to get another bottle of this just because I just think it's really, really great.
00:15:59
Speaker
Matthew, how many caramel apples are you giving this? I was going start like 425 to like 433. It really delicious. Very clean.
00:16:09
Speaker
ah very clean And especially for variants that have a bunch of things going on, especially with Apple, that's hard to work with. yeah that is That is really, really tasty. well And considering this is almost a six-year-old. Yeah, it's six years old.
00:16:26
Speaker
I mean, it's it's to me, like maybe there's some difference. Also, temperature-wise, that's a good temperature. I get like a lot of the cinnamon, but it doesn't like take over everything else. Also, i love cinnamon.
00:16:38
Speaker
um I'm going, which I just confirmed because was going to say this, 4.75 is one of my favorites. Did you check your check-in? I was like, I feel like it very high. And so I'm like, yep, this is honestly one of my favorites. But even at this, again, because I was not expecting, I knew it was six years old, I was not expecting to get all of the flavors. But the fact that they've all kind of shined through, that's, I mean, nod to Goose for like,
00:17:08
Speaker
making these beers that like you're not supposed to age, but you can. like Yeah. No oxidation. Nothing fell off. Obviously, Brandon, you have a great cellar that you keep at good temperatures that develops in the bottle up to five years. We did six, Goose. We did six. We proved you wrong.
00:17:27
Speaker
Which, honestly, that's that's a risk to put on a label of a beer of a style that you've never done before. well And I feel like they changed that in the last couple years worth now. it says It's like, drink drink fresh. and there's like I know that there was some where it was a couple of props or whatever that was like, two years max. Yeah. which meant That's what I'm saying. Some of these were probably developing really well and then fell off. and you're like, yeah, we shouldn't have said five years. Well, that's why some of the barrel ones...
00:17:55
Speaker
Like, that are just, folk like, last year's that were, like, focused on the barrel. I don't, I'm not too much in a hurry to to drink those right away. I mean, the double barrel, the blue one from last year?
00:18:07
Speaker
Yeah. What was that? Heaven Hill? I believe so. Those are gone. I had two of those. And they're very good. But I still have, forget what the green box was.
00:18:23
Speaker
I'll still get it. Tasty. I know every time that Tony wants to hang out in ditches, he's just drinking Goose Island. Yeah. It's like, how many different variants did you go through without us? What? What are you talking about? still have the rare from 2024 or five. i can't remember the blue box. 24. That wasn't last year.
00:18:44
Speaker
And then I have the King Henry left. Like, like those... I'm okay with letting them sit. The King Henry, if I don't drink it this year, I think next year I want to drink it. I'll hold mine. Don't worry about it. Perfect. I'm sure the other one show they have one with you Perfect.
00:18:59
Speaker
I probably wouldn't invite Matthew that day. All right, let's move on to one of the other variants that they have for this year. Brandon, du would you like to read the 2026 Bourbon County brand tiramisu cask finish though? Ooh, tiramisu.
00:19:11
Speaker
By the way, I skipped the regular because it's... it's regular. It's 14.2%. They're doing the four-pack 10-ounce bottles again, which I did really like. It is very fun and is easier to approach that when I'm like, I want a barrel-aged beer.
00:19:28
Speaker
I don't want 16.9 ounces all the time. No. Do you want to drink by yourself? Fuck yeah. Yeah. Me my girl. I'm like, hey, try some of this. She's like, I won't like it. I'm like, i don't care. Just try it. She's like, oh, that's okay. Or, oh, gross.
00:19:41
Speaker
You're like, please don't like it. I want to drink most of it. Oh, yeah. Even if she likes she's like, oh, that's good. She's like, don't want it anymore. All right. we got 2026 Bourbon County brand tiramisu cask finished
Insights on the Tiramisu Cask Finished Stout
00:19:51
Speaker
out.
00:19:52
Speaker
ABV coming soon. ah Tasty notes are fudge, delicate pastry, and rich espresso.
00:20:03
Speaker
So it's an imperial style aged in bourbon barrels, then finished in rum barrels with espresso, cocoa nibs, and vanilla. I'm very excited about that, the fact that it's finished in rum barrels with espresso. okay that So i mean that's that's they do have a coffee beer this year.
00:20:22
Speaker
There is something to be said for the tried and true iconic flavors, ingredients, and desserts that stand the test of time because they simply work. They're right. it was It was in the many layers of tiramisu that Goose Island found inspiration for this variant.
00:20:37
Speaker
Coffee, chocolate, and vanilla have long been natural companions to Bourbon County Stout, drawing its signature expression forward. And here they found their fullest expression fullest expression yet.
00:20:52
Speaker
good We don't have a fucking editor. Bourbon County. Terms of cast finished out begins where every Bourbon County story does. Inside the finest bourbon barrels.
00:21:03
Speaker
What kind of barrels? Inside the finest bourbon barrels. Bourbon. Okay, good. where Where time and oak do their quiet work. But its journey didn't end there.
00:21:15
Speaker
For this time, Goose Island finished its original bourbon barrel aged out in rum casks. barrels that carry their own storied past, layering a warm sugarcane richness over the cocoa nibs, espresso, and vanilla woven into the beer.
00:21:32
Speaker
The finished out moves the way a great dessert does. Down your fucking throat. That doesn't take the... AI's getting out of control. Taking the finest ingredients and bringing them together with thoughtful balance and patient craft. At one point, sounded like you were doing your best David Attenborough impression.
