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Episode 170 - Bourbon County 2025 Lineup Preview
13 Plays48 minutes ago
This week Brandon and Tony recap their visit to Goose Island's Salt Shed taproom for the preview tasting of this year's Bourbon County lineup.
The entire Bourbon County lineup will be available Friday November 28th 2025.
Theme music provided by Myke Kelli (@mykekelli)
Outro provided by @FluidMinds
Check out all our episodes at www.themaltinghour.com
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Transcript
Introduction to The Malting Hour
00:00:05
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.
00:00:15
Speaker
Got the gift of gab, the friends you wish you had. Join us for a drink. Join us for a laugh. Time is never wasted. When you're getting wasted, the molten hour here, people, people, take your places.
00:00:26
Speaker
People, people.
Hosts Introduction and Mystery Beer Discussion
00:00:32
Speaker
Welcome to the Malting Hour. i am one of your hosts, Tony Miller, joined always with Brandon Winninger. Here we are back in the bar at the studio, day after Halloween, sipping on a mystery beer Brandon has put in front of me because this episode, now we can officially do it, is our ah we got to do a preview of this year's Goose Island, yeah Bourbon County, Brand Stout lineup, which was a lot of fun. Thank you, Goose Island, for inviting us out to that. I haven't used that glass yet.
00:01:00
Speaker
but They gave us some cool swag too, which was glass. I figured it was fitting. Yeah. i say This is my favorite. This should be a goose glass. This is my favorite
Goose Island Preview Event and Swag
00:01:08
Speaker
prop glass. It's the little small one that goes in. What was this? What year was this? Yeah. Oh, this is the pandemic prop glass.
00:01:15
Speaker
I love the girl pandemic glass. Hmm. I don't know what this is. Is this a vintage bottle? 2022, I believe. Not that vintage.
00:01:28
Speaker
Hmm. Hmm. you know i' As I told you, I'm slightly sick, so my buds are lot better. Tony asks that because i think I've got bottles that go back to 2012. Yeah, I'm not asking because it tastes old.
00:01:41
Speaker
um See, nothing stands out that's like this is a variant to me. yeah Is this like a reserve? don't know. Or is this just straight up OG?
00:01:54
Speaker
I will say it is not OG. Okay. I'll give you that. And it's not necessarily a guessing game. Yeah, yeah. It was a random poll. And was like, hey, hey, hey, let's drink this. um But, like, if there's things that you notice about it, you want to talk about it, can... That sounds a little young to be running across my stairs at this time of night.
00:02:16
Speaker
Hmm. It is hard for me. So it's very hard for me to pick up stuff also because, like I said, I am kind of getting over being sick. Sorry. Not as fine. Fucking asshole. I'm getting, like, vanilla. I get vanilla, little chocolate.
00:02:28
Speaker
But I also get that in regular Bremer County. I would say that. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, we'll talk about what the
Goose Island Stout Lineup Review
00:02:35
Speaker
beer actually is. Sure. um But I do want to talk about, like, the event. Yes.
00:02:40
Speaker
That was so much fun, man. Yeah. And again... All right, let me step back. I don't want to talk about the event. Screw Because I don't want to, like, hey, we get to go to this. But I want to talk about the beers at the event.
00:02:51
Speaker
We can talk about the event at the end. Yeah. Because this year's lineup, and I think we're both on the same page, where it was like we had...
00:03:03
Speaker
you know bourbon county og and we're like oh that's good like and like always it every year that's why we don't that's why we don't put it in the list of yeah it does not fall into a list because it's og and then we had the next one and it was like oh that's good and then the next one's like that's better like everything killed yeah i'm sorry the way they lined everything up and i i think you agree with me the way they lined everything up it all just got progressively better it was so good It was to the point where it like, this is my favorite.
00:03:34
Speaker
and No, this might be my favorite. Oh, this all might be my favorite. All the way down to prop. Like, I i still don't know what my favorite yeah is. um For me, it's all the way down to the king.
00:03:46
Speaker
Yeah. Once they pulled that one out, I was like, you sons of bitches. I got to be honest, man. There is a part of me that I might just drive down there to see if, like, how long the line is how crazy it is. Like, go there, have that, and have a...
00:04:01
Speaker
Oh, I hear the fridge. I don't care if it's on the microphone. No, it's all right. It's okay. Don't worry about it. He's going to turn it up. Yeah, and maybe we're blowing that up right now, I don't know if they actually said that, but it is available. It's going be available on Black Friday, King Henry II. But, yeah, we'll get into all that. like Brandon said, he and I are both on the same page as far as the beers go. The way they had it set up this year was awesome.
00:04:29
Speaker
And we'll go through that we'll go through that right now. We'll go in order. Yeah. So ah the OG, regular, straight up Bourbon County. I'm going to ahead and read the description, as we always do. 2025 Bourbon County brand original stout was aged in a blend of freshly empty barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey.