00:21:54
Speaker
I really wanted him to quote some Shakespeare. That was fantastic, Brandon. Really good. Now I feel like we all have to really play for um i'm I'm pretty excited about this one. Tiramisu is tasty.
00:22:07
Speaker
It's been a while since Goose did a coffee variant.
00:22:16
Speaker
what was what's your last one? Café Olé? Possibly. I have one. greg goodo remember story yeah Find out what the year okay cool ah yeah um I'm excited because I've always really enjoyed um the Bourbon County coffee variants.
00:22:34
Speaker
and i'm kind of bummed that it's not a regular thing anymore because when they first started doing it, it was like, here's regular, here's coffee. and That was that. and we If you go back to when this ah show was called the 212 Roundtable, I think...
00:22:51
Speaker
well what has he yeah One of the first of the ten episodes, we drank through some aged ah bur coffee in Bourbon Counties.
00:23:04
Speaker
And it was funny because each year, some of us got like that green pepper and some of us got coffee. And then we do a different year and the people who got coffee from the last one got green pepper. And the people who green pepper the other day. And that's probably why they...
00:23:21
Speaker
avoided just straight coffee styles because yeah some don't age as well i mean people obviously want to age their barrel aged beers yeah exactly so i'm super excited that they are doing a coffee variant brandon what did you grab a beer okay i know that it looks like a big beer it is a coffee beer so let's try it okay fair enough I see the color, but i don't know the color of the label. I don't know what the... The coffee ones are usually red. Right. Sounds like a red-green colorblind. No.
00:23:57
Speaker
yes I'm not. um Okay. Here we go. Let's get into this.
00:24:06
Speaker
Yep. Still has a little bit of that. Yeah. It's not super strong coffee on the nose, but it's like... ah roommate This is not an insult. But it reminds me, because don't how this is, but it reminds me of like instant coffee. yeah like like It's not that old. yeah I mean, comparatively to what we just had. But there's coffee there.
00:24:28
Speaker
It's not like super strong either. yeah yeah By the way, where where you store all your beers are great. like This is a good temperature. It's like not... yeah like the car The Carmella, I chilled for a little bit. which i i That i appreciate, because I think like that needed to be chilled little felt it needed a little bit. But this is like...
00:24:45
Speaker
Yeah, um especially at this temperature, on the nose, the coffee was just mildly there. But as soon as you took a sip, I was like, oh I'm sipping. Yeah, that's coffee. All right, so this is Bourbon County Stout.
00:25:01
Speaker
Stout aged in bourbon barrels with coffee added. 2022. Okay, so four years old. Nice. Yeah, i don't I don't get any of that. we're just As I was saying, the green pepper...
00:25:11
Speaker
that some people will will have pick up on. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. Excuse me. That's fantastic. That's really good. Let's see. What does this tag say? Develops in the bottle up to two years. Oops. we Sorry. We did it again, Goose. We proved you wrong. But also Brandon does a great job of storing his beer in nice, cool, dark places.
00:25:33
Speaker
um Yeah. Not in a boiler room with ah sunlight what always shining on it. That's what I do. And actually, i transfer the beer to green bottles, too, to make sure that sunlight picks this is good to know because I was thinking about storing them on top of my water heater. Yeah. And being like, hey, this a good spot for you bees. Make sure the sun hits it.
00:25:48
Speaker
All 200 of you can stack up on top of this. Dry hop it. It's good to do some ah quality assurance. Yeah. Exactly. No, turn this is actually – I'm surprised.
00:26:00
Speaker
I'm always nervous with um coffee beers. And, like, we've had this experience with Goose coffee beers. yeah But, again, it goes – think that's and a a testament to how it's stored in, like – You know, there's people that have coffee beers and they go, I put it in my fridge. because i than Put it in the fridge?
00:26:20
Speaker
Put it in the fridge. And I was going to get to my friends. thank Brandon. You do such a great job for us. But then, oh, my friends didn't want to drink it. So I took it back out and put it on my shelf. And then other friends came over and like it went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. i' This, I'm entirely sure, sat there the entire time. Yeah. And like...
00:26:40
Speaker
The temperature change was probably within like six degrees the entire time. Yeah, I know. it it it yeah it's It's really good. like Especially for four years for a coffee beer. I feel like yes that's risky. We did one not that long ago.
00:26:54
Speaker
Didn't we... i swear we... Oh, no. I did. i ah i had a friend over who was really into coffee beers. Not us? What the hell? No. I had other friends. Sorry. What the fuck?
00:27:07
Speaker
i just said to guys. my My son was having a play date and his dad was here and he was like really into coffee beers and he was like... um talking about, he's like, oh yeah, Bervin County does like coffee beers and stuff like that. So i took him in the back, I showed him very chip in the back, beat his ass. Anyways, the turn.
00:27:30
Speaker
um But then, he and I showed him, was like, I have 2013 Burma County style. He's like, what? I was like, yeah. Like, you know he's like, that's insane. i bet it doesn't taste the coffee. So we took it up, broke it open, and we drank it. Oh, nice. I think, that i think you had.
00:27:46
Speaker
I told you that. Yeah. No, but I think, like, we did a 2013, when I was talking about when we first started the podcast. Yeah. think that was, like, one of the ones that we did. Yeah. That was probably my last one. But, you know.
00:27:57
Speaker
Hey, can't hold on to them forever. No, I literally need excuses to drink these. And if I have people that come over that are interested, I'm like, exactly pick of the litter. like when you When you die, I don't want all your beer. It's in my will. I know.
00:28:12
Speaker
i mean, that will be kind of fun to drink some like 100 year old beer. Because going to live forever. i go Well, if he lives forever, then I got like a year. What? Wait, do you know? You're not telling us something? Oh no, again. just told us. everything Again, it has taken a dark turn. Brandon, where are we at on time right now? 31 minutes. Perfect. This is a great time to take a break before we finish ah up talking about this year's 2026 Goose Islands Bourbon County Brand Stout release. Ha!
00:28:48
Speaker
Line up. Line up. I'm going home. Bye. And we're back. Welcome back, everybody. This is our episode where we're discussing the 2026 lineup of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout.
00:29:02
Speaker
Oh, don't be so happy. I'm sorry. why why What? What? Were you Mr. Bill? o okay now Let's move on to the next
Tasting the 2026 Proprietor’s Stout
00:29:12
Speaker
variant. This is the 2026 Bourbon County brand proprietor stout, which this year, it's a pineapple upside down cake.
00:29:19
Speaker
I will say this one, by the way, it's only available in Chicago, losers. um This one intrigues me. i I like that there are times where I think prop is probably one of the best and then I like when they experiment and maybe it's not my favorite. Don't get too mad about it. This one to me is very interesting because a pineapple upside down cake in a stout.
00:29:45
Speaker
I don't know how I feel about that. Let's learn a little bit about it. There we go. It's a but vanilla oh so tasting note. Sorry. Oh, got a burp. Here you Ready? There we go. Tasting notes. Vanilla soaked cake with caramelized fruit and toasted oat. Okay. That's good start. i like that.
00:30:02
Speaker
It's an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels finished with pineapple, montemersi cherry, and vanilla sugar. Every year, Goose Island releases a beer in the Bourbon County family called Proprietors that belongs to Chicago alone.
00:30:15
Speaker
Everybody else sucks. Inspired by the city that the brewery calls home. That's us. When it came time to craft his own concept, Goose Island Barrel Team member Chase Craig turned to a dessert as iconic in its own right as the stout it inspired.
00:30:31
Speaker
the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. 2026 Bourbon County brand proprietor Sal leans into the cake itself. a caramelized base, the sticky sweet crown, the way vanilla and brown sugar transform simple ingredients into something more than the sum of its parts.
00:30:45
Speaker
Pineapple lends a bright tropical lift. Well, cherries add a depth that echoes the maraschino's roll. yeah um What is it? Mont? Mont? Montmorency. Thank you. Just call them fucking maraschino cherries, okay? Roll in the original. Yeah, this is that echoes the maraschino's roll in the original dessert.
00:31:05
Speaker
Piniella sugar ties it together, delivering the same rich molasses kicks caramelization that bourbon barrels have been imparting to our beer as it ages. Indulgent, layered, and unmistakably Chicago's.
00:31:19
Speaker
This year's proprietary stout feels like home. What I wanted to know is... you didn't like my ending there? that was No, I did. I did. anything i did but I just wanted to not leave dead space. ah What...
00:31:33
Speaker
makes it's pineapple upside down cake a Chicago thing. i don't think so. But like it reads like it it reads like it's supposed to be because so like I mean I've enjoyed a lot of the props that they've done but I'm I think I'm like rock is there is there lets pray i don't know if there's like a dessert or something that's like signature to Chicago besides like Portillo's chocolate cake. oh true Um, but then I'm like, when are they going to do a,
00:32:10
Speaker
2026 prop that's like mild sauce or like, you know, or the Chardonnay era. Like, you know, Italian beef. Yeah. Yeah. No, please don't. I just saw someone that did like a ranch cream ale and I was like, no, no. You you know what? Like, ill I will go as far as like the pickle beers are like my limit.
00:32:30
Speaker
And like Donna's pickle beer is fantastic. And I've seen some other people come out with pickle beers, but Like, dill and beer actually works, but, like... And I'm not saying this this isn't going to work, but ah i'm I'm more questioning, like, is this... It reads like like we're doing pineapple upside-down cake because it's Chicago.
00:32:52
Speaker
Like... Like if it was a lava cake stout and they were like, Chicago and Chicago. Chicago invented the lava cake. You're going to get some cake and then you're going to get a bunch of lava in your mouth.
00:33:03
Speaker
i don't see anything. What if they did a beer that had like a core in it and like you drink it and then like the core opens up and it could be like the Guinness aerator that just shoots out fudge into
00:33:19
Speaker
So this one says the two earliest printings of the this recipe found were in 1924 Seattle charity cookbook under pineapple glaze. There's a little asterisk or something. Not asterisk, but like that weird comma over the E. Let's see. is that So it's not Chicago. No, I am. bird I am kind of poking at it. But like I know.
00:33:46
Speaker
um in the past, they've asked brewers to come up with something that's like close to them. so like I get that. and like you know By the way, Chase could have grown up.
00:33:59
Speaker
His grandma made Pineapple upside down cake. I don't know. have problem with the pineapple upside down cake. No, no. Neither do I. This is not a knock at the beer. We haven't had the beer. To it's more of the marketing and someone who doesn't have enough time in using AI. Also, just so you guys know, when I look that up, one of the AI, thank you, Google, where did the upside down pineapple originate? Here's the AI over. Ooh. The modern upside down pineapple, notice they left out the cake, symbol originates from the swinger and casual non-anonymity.