00:04:50
Speaker
With an average aging time of 14 months, this stout delivers deeply developed flavors of fudge, vanilla, and caramelized sugar, all wrapped in a rich, decadent mouthfeel.
In-depth Bourbon County Stout Analysis
00:04:59
Speaker
And it should also ah be known that ah this is going to be four-pack, 10-ounce bottles this year. Yes. Which i think is awesome, and it still won't prevent me prevent me from buying multiple four-packs.
00:05:12
Speaker
um I think that's a great idea. i think a 10 ounce pour is a perfect pour of Greywood County. What makes me wonder is like how many of these stores are going to break them up and be like, buy a bottle, buy a bottle.
00:05:24
Speaker
Yeah, I hope that's not the case. I mean, except for a place like Beer on the don't think the Jules or the Mariano's would do that. I think Beer on the Wall, you'll be able to do that. Oh, yeah. Probably. You should be. Yeah, when they have everything else.
00:05:36
Speaker
But like I just think that's such a cool idea. I think the 10-ounce bottle format is super cool. I'd like to save the bottle. like We brew our cinnamon roll stout and bottle some those off.
00:05:47
Speaker
I know. What was your impression of this year's OG, man? It was good. um That's it. We'll see you guys later. Have a good night. No, like, i feel I feel bad about it, but, like, I'm like, every time I have it, I know that that's Bourbon County.
00:06:03
Speaker
Oh, that's not a bad thing. No, I know. But I'm like... i know what you're saying. It's... And this does no disservice to the beer, the brewers, or whatever, but, like, the way that they do it, and I know they say it's different every year, but, like, when I have it, I'm like...
00:06:20
Speaker
There's like the mouthfeel, mouthfe carbonation, the but the barrel characteristic. It comes through like every year. it's just like It's very distinct. It's so distinct. It's distinctly Bourbon County.
00:06:33
Speaker
and i like In a blind tasting, i don't think i i don't know if I could pull it out I was actually goingnna say that. like What if we did... like um We should. We should do D-Star, Bourbon County, and another like popular, just straight up barrel aged stout.
00:06:50
Speaker
Even if we just did those two, Dittar and Bourbon County, I think we'd be able to figure it out. but Oh, yeah. and But still, I mean, that's putting two titans up against other. I'm okay with getting wrong just so I can taste them. We don't need to, but... Yeah, it's like... No, not in battle. Just be able to Coke and taste it. So just going back, like, regular is always good. And I knew that going in, like... And I...
00:07:16
Speaker
Another thing, and like I feel but i'm like there's no expectations for me. i'm like I'm not looking for anything magnificent. I'm just like, all right, give that Because I'm waiting for the other one. Yeah, of course. I know what this is going to be.
00:07:29
Speaker
i want to see what the rest is going to be. Yeah. Yeah, i'm I'm with you on that. Yeah. From what they said, and i don't I always thought this was true with all the other, I know there's variants that do have that, but every single variant this year, with the exception of King Henry, is the Bourbon County base.
00:07:49
Speaker
So the regular just straight up Bourbon County for all five other variants from this. Yeah, you know what? They use Bourbon County. And I feel like that is what made me love them all. all I agree. I like that there's there's... Because when they start twisting it and wheat wines... and yeah i like I do like that, but I don't...
00:08:09
Speaker
I kind of want those to just be the one-offs. Yeah. Like the barley wines and and wheat wines be like something that's just at the tap room or it gets released as a four pack that comes out during the year.
00:08:20
Speaker
I think just having the stouts is the way to go. Yeah.
Double Barrel and Praline Stout Discussion
00:08:23
Speaker
But yeah, overall, um, original bourbon County is, is still, uh, still top notch and this year is no different.
00:08:31
Speaker
Um, not moving us along here, but moving us along the next pour ah that we got, um which I really love the packaging for it. I'm trying to pull up that picture.
00:08:43
Speaker
ah Big, big old, big old green box. That's super cool. um And in years past, I've not, there have been some reserves that I don't really care for. Yeah.
00:08:55
Speaker
Um, not that they're bad. I just, whatever barrel characteristic, I think that that's, what's fun about the reserves is that it's a different barrel that they're using, or it's a specific type of barrel or specific type of bourbon or whiskey that they're using for it.
00:09:09
Speaker
Um, this one, I think I turned to you and I was like, am I crazy? But is this, does this taste sweeter than the original? And like, and not like sweeter in the sense of like, Oh God, it's like, here's a whole bunch of like added sweetness. But yeah my, my,
00:09:24
Speaker
My perception of it was that the taste, I'm like, ooh, there's a little bit of sweetness to this that was really enjoying. um I'm going to read this real quick. ah It's a long one. So here we go. Parker Beam began his distilling career at Heaven Hill in 1960, working alongside his father before becoming a sixth-generation master distiller in 1975.
00:09:43
Speaker
Over five decades, he built a legacy of uncompromising quality and you.