00:34:32
Speaker
we That's on the label? so i see it originating Taiwanese pineapple on the label. so oh god Where did pineapple cakes originate? and It says Taiwanese pineapple cake originating in Taiwan in the early 20th century. so There's not any real pineapple upside down cake is an all-American classic rather exclusively southern.
00:34:55
Speaker
yeah no and like There's been past variants that have been like a Southern draw or whatever, you know, and like, again, I'm not knocking it. The description just read like, this was like a Chicago classic. And I'm like, yeah, it sounded very Chicago. Also, by the way, America's a test kitchen from their scratch recipe is one of the best. And alternatively, Trisha Yearwood's recipe on the food network is highly rated for its soft, buttery sponge. While Betty Crocker's easy recipe is the go-to for a quick nostalgic version Can I get the recipe? oh We'll make it. I'll be back. I think when we do the episode of of of trying these, we' we should make that. Yet the story of pineapple upside down cake reaches further back than its familiar form suggests. Its origins lie in the 19th century skillet cakes and earlier fruit desserts baked directly over heat, shaped by a time when industrial food production was beginning to reshape American kitchen. By the 1930s, the eight cake had become so embedded in domestic life that it was sometimes treated it as a measure of baking competence.
00:35:54
Speaker
One article from the period suggested that no woman could consider, or Tony, herself, or Tony, a finished amateur housewife. Wait, wait. why are you It sounds like you're using it as an insult towards me. No. I love your cooking. Oh, thank you very much.
00:36:09
Speaker
Yeah. You're very competent. Thank you. Oh, damn. Last picture. That was really good. Yeah. So, i I'm not 100% on how...
00:36:21
Speaker
sure and how I'm going to feel about this because I do like pineapple. I do like grilled pineapple. Grilled pineapple fantastic. um I don't know how pineapple is going to resonate in a stout, but I've been surprised before by the the prop variations. So this is one of those styles that is either going to be a little underwhelming or is going to be incredible.
00:36:46
Speaker
But that's what you're saying with prop that I do like is you got to try a whole bunch of different things. And take swings because if you don't, you're always just going to end up with, you know, chocolate and coffee and the same. Sure.
00:36:59
Speaker
The same three flavors. Yeah, exactly. And, you know, I've got my favorite prop, so it's kind of like hard to top. I think I know what this is, Brandon, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't know what it is. He's going to try to top the prop.
00:37:13
Speaker
Top the prop. no That's a new segment we're going have on each episode. called topping. I was like going into something that was like dessert-ish. Brandon, I appreciate the fact that this is a a way for you to casually just go through all the bourbon condo that you're kind of trying to get through. That's how it works. So, sleepover?
00:37:32
Speaker
Yeah, me. I've got couches and beds upstairs. Hell yeah. I'm sleeping in the bathroom. um Yeah, so Brandon, what what are how do you feel about that problem um i see I'm skeptical with pineapple in stuff because pineapple can be acidic. so Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I'm just curious to see how it all...
00:37:52
Speaker
kind of plays out. It's like a grilled caramelized pineapple flavor. So, I mean, that's that's kind of what happens to the pineapple in the cake anyways. Yeah. well Yeah, maybe they cook the pineapple first to get the sugars out.
00:38:07
Speaker
Kind of bring down the acidity. Brandon, do you want to read ah the barley wine? Or would you like me to read it? I can do it. Are we doing the triple oak barley wine? Yeah,
Triple Oak Barleywine Tasting Notes
00:38:18
Speaker
buddy. Yeah. Yeah. 2026 Bourbon County brand triple oak barley wine.
00:38:24
Speaker
Tasting note. He's like a fucking announcer every time. Burnt caramel, delicate baking spices, and stone fruit. Interesting. Barley wine aged in Kentucky straight bourbon barrels and finished in in a blend of...
00:38:40
Speaker
Chin... Here we go. I'm doing a Tony. Can't read shit. Chinkepin? Chinkepin, French and Hungarian oak casks. This fucking mystery beer. For the 2026 brand Triple Oak Barley one, Goose Other Brewers explored the layered complexity of Angel Envy's Triple Oak Bourbon. o Which, by the way, I've not tried that, but I i bought it for my girlfriend's father. we didn't open it up when I was there. Normally we do, and I missed it.
00:39:11
Speaker
Do you drink it all? Of course. Son of a bitch. It's what we do. Through... sorry yeah Complexity of Angel Envy. Yeah, there go. Angel's Envy's triple oak bourbon through the lens of barley wine.
00:39:25
Speaker
Our English-style barley wine is the perfect complement as the most caramelized malts soften the structured tannin of the oak, while not overshadowing the unique character of each oak.
00:39:37
Speaker
The beer itself was first aged in freshly empty bourbon barrels. Lovely. Building a foundation of caramelized malt, dark sugar, and vanilla before beginning its second journey.
00:39:54
Speaker
After its time in that first set of bourbon barrels, the beer was then transferred into barrels that finished Angel's Enemy triple of bourbon. Each a different species of oak. French oak.
00:40:07
Speaker
Chinicholapunin oak. And Hungarian oak. It's chinkapin, I think. Is it... Chinapin. Chinapin. Each wood type lends its own voice.
00:40:20
Speaker
Hello. Hello.
00:40:23
Speaker
Hello, am I? I'm French. Oui, oui, I am French oak bringing refined spice. French oak bringing refined spice. Chickapin oak contributing subtle sweetness. We bring subtle sweetness. And Hungarian oak, elegant tannin and baking spice.
00:40:42
Speaker
Yeah, nobody can do a Hungarian accent. Yeah, in a eyes yeah, can do that one. Fuck it, racists. don't know what Hungarian sounds like.
00:40:55
Speaker
I'm pretty excited about this one. um mainly be I'm glad they're doing another Angels Envy. ah barrel-aged beer because the Angels Envy that they did two years ago, think, was just aged in ah Angel Envy barrels. Yeah. Which lended that like sweetness and pork wine flavor to it, which I thought was really good. So the Triple Oak is very exciting.
00:41:21
Speaker
I'm very much looking forward to it. And this is the, I think, the only, yeah, it's the only barley wine in the lineup this year. So... There go. Pretty exciting.
00:41:33
Speaker
Have you... not Are you just tasting it now? No. So I'm not going cheat. I do know. I think I do know what it is. I cheated already. You probably looked over here. Well, i I recognize the... Because I was also on Goose Island's website the other day and today.
00:41:49
Speaker
Is that the biscotti? No. Oh, no? No. Come on, Brandon. It's the biscotti. Yeah. So this one... the Actually, i want to know what you guys think about it first before I say anything.
00:42:04
Speaker
I like it i think it. I definitely like it. I think it's great. I get that kind of the biscotti under notes on it, and it's not overpowering. Like, what does the APV on this flag say?
00:42:19
Speaker
don't know if it does. Yeah, hi. Hi. I kind of go in between. There's some of the notes. The black licorice in particular, I will not get some. And then sudden it feels like the black licorice is just like overwhelming. So I don't feel like it's overwhelming for me, but it is present. 14.3% ABV. I... When this was released, what was this from? 2022? Yep. This was my favorite variant from that year.
00:42:51
Speaker
Um... The temperature that it's at, like when I first took a sip, I just kind of like sipped it and it's like, I don't really get anything. and the second sip I took, i kind of let it sit in my mouth and I got the actual like cookie flavor. So I think it probably like fell off a little bit, but I still think it's really good. And like you were saying about like the the black licorice from the the star and East, right? that's I think the yeast that's in there.
00:43:16
Speaker
Um, I get a little bitterness from that, but like it's like the side of my tongue and I hate black licorice, but i love biscotti and I really liked the way that it was in this beer. I feel like if it was a little colder and I didn't drink the other two barrel aged beers that we had before this, I might taste a little bit more of what's in there. So I can't, but letting it sit in my mouth for little while. i still, I actually get like the cookie and it's still regular. So like,
00:43:48
Speaker
to go out there. I don't get the bitterness, um but I do get... Anise is the big... you know One of the things in there. and i I get that. um and I'm also getting like a little vanilla.
00:44:02
Speaker
What I'm not getting... There's a subtle lot undertone of almond yeah that I'm kind of getting. but like for me, this is I like this. Have you had this one before?
00:44:14
Speaker
I'm sure I have. Like, this one I think I've had. Because biscotti is, like, one of my favorite things. Aside from, like... um What's that other cookie?
00:44:25
Speaker
Biscoff. Yeah, Biscoff. Yeah, Biscoff. Matt. Yeah, I called you Matt at this time. Wasn't there a Biscoff... They didn't do a Biscoff bourbon county, right? No. No one's done a Biscoff barrel-aged beer, which is why I think a malting hour variant of some...
00:44:41
Speaker
Local barrel aged beer would be really good. I think people would really like it. Yeah. And the people that said that they wanted to do it just need to actually in charge logistics. Matthew. We've told you for three years.
00:44:56
Speaker
And you've never emailed Trevor. He's right. He is right. So did you care about that? be back. Brandon's going go right in email real quick. I just want to read this real quick. It is another lengthy description, but about this Biscotti, Bourbon County brand Biscotti stout. From 2022, at Goose Island, we believe ideas and inspiration can come from anyone in the Goose Island family. Our biscotti stout is a perfect example that came from our very own HR team.
00:45:21
Speaker
Inspired by the Italian desserts of her childhood, Jill Cerone, people manager at Goose Island, dreamed of this variant after grabbing a box of chocolate dipped biscotti from her cabinet. Working with the brewing team, Jill brought the flavor life with notes of anise, marzipan, cocoa, or cacao, and buttered toffee. The biscotti enhances flavors already found in Bourbon County Stout and adds strong notes of nostalgia from your Italian grandma's kitchen, which I you did have. One sip and... Did I you grandmother? Yeah.
00:45:49
Speaker
What? Yeah, second generation. What? Sicilian. What? Yeah. One sip and you'll be reminded of Pazelli cookies, which are fantastic. Easter pan de pascois. And, of course, almond biscotti.
00:46:02
Speaker
um Yeah, this i this is one of those few variants that I kind of wish was a little colder so that I could, and I didn't have you know a coffee and the Carmela beforehand. yeah But it still tastes really good. like I really do enjoy this. It'd be good, though, taking some biscotti and dipping it in the coffee stuff that we had. Ooh, I like that. By the way, how many coffee beans are we in the 22 River County coffee?
00:46:30
Speaker
two urbanman county coffee Yeah, was four years aged. No, I'm like four. Yeah. I'm four. What are you in the coffee? Yeah, a little bit less than the first one started in 425. It's probably like four.