00:09:51
Speaker
named in his honor release annually the collection has become a benchmark of excellence within the whiskey industry twenty twenty five bourbon county brand reserve stout is a testament to the depth that comes from the extended aging and exceptional single lot of barrels For this special release, Goose Island w rested its Imperial Stout for two years in casks from one of the most respected names in American whiskey, Parker's Heritage Collection.
00:10:13
Speaker
The longer aging period goes beyond the brewery's traditional process, drawing out concentrated layers of cocoa, dried fruit, spice, and toasted oak. The result is a rich contemplative expression of bourbon County. One that rewards patients and reflects legacy built slowly barrel by barrel.
00:10:29
Speaker
I got to say, I did a really good job of reading that. You did. Thank you. I didn't get tripped up that much. This one. I know you're all good. I'm feeling great. feeling great. Uh, having a little bit of bourbon before we started recording and now we're in bourbon County.
00:10:42
Speaker
i'm I'm in the zone right now. Um, Yeah, i it's a big green box. Yeah, it's a big green box. And I, you know, like I said, there are there have been times in the past where I just I don't know, I just didn't really wasn't really excited about the reserves. Sorry, Goose, but that's just how it is for me. I just um but I never was really excited. Like I like the idea and I think it's a cool idea. yeah This one in particular, though, I'm like, oh, I'm excited about that.
00:11:09
Speaker
Like the Bardstown was a reserve. Yeah. One year ago, two years ago. We talked about this um when we did like the preview thing where we kind of went through all of the variants and that reserve was top for us. Yeah.
00:11:22
Speaker
This is it's ah fuck I forgot who i was talking to somebody else. Who else was that? Who else is that? The tasting that we know. Shalonda? No, Shalonda wasn't there. No, Nick. Nick was there, yeah yeah. Nick had posted about this, and I think he put this as his favorite. Yeah, he did.
00:11:39
Speaker
um And yeah, Nick, this he's not wrong. this is It's really, really good. And like I said, theres I got some sweetness that I wasn't getting from original, and like right away I was like, man, this is this is really good. I also want to point out that they did tell us not to finish the original pour, the OG pour, because they wanted us to keep going back each variant that we tasted so we can go back to the original to like taste the differences of the two. yeah and i did I think I did that a lot with this one because I was like, what is it? what am i you know just i don't know yeah It really did pull out those flavors of like vanilla and dried fruit and like this fudginess almost. It was just sweet and delicious.
00:12:20
Speaker
Yeah, it it was a really well-done beer. and And it's funny because I think I was... I don't want to say excited, but I loved seeing the packaging. Yes, I was excited.
00:12:30
Speaker
I was excited. yeah But like when they like, they brought it out like, this is this. I'm like, okay. And they brought it around. We got to see everything. And I was like, that's cool. it's It is funny because I forget, like, I don't know. There is that some type of excitement when you get that packaging or when you see it on the shelves or something. Like, its it does dry you in because there's a lot of thought that goes into that, which makes it a cooler experience. Yeah.
00:12:56
Speaker
So yeah, this year's ah reserve I think is going to be a favorite for a lot of people um who have been fans of Bourbon County for a long time.
Cherry's Jubilee and Baklava Stout Review
00:13:05
Speaker
it should be. um I don't see this one sitting around maybe as long as I've seen some of the other reserves sitting around the shelves. I see this one probably...
00:13:16
Speaker
going what's crazy is like yesterday i went into a bennies and they had literally last year's lineup yeah like all just like on the shelf and i was like it was standard pricing and yeah really yeah it blows my mind that it's still but we did have a conversation afterwards about how that's probably going be changing soon after the event like come on man like What are you doing with your life? Yeah, seriously. Binnies? Yeah, Binnies Get Together.
00:13:44
Speaker
um Yeah, that one was ah that one was really, really good. um So I did take a picture, but like get the picture I had does not have the top three.
00:13:55
Speaker
But I'm assuming the third one is double barrel. Yes. den I actually, the first three pictures that I took, I moved the glass and yeah took it. And then I think I remember how the last, the order the last three. I've got it.
00:14:07
Speaker
Okay, good. The next one, yes. The next one is one that as soon as I saw it, obviously, if you've followed this podcast... you know that, uh, I've gotten some shit for not buying double barrel one year and I regretted it. And Brandon still has, i think you have two bottles. Ooh, Toronto just took the lead by the way. We already know who won the world series by the time this, uh, episode comes out. Um, but yeah, that, that double barrel that was so great. But this one, this one, I am, uh, I'm very excited yeah about this. Um,
00:14:40
Speaker
This is another long one. Here we go. Ready? Yeah, go. ah Shared dedication to their respective crafts is what unites Heaven Hill and Goose Island in the creation of the 2025 Bourbon County brand Double Barrel Stout.