00:46:44
Speaker
i'm worth three nine um Four or three times. 4.25 only because the coffee kind of held up. Now, Brandon, how many Italian grandmas are you giving this biscotti from 2022? Also with the lineup from the coffee.
00:46:57
Speaker
um Just based on what it is, I'm like i'm a solid four on this one too. All right. but matthew I think this is so far my least favorite. Not in terms of how any of the notes. Just the anise for me. Just not not exactly what I want. Are you sensitive to it?
00:47:15
Speaker
Not normally. I was like, my mom ate black licorice all the time. I hate black licorice. Yeah, my mom liked it too. like so i get the To me, because you have the marzipan you the almond. And just when you're getting some of those subtle notes...
00:47:30
Speaker
As soon as I think about the Black Grish, it's just like right there. Yeah. I think that's where I'm getting the bitterness from. And I'm, that's why also said, kind of wish this was like chilled a little bit more. So i'm wondering how that would affect it.
00:47:44
Speaker
Who knows? Might not affect it at all. This was my favorite variant of that year. I gave it a five back in 2022 because like i i I remember buying this several times because I i love the Scotty and it tasted great. ah Right now I'm with you guys like around 4.1, 4.2, whatever. like
00:48:04
Speaker
Again, it's just based on what we're trying yeah tonight. But yeah, it's it still tastes great. Like, I still enjoy it very much. We have one more variant to discuss, gentlemen.
00:48:15
Speaker
And I will tell you what it is right now. Are you ready? Am I ready? Not if Brandon gets up and gets more stout. No. no I'm not ready. No, we're good. The last ah variant of this year is 2026 Bourbon County brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout.
Exploring the Toasted Barrel Rye Stout
00:48:32
Speaker
Tasting... Pulls out the double barrel. Tasting notes. Creme Brulee, Toasted Hazelnut, and Sweet Oak. The style is a rye stout aged in Elijah Craig Kentucky straight rye whiskey barrel and finished in Toasted Barrel.
00:48:46
Speaker
So right away, Rye cry Well, your right away, exactly. Right away. Rye sometimes is a hit or miss, especially for a rye whiskey and then let alone rye stout.
00:49:00
Speaker
I feel like those are very strong flavors, but I do like Elijah Craig and I do like Goose Island, so I think this would be ah pretty good. Here it goes. Every barrel tells us tells its story in layers. The oak itself, the spirit it once held, and the way the wood has been treated all shape what it will offer to the beer that follows. For this release, Goose Island explored that story through a rye stout aged in Elijah Craig toasted w rye barrels.
00:49:22
Speaker
The 2026 Bourbon County brand toasted barrel stout began its life in rye whiskey barrels where the stout drew out the grain signature spice alongside notes of creme brulee, hazelnut, and a lingering oak finish.
00:49:33
Speaker
Which, by the way, right away, that sounds very good. Why are you quietly trying to open my little ears? Why am I trying? Quietly. Yeah. Why quietly? Because I was trying to be polite.
00:49:46
Speaker
hate you so much
00:49:51
Speaker
He threw a cap at me and his in eye. That's the salt. Dude, you could have chipped my glasses. It was then transferred to Elijah Craig's Toasted Barrels where the oak reveals a different character entirely. Gentle toasting coaxes sweetness from the wood while softening the sharper edges of tannin, bringing forward notes of vanilla and giving shape to a fuller, rounder body.
00:50:10
Speaker
A celebration of barrel in all its forms. Colon. A rye stout with rye front and center, meeting the rounded warmth of toasted oak, an expression of Bourbon County shaped by the evolving character of wood itself.
00:50:23
Speaker
So, i This one is probably my... and I'll probably be like floored by the time I try it because that's kind of what happens with a lot of these Bourbon County variants. This is probably like my the one I'm least excited about. Okay. I'm not a fan of rice outs. I'm not a fan of right whiskey.
00:50:44
Speaker
But I do like Elijah Craig and I do like Bourbon County. So I'm kind of like, yeah. I'm i'm looking forward to the flavor notes. like Yeah, the flavor notes. Creme brulee. Hazelnut. Hazelnut. Those are like, that's in my wheelhouse. If that's where we're at. But I mean, they also did mention the rice spice where it's like,
00:51:03
Speaker
Sometimes, I forgot which Bourbon County variant it was, but there was a rye. fuck What was it? It was ah when me and Clark did our plop day, the three of us together. Yeah. And we came back and we drank one of the rye ones, I think, from the year before. Was it with or without mayonnaise? Without mayonnaise. Clark did the mayonnaise own with a regular.
00:51:27
Speaker
but Yeah, you haven't listened to that. Oh, God. You got to go back, my friend. Actually, that wasn't on the episode. That was actually a video that I still have, which I don't know if we actually ever posted. No. I've got a video on that, too. Yeah, that was pretty great.
00:51:40
Speaker
ah Yeah. Clark has always talked about the mayonnaise variant of Bourbon County and finally put his money where his mouth is and did it. And I tried little sip. I don't recommend it, but it was like putting when old people put butter in their coffee.
00:51:57
Speaker
It added a creaminess to it. It was like, okay. Hey, just step back. I like butter in my coffee. Anyways. If you do it right. yeah rye The rye spice has like, it's distinct. And I like rye.