00:14:53
Speaker
As the creators of the world's first bourbon barrel-aged stout, the brewers at Goose Island have spent over 30 years redefining what beer can be through the evolution of Bourbon County brand stout. Over time, the series has grown into a diverse family of beers, each expressing a distinct character and perspective.
00:15:07
Speaker
think I read that wrong. ah As Bourbon County ages, it develops a myriad of characteristics, complex, layered, and deeply expressive. Drawing on decades of experience, Goose Island's brewers have learned how to elevate those qualities by fine-tuning every variable, from ingredient selection to barrel choice to time spent aging.
00:15:23
Speaker
Every decision reveals a new facet of the original stout.
00:15:28
Speaker
2025. Bourbon County brand. I could have skipped. I could just went to this. Sorry. 2025 Bourbon County brand double barrel stout is a masterclass in that approach. In collaboration with Heaven Hill Distillery, Goose Island aged this release in not one, but two sets of freshly emptied Heaven Hill Bottle and Bond bourbon barrels, which is crazy.
00:15:50
Speaker
By centering the nuanced complexity of the whiskey, ah the results ah the resulting beer is a true celebration of bourbon, collaboration, and the most essential element of every bourbon county release to the barrel itself.
00:16:02
Speaker
And that probably is like the best ah description of this beer. like it is It really is like, this is barrel forward.
00:16:14
Speaker
You and I both took a sip, and we're like, I feel a little bit like a burn when you're drinking bourbon. like and not in a bad way, where i'm like, ooh, ouch, this hurts. It's like, oh, that's a nice warming. Maybe not burn, but a warming sensation.
00:16:27
Speaker
This might might might be my favorite double barrel from Goose Island. Yeah, by far. like I think for me, too. like it was Overall, it drank well.
00:16:40
Speaker
it The description you just read, like it matched that. 100%. It was...
00:16:48
Speaker
This is a bourbon county I feel like you you you give to somebody who appreciates bourbon and that might not like beer. Yeah. Might not stout. Like, when we had that, I'm like, this is something i'm I gotta to give to my father-in-law because, like, he loves bourbon, he loves barrel-aged beers, like, right up the alley, so. Right up the ass. Oh, no.
00:17:09
Speaker
Uh, Right on there. I think I text Virginia telling her, I'm like, she'll she'll try all of these. You did, yeah. and I think you would like this. like, this is the one that you would probably like. Like, she likes the idea of the flavored ones, like the variants. Yeah. um She thinks it's like some of them are, it tastes good. She'll have a couple of sips. Yeah. But I was like, this one you might actually enjoy because you can drink it like bourbon. like Yeah.
00:17:30
Speaker
have a pour of it, like two ounces, and just sip on it. Well, I mean, let's be clear. With Bourbon County, like, it's... Probably something you should do with all of them, but... Yeah, I don't do that.
00:17:43
Speaker
No, neither do I. But I feel like yeah that's one that's a great contender of like... Sit, relax, take a sip. I don't remember the ABV, and it's not on the website, but I think it's pretty... They said they were all over 14%. I want to say this one was like, I think between 16 and 18, if I'm not mistaken.
00:18:03
Speaker
Which, by the way, Brandon, for Prop Day, we have a chance to buy those two beers, Reserve and Double Barrel early. Wait, At Prop Day, you get to buy those, too. At Prop Day? Yeah, we can buy those. Which I'm going to do, because I'm like, well, let's save my time on Black Friday, because on Black Friday, i don't i just have to go get regular.
00:18:21
Speaker
What is this? Double barrel. Let's see if it's in. Oh, according to the Untaps, the Untaps. Double barrel 17.4% alcohol by the volumes of whatever volume you want to assume.
00:18:41
Speaker
It's basically a lot. Yeah, it is up there. didn't keep, but it didn't drink like. No, it does not drink. I don't want say it drinks like 70%, like, because that's all like here or there. like, you go into like, you know when I go and start talking about Utopias, like, that's a heavy hitter.
00:18:56
Speaker
And then like, I've had beers that were like 18%. that drink like 18%, like, I'm like, oh, those are boozy. But like 17, like that wasn't, it wasn't boozy. no want to say that. Like it was not boozy. not at all. was very like,
00:19:12
Speaker
It wasn't hot, like but like we say it has a warming sensation. It's a warming sensation from the beer and the barrel itself, but it's it's not a boozy beer. As weird as it sounds, I want to say it's easy drinking because like it was. Yes, you and I could have easily finished it. They gave us decent, what, three-ounce pours? We could have easily... yeah We sipped on them throughout the night. I don't think I finished all of them. No, I don't think I did it either. Which is crazy because we i think we've always finished them. Yeah.
00:19:43
Speaker
Not always, but when we've done it the two times. But then we got to that to delicious dinner. Oh, yeah. We'll talk about that in a minute. ah But yeah, Double Barrel this year is really, really good. It's really tasty. um And again, like we were saying...
00:19:58
Speaker
Not that it like beats out reserve, but I just i was like, oh, man. here's It's more like, oh, here's something different that I can appreciate from the previous
Event Highlights and King Henry II Tasting
00:20:07
Speaker
beer. yeah like though The three so far all have their own ah attributes that i really like and really enjoy. yeah and i'm just a very happy I'm looking forward to having that beer again.
00:20:19
Speaker
Me too. I got to say, Brandon, I don't know what beer this is. Because think we're getting close to a break. ah You said 2022. It's not OG. I don't remember the 2022 lineup.
00:20:31
Speaker
Can I peek at the 2022 lineup and guess? Sure. right, let me do that real quick, and then we'll go to a break. Hold on. Let's take a look at this. like what you did there. All right. BCS.
00:20:45
Speaker
2022 lineup. I looking this up. Here we go. We're checking it out. I may have chosen a poor website to do this because there's a bunch of ads.
00:20:56
Speaker
Okay, here we go. I found it here. The Chicago Beer Geeks. Thank you very much. We've got the barley wine. We've got biscotti. We've got coffee. We've got prop.
00:21:08
Speaker
we We've got, is this the 30th anniversary? Damn it.
00:21:15
Speaker
is this biscotti no is this sir isaac are you asking me or are you okay so the funny thing is is that i felt fruitiness in the beginning but i'm like no i'm just getting like the figginess or like the dried fruit of wow this i will say this has gotten better over time yeah i think some of the stuff has faded but i had like fruitiness but not fruitiness in the god i wish i would have said that maybe we can go back and listen i think i did say the the dried fruit wow oh oh well i'll slurp it up off did i get oh like that here we go going in he liked it we did it that's right i did it i didn't get it all but uh wow yeah very good so the sir isaac which is based off which is supposed to be like in um
00:22:02
Speaker
What is it? Fig Newton. Stout aged in bourbon barrels with figs, graham crackers, and natural flavor. Ooh. I mean, like, natural flavor could be, like, somebody's finger just sitting in the barrel. Celebrating 30 years of Bourbon County Stout with BCS Reserve, which, wait, that's BCS Reserve. What? Making their debut.
00:22:23
Speaker
Sir Isaac. it was guy Oh, crazy. Oh, they're talking about the Reserve one. Never mind. Excuse Do you still have, do you have the two-year barley wine? Probably. Love that, because that was Old Fitz.
00:22:35
Speaker
Or Old Fitz Decanter Series barrels. BCS probably won H for two years in 14, 16, and 17-year-old Heaven Hill Old Fitzgerald barrels. God, I'd like to go back to Biscotti. Biscotti was my favorite. yeah i did not have I did not care for prop that year.
00:22:53
Speaker
That was the one that was a jungle bird cocktail that had banana, coconut, lime, and pineapple. That was too much going on for me in the tropical stuff. Anyways, ah we'll take a break. And if it's an ice ad, we're so sorry. We're trying to figure that out. it's see And we're back. Welcome back. Okay. I wasn't expecting that. Welcome back, everybody.
00:23:10
Speaker
Keep me on my toes. I did have time to kind of drink through this. Sorry. ah was trying not to. No, that's fine. was trying not to. um Yeah, we're back. We're doing our ah coverage of basically the preview of Bourbon County Brand Stout 2025 lineup.
00:23:26
Speaker
We've gone to the first three, the OG, the Reserve, and the Double Barrel. And now we're moving on to... Chocolate brainy? Yeah, that's what they called ah their dessert style.
00:23:38
Speaker
And dude, like, i think both of us, well, I know me, when I had it, I'm like... Well, it again, let me backtrack. Because think everyone we had, I'm like, oh, this this my pe this is my favorite. And I was like, oh, this is my favorite.
00:23:52
Speaker
They did a perfect job of lining all of them up. Absolutely. To where it was like, this is my favorite. This is my favorite. This is my favorite. And then we had the chocolate praline. And it hit everything that I was hoping for on that beer.
00:24:08
Speaker
And it was it was so fucking tasty. Yeah. I'm going to skip the top part of it. Yeah, because we read through all this when we did that preview. Yeah. Here we go. Goose Island brings these flavors to the forefront in 2025 Bourbon County brand chocolate praline stout.
00:24:25
Speaker
First aged in freshly empty bourbon barrels, this stout draws inspiration from underlying decadence of chocolate, caramel, and roasted nuts found in original. Layered with a blend of cocoa nibs, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and dates, this full-body stout showcases the classic flavors of chocolate praline,
00:24:41
Speaker
while embracing the subtle nuances imparted by the bourbon barrel. Indeed. This is delicious. Yeah. Yeah, that one... I was... I think I would say I was most excited for that one because it literally... I'm i'm someone... like I've been to like the...
00:25:04
Speaker
of like What am I trying to say? Where was he? Where did he go? Oh, yes, that's what it is. So... We've had a thing of going to like Savannah, Georgia, and like they've got these praline like candies that they have, and like that's always been so tasty.