00:52:09
Speaker
But rye barrel, rye stout, I'm worried it's going to be a lot of that spice and I might lose. But hearing, like you said, the creme brulee and hazelnut. Yeah, I feel like those will overtake.
00:52:21
Speaker
like I feel like it'll cut out like the spiciness of rye. I don't know, but hey. I think the best way to probably to promote a rye barrel is just saying it is a barrel-aged beer and nothing else.
00:52:37
Speaker
i do I do think a lot of times with rye, as soon as you put that thought into people's head, it just becomes a thing. Absolutely. You think of the rye spice, rye bread. I love rye bread. Ooh, so do I. And there are some w rye whiskeys that I like, but...
00:52:52
Speaker
But again, Elijah Craig, it's a rye barrel. Sazerac. I'm sorry, what? Sazerac rye. We'll see. But again, this is probably the one that I'm least excited about, but it'll end up probably being the one I love the most. I was so wrong.
00:53:08
Speaker
It's on my Maltese, number one. But now i'm just dreaming about rye bread with some corned beef on and sauerkraut. Yeah. A nice fucking mustard. Yeah. And then another slice of rye bread.
00:53:23
Speaker
And then i take that rye bread off on the top because I forgot the Swiss cheese. Oh, right. Yeah. And I just... but So you're going to drink the Pipeworks Pastrami beer.
00:53:36
Speaker
We've had it. I know. I'm saying so you're going to drink... I said so you're going to drink the Pipeworks. By the way, that's also involved. How do you guys feel about that variant? vari ah I'm all for it. like i I'm always impressed because there's always... i like i don't and don't hate right whiskeys or whatever. um I enjoy like
00:54:04
Speaker
everything. don't know. My bigger thing is like the tasting profile on it And again, like last year we went in, and there were things that I was just questionable about. And like everything was like, just got better and better and better. Nothing was bad. Yeah. Last year's lineup was like perfect. Everything just got like perpetually better.
00:54:30
Speaker
And I'm kind of in that same wheelhouse now. I'm like, I feel like they dialed it in They know. Yeah. And...
00:54:40
Speaker
They're taking risks, but they're calculated risks. Oh, yeah yeah. That's why, like, with the prop pineapple upside down cake, I'm like, okay, I trust you guys. Here we go. And then this might, like, again, that goes back to my whole argument about, like, the whole AB InBev, like, acquisition. It's like, they get to do that now.
00:55:00
Speaker
They get to take those calculated risks, but they're not going to take the risk that's not... worth it yeah yeah if it's not worth it if it's gonna tank the beer like no no they're not gonna it and i and they've like they scaled back per like or not production but like distribution like because definitely not as big as this this last year was not as big as no and like they've seen that and it's they know what they're doing so i i'm
00:55:33
Speaker
I'm optimistically confident. Cautiously optimistic? Yes. If it works, I'm taking credit because we did a pineapple upside down IPA okay for them, with them, is the collab that we did. And it doesn't work, they didn't learn long well enough. Well, wait, but that's actually... No, but that's actually a good... That's actually... Sorry. That's actually a good, like...
00:55:57
Speaker
When did you guys do that? That was probably 2022. okay. Yeah, they've been holding on to it for four years. Nobody remembers that. Nobody remembers that, too. Yeah. But also, like, I mean, that... If it... And actually, I think i remember that.
00:56:11
Speaker
Oh, no. If it worked in a beer before, like, why can't it work? And I know they test it. Yeah. Like, everybody tries it. Yeah. Yeah. They've told us about their process. So, I'm confident that it'll be... don't think any of these are going to suck. No, no, no, no. I think people would... I don't think there's... don't think any these are going be divisive either. I think people might...
00:56:34
Speaker
I don't really prefer this one over that. yeah That's going to happen with any release. but yep I got to be honest, though. Last year's release was like top fucking notch to me. and like I'm not going to compare it, but man last year's lineup was so good. but I am super excited about this.
00:56:53
Speaker
Last year was so weird. and And I know I say it in the most positive terms. Yeah. It like it was like barrel focus. But we saw the lineup and we were like, okay.
00:57:06
Speaker
And we even talked about it. Like some of these are like, okay, and they might be okay. Like whatever. And then it was just like banger after banger after. I was like, what the hell? Especially with the way that they like brought it to us and like and they served it. It was it was fantastic fantastic. Yeah. Yeah.
00:57:20
Speaker
but Goose, keep doing what you're doing. i love the fact that they keep stretching the limits. Yeah, and they keep taking chances and and and I like that there is definitely like fine, like you said, like fine-tuning, you know, like, ah yeah I don't know if that's the actual phrase that you use, but like,
00:57:38
Speaker
The barrel focus of last year definitely seems to kind of like carry over here a little bit while still bringing back some of the fun, like yeah taking risks of of different things. yeah but yeah it's it's i'm I'm looking forward to it and By the way, Matthew, what did you pour for us as you were texting and not being a part of the podcast? What?
00:57:58
Speaker
No, I was looking up the pineapple thing, which the interesting thing it was do was end of 21 into 22, but last year people were checking it in at Goose Island and Draft, and I'm like, did they re-release it and not even tell us?
00:58:14
Speaker
Pineapple Shakedown. It's a milkshake IPA. Yeah. That's why That makes sense. Yeah, you enjoyed those back then. No, I didn't. I've never liked milkshake IPAs. What did you put? I have you recordings.