00:25:21
Speaker
And then like having this was like... A little bit of that with the chocolate, like I feel like it kind of brought everything together. And that's what I was hoping for. And they did a fantastic job.
00:25:34
Speaker
Yeah. this this I was excited for this one as well. um What I liked about it the most was that I got chocolate for sure front. And then there's this nuttiness that comes from all the different nuts that they use.
00:25:47
Speaker
And it was just... It was really, really good. like yeah It is like... chocolate covered nuts with like candied sugar yeah and it like brewing always blows my mind i mean because we've done some interesting stuff with like you know the cinnamon roast out and you know cereals and stuff but like when you get down to the nuances of like chocolate and praline those are two like i mean chocolate's pretty standard but praline is a pretty nuanced flavor yeah but to be able to like
00:26:19
Speaker
don't want to say nail it, but like... Bring it into a beer where you can taste it. Get it pretty good and bring it in. I was like, that was fantastic. It's impressive. Yeah, they did a great job. Yeah, this one was really good. And again, like we said, they're using the original OG just stout in this and then adding the adjuncts to it. And this one really stands out. I think a lot of people are going to like this one as far as dessert stout. I feel that might the card for...
00:26:49
Speaker
The fact that they used OG through um all of it. Because you get the people that are like, oh, I don't like wheat wine. I don't like this. It's like, yeah, I get it.
00:27:01
Speaker
Like, I don't, like, that's not something I'm necessarily going to go towards. But, like, when Goose puts it up, I'll try it. Buy it. See what it is. But this is more like, hey, here's our lineup.
00:27:15
Speaker
Here's the based out. And then we did all this fancy stuff with I'm like, great. Yeah. Like, i'm I'm on board. I want to try everything you got to give me.
00:27:27
Speaker
I don't always say it like that. That was great. I like what you said. I do, like, that makes me more excited to try things. And... I feel like that's why we were in a position was like everything we tried was like better than the last one. Yeah.
00:27:43
Speaker
Because then we got into like cherries Jubilee. Yeah, that's that's the next one. This is the one I was the most interested in because I've had problems with their cherry beers in the past. Because we had that cough syrup yeah thing kind of going on. But this one didn't have it.
00:27:58
Speaker
Yeah, this one. ah It says as a stout ages, Goose Island breweries often observe a range of fruit expressions that emerge from the barrel and from and from time itself. Inspired by the Flambe dessert classic, Cherry's Jubilee 2025 Urban County Brand Stout, Cherry's Jubilee Stout captures the essence of cognac-soaked cherries.
00:28:15
Speaker
Montezuma? Montezuma cherries? Oh,
00:28:20
Speaker
bourbon barrrows which impart rich layers of oak warm vanilla subtle baking spice it was then finished in cognac barrels adding elegant notes of dried fruit and contributing to a rich full mouthfield following the aging process the stout was blended with man tomer cherries citrus latizuma and montezuma cherries oh no panella And panella resulting in a velvety, decadent beer with flavors of candy, dark cherry, soft vanilla, and caramelized citrus fruits.
00:28:46
Speaker
I love this one. Yeah. I will say when... i don't know if I've had many beers. I feel like I've had a couple where it was like, oh, it's dark cherry or like chocolate-covered cherry.
00:28:59
Speaker
But this like this nailed the description. It tastes like... It's cherries in the best way possible. It's like a little of cherry juice in there. Yeah. And again, like...
00:29:10
Speaker
and I'm not sitting here patting Goose on the back because... But we are I mean, it's it's weird. We've been Goose fans, obviously. we have not hidden that.
00:29:21
Speaker
But the fact that... And and like actually, we've talked... Not that we've talked bad, but we've talked about the beers we didn't like. But literally, like I was blown away.
00:29:32
Speaker
i was so scared of this beer. Me too. Just based on the fact that there was cherries in I'm like, what's going to happen? What? But they nailed it, man. This time... oh So good.
00:29:44
Speaker
Yeah, the... Sorry. I was gonna say, I'm hoping it's not because we had it so fresh. Yeah. I'm hoping, like, this kind of goes on. Like, we'll be at Prop Day.
00:29:56
Speaker
We'll be drinking the beers. We'll be a faux-bab. But, like, this is one I want to have at Prop Day, too. Yeah. I i want to try that and, like, see how it's holding up.
00:30:07
Speaker
And... we Yeah, Fobab. We always go to Fobab and like we always go to the the Goose Train. And i want I want to see like if that's there. like I'm going to hold this one up and keep it there and see if it keeps holding on to to this. I don't want this to fall off because it's it's a great one that people need to try. Yeah, I think it's definitely...
00:30:30
Speaker
There's not one that I think would be perplexing amongst ah the beer drinkers, but I think this one might be the one where it might be like, I don't know. don't know i feel about this, but I think it's going to lean more towards people will like it more than not like it.
Overall Event Impressions
00:30:44
Speaker
Then it brings us all the way to the Chicago exclusive, which was the one I was the most excited for because I love this dessert. This is the 2025 Bourbon County brand proprietor stout.
00:30:59
Speaker
This is a long one, too. Here we go. Inspired by the beehives of our aunt's Rhode Island homestead, Goose Island Brewer Colby. I'm sorry if I'm butchering your name. and ah Magratin. Sorry, Colby.
00:31:12
Speaker
ah Was immediately drawn to the flavors of crisp and nutty homemade baklava, an idea she knew that would be perfect for 2025 Bourbon County brand proprietor stout. First aged in bourbon barrels, then finished with walnuts, pistachio, cassia bark, and honey. Each ingredient each ingredient was carefully chosen to complement the aged imperial stout.
00:31:32
Speaker
Toasted nuts highlight its warm, nutty character. Cinnamon enhances the spice of the bourbon barrel, and rich honey deepens the stout caramelized body. The stout boasts a dessert-inspired expression with layers of comforting warmth, deeply roasted nuts, subtly sweet finished, crafted with love for the available... Oh, sorry. And available only in the city Goose Island calls home Chicago.
00:31:55
Speaker
This one... to me was probably the most impressive because it honestly, Brandon's a secretly pouring another beer.
00:32:07
Speaker
That's why you're not hearing from him right now. Um, this one i was very excited about. I love baklava baklava. If you've never had it, please go and try it. It is, uh, was it a, not puff pastry, but, uh, filo dough with nuts and honey. And it's like soaked in honey and it's like wet and sticky. And it's just, uh,
00:32:26
Speaker
it's just so delicious and i love baklava i've had it with walnuts i've had it with pistachios i've had it with cashews i've had it with almonds um it's so good it's so rich and so decadent and when you bite into it it's almost like wet because of the honey and this beer you can taste cinnamon you can taste the nuts and then all of a sudden there is that honey and once that honey hits That honey is what really makes this beer taste like baklava. It 100% smells and tastes like baklava. It is my favorite proprietor stout since the 2017 Bananas Foster, like which is still my it's still my all-time favorite.
00:33:13
Speaker
This one, though, is just I um so excited that we're going to prop day. And if you weren't going to go, I'd be happy having four bottles of this. But two bottles is fine. I'll probably buy another one.
00:33:26
Speaker
Brandon has poured something out. Brandon has poured a another random variant. Another random Bourbon County Stout variant. Is there cinnamon in this?
00:33:38
Speaker
It does not say so. Hmm.
00:33:43
Speaker
2023? Lower. 2021. Yes.
00:33:50
Speaker
This isn't the orange one, right? Midnight orange now. No. Is this the cafe one? The coffee one? Mm-mm. Okay.
00:33:59
Speaker
Hmm. But I'm getting cinnamon. Like baking.
00:34:07
Speaker
I grabbed this based off our conversation that we were having about a particular flavor that sometimes does not... Is this the cherry one? Yep. Mon Cherie?
00:34:19
Speaker
No, it's Cherrywood Stout. Oh, the cherry one was... good I like the cherrywood one. Yeah. That's funny. It's funny I'm getting some cinnamon in there. Yeah.
00:34:29
Speaker
I actually am a little bit too, so what's the What's the description on that bottle? i like Stout aged in bourbon barrels aged with cherry wood. That's fun. like I know a lot of people didn't like this one because they're don't get anything different, whatever. now When I say everyone or people, like it's people that you and I know and you know exactly who I'm talking about.
00:34:49
Speaker
um If you don't know, I'll tell you off mic. um I really liked cherry wood and I still like this. This is this this is this really good. Yeah. Also, so thank you for opening up one more bottle as we're ending the episode.
00:35:03
Speaker
What did you think about the prop this year? oh I think I'm in the same camp. Again, like i was i was blown away by the fact that like everything got bri up per go pretty good at this yeah got progressively better. How is it we've only had two burn counties? Yeah, so it got progressively better.
00:35:25
Speaker
And prop was one that I was looking forward to. yeah and like... That was like, this is it. This is the one. um This will not be a decisive beer. This will be a beer I think everybody will enjoy and know that it's baklava.
00:35:41
Speaker
Yeah. But then we go into like, think going to the king. yeah that's right. We didn't talk about because that's not We will get to that. But like, that was the one that was like, again, like just this whole progression of like, I like this. I like this. I like this.
00:35:57
Speaker
Um, Yeah, because flavor-wise, a lot of the beers had everything you wanted. And this one, like, again, going back to, like, the whole baklava thing, it was, like, it was so present and so there.
00:36:10
Speaker
it It made it such an enjoyable beer to drink. um Even though we, like, we got a small pour, but, like, it was just, it was awesome. And it it it was, again... That was one of the ones that I did finish.