00:58:27
Speaker
I was just up in Madison and I that was over Garth's Brew Bar. and so I'm sorry, where? Garth's Brew Bar. And so I got a bunch of Wisconsin beers to bring back and I found the one beer that was still in bottles, 500 mils, Giant Jones Brewing Company.
00:58:48
Speaker
And it was a style of beer that I think Brandon should try to pronounce. I think you should. Everybody else is taking a turn at pronouncing crazy shit. Yeah, but know how pronounce it. Polish-style brissela shops?
00:59:02
Speaker
Exactly. Maybe. That will play it for some people at work who speak Polish. I'm going to take a picture of this and send it to my friend that speaks Polish.
00:59:13
Speaker
I think Google Lens will probably translate it for you, too. I kind of wish we would have opened this... It's a sweet, it's very good. There's a sweetness to it, but i kind of wish we use this as a pellet cleanser in between because this wasn't really good. It's very nice. Very, very tasty. I like a lot.
00:59:30
Speaker
Yeah. I was getting kind of thirsty after three steps. Yeah. I mean, I remember back in the day when we can do episodes where we're just slamming stouts. Um,
00:59:43
Speaker
It just feels like stout on my tongue right now. Yeah, it definitely is. It almost reminds me of like a Blondale where it's clean but still has a little bit of body and sweetness.
00:59:55
Speaker
Yes. It's... And I feel like the sweetness would have been nice to go in between the other... Pulling on a loose thread from history, Mokosh weaves piles of wheat malt with embellishments of pilsner and deeply kilned malt. A gentle touch of hops and clean yeast leave this malty beer with crispy trimmed edges. right, so I got some ai The main text on the label is already written in English, but it refers to historical European brewing tradition.
01:00:31
Speaker
Here's the breakdown and historical meaning of the terms on the bottle. Great. Like, no, dummy, this was not written in English. Breslau is the historical German name for the city of Warklaw, located in southwestern Poland. Ah, my favorite.
01:00:48
Speaker
Schwupps, this translates from Old German dialects directly to mutton or ram. Centuries ago, full-bodied strongbeers were often colloquially named after robust animals to so so sign signify their hardy, thick, or strong nature.
01:01:09
Speaker
It's a wheat beer. um It's a wheat beer. Well, no, it says wheat beer. This indicates it's top fermented ale. Nobody needs to know that. We know that. We know that.
01:01:22
Speaker
It's a Brussela style Schwab's is traditionally reviewed ah or revived historical Polish wheat ale that dates back to the mid 16th century in...
01:01:33
Speaker
Celesia. Unlike standard German wheat beers, Hefeweizens, which have strong banana and clove aromas from specific yeast, Schwob's is fermented with a cleaner ale yeast to emphasize a rich, sweet, ready, and multi-flavor profile. That's a good description. By the way, this was bottled at 622.26 and it's 8.4%. Damn.
01:01:55
Speaker
Shit. It does not drink like an almost 9% beer. Also, they missed out. Oh, they're not microphone, so. No, they're Giant Jones. I know.
01:02:09
Speaker
Anyways, thanks for sharing that with us. No, it's good. Matthew, you how many kielbases are you giving this? Ooh. um How many can you figure In terms of wheat beers, this actually might be one of my favorite because it doesn't have all of that very...
01:02:27
Speaker
yeasty estuary kind of uh notes that have like a half a fison yeah so i actually like this much more than most uh wheat beers uh but in terms of just everyday drinking i still would go like a lager an ipa personally but in terms of style i'd say probably four all right yeah i'm a solid four as well oh brandon was gonna say how many pierogies are you giving it's four four well now i want five pierogies four pierogies Yeah, i'm I'm there with you guys. Like, it's... Yeah, it's it's really good. i like I kind of wish it was colder.
01:03:04
Speaker
But I know, like, i mean, that's... you but so yeah Sorry, I know, I know, i know. So based on that, like, the way it is now, like 3.8, if it was cold, it'd probably, like, if was nice and cold, it'd probably be like a 4.2 for me.
01:03:16
Speaker
Really tasty. I like it. Okay. It looks like she's cutting her hair, though, right? Yeah, kind of. Why is she blue? Because she's not alive. Oh my god. She's an avatar. It's zombie.
01:03:31
Speaker
Nobody saw it on an Avatar. Nobody likes that movie. There's new ones that came out with that. The sequels that nobody asked for. Anyways. So there you everybody. There's our preview.
Conclusion and Thank You to Goose Island
01:03:43
Speaker
Or not preview. But there's what's coming out from Goose this year for their Bourbon County lineup. We're super excited and thank you Goose for...
01:03:51
Speaker
giving us a heads up before all that was released. we'rere We're excited. We got a chance to look into it and read up about it and plan our attack. We look forward to trying it when it comes out. Brandon, thank you for busting out three random variants. One from 2020, two from 2022. As always. ah Super fun. And Matthew, thank you for breaking out a random Polish beer from Wisconsin.
01:04:13
Speaker
Thank you, guys. Matthew, hello, everybody. Love you. Brandon, love you, man. Love you too, man. We'll see right next time. Bye.
01:04:29
Speaker
This has been the Malting Hour with your hosts, Brandon, Tony, and Matthew. Be sure to follow us on all social medias and like, subscribe, and rate the show. If you have questions or suggestions for future episodes, drop us a line at info at themaltinghour.com.
01:04:43
Speaker
Until next time, cheers.