00:36:23
Speaker
Shout-out to Goose. Like, I love... the The great thing about that event is like sitting there and hearing the stories, and they talk about the beers, and they do all that kind of stuff. And it was like just so great to like hear like their thought process behind it. And this one, like it's i mean it's pretty cut and dry. It's in the description.
00:36:44
Speaker
like But, yeah. like The fact that they did that, and they were able to pull it off, is awesome. When we also... For the first time, I had a chance to talk with a couple of people after ah the presentation and food was being served. And then we had to reserve our table because we saw the food. And it was amazing. yeah Which I just... I actually...
00:37:07
Speaker
last Wednesday, because it was like a full week, I'm like, I had a little bit of the beef left, and I'm like, yeah this is risky, but I'm going to do it, and I was fine. Yeah. Dude, I was eating beef ribs for like a week. They gave us like a Flintstone-sized beef a rib with a Bourbon County like glaze or whatever, a spice rub on top that was sweet, and then a little corn dog or a little chili dog that had Bourbon County brisket, chili, and then there was all these little desserts that were really good. It's so funny because like we were when we were talking them to them afterwards, i forgot to throw out the fact that like, hey, yesterday i made chili with your dapper rye. Yeah, you should have said that. That would be good.
00:37:49
Speaker
But, yeah, so the the the the big thing that we got to try that I was hoping for and I thought that we were going to. They brought out King Henry II. If you don't know, King Henry is one of the best barrel-aged beers ever made by Goose Island. and If you've never had a chance to try it... Sorry.
00:38:08
Speaker
Yeah, that's a bummer. Brandon had a bottle. We did an episode, if you remember. um was a short... like I think it was after the final pour. It was. And you had aged it for how long, do you remember?
00:38:18
Speaker
it was... Oh, shit. <unk>t It's a bomber. the ah song It was a little over 10 years, I think, at that point. And it was fucking fantastic. yeah Now, someone that we know has said, you know, King Henry's lightning in a bottle.
00:38:30
Speaker
It's true. It really is. i Excuse me. Like I I can't compare King Henry II to the first because it's almost impossible because it's been so long and we don't have a fresh one to compare it with. yep I will say for a barrel-aged barley wine...
00:38:52
Speaker
That's the best one I've had when it came to Bourbon County coming out with all the barley wines that they've done in the past. like It's just very good. It's very tasty. and um It was so good. I think you and I should get up early and go, dude.
00:39:05
Speaker
We should go. Even if we just go to get the bottles, have a pour, and then go fuck off and go home. I wouldn't. Yeah. Just go hang out at Ghost Island. Yeah. Just couple guys hang out. The Bears play against the Eagles, too. Ooh. At 2 o'clock. On Friday? Yeah. It's the one Friday friday game. Oh, God.
00:39:20
Speaker
Last year they did a Friday game. Good game, nfl That's okay. it's not a Sunday. You can drink. i ah i mean, I'm not worried about that, but I'm like. We'll crack open my rear. I'm worried about football being weird days. I know. I know.
00:39:31
Speaker
know. But, yeah. The King Henry was. What did you think of it? I loved it, man. It. For a barley wine, it hit all the notes that I would want for a barley wine. But, like, nothing was too strong. Nothing was too... Like... It's perfect. I know. you're it's so weird It's so weird to describe it. Like, how do you want a barley wine?
00:39:58
Speaker
But, like, a barrel-aged barley wine, i feel like, again, like going back to people that have had King Henry in the past, like... This was life-changing. had it, and I was like, this is the one. The first King Henry? this yeah Yeah. But I had this. like We had this, and I'm like, this Immediately, my brain went to, oh, taking off into space. Taking off into space. that That actually was a great sound effect for how your brain felt.
00:40:26
Speaker
with you But I was like, yeah, like this is the one. like There's a part of me that thinks... even though we didn't get the King Henry ticket for prop day. Yeah.
00:40:40
Speaker
I think there might be a small chance that we'll be able to buy it that day as well. So you're saying there's a chance. Yes. Jim Carrey in dumb and dumber. Um, yeah. And if not, like I know what I'm sure it'll be poured there yeah for us to try it again, which I think I'm, I'm excited about that. If we get to try it again at prop day, yeah that would be exciting. Um, I do want to get a bottle of it.
00:41:02
Speaker
Um, like I said, I still have the rare from, you're better at holding onto beers than I am. ah whether Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. If Keanery, will hold onto that again for another 10 years.
Closing Remarks and Social Media Credits
00:41:14
Speaker
Alright, I'll do this then. If we both get a King Henry, we can drink mine fresh sometime around the holidays and then we'll eat yours and in 10 years we'll drink it together. We'll do it. Sounds good to me.
00:41:24
Speaker
Yeah, ah so overall I will say that this when I saw the lineup this year i was really excited because i felt like it was all the types of Bourbon County that I wanted. It was stout focused.
00:41:41
Speaker
There was the OG. Like i said, I had My reservation is about Reserve because I haven't really liked Reserve, but the Reserve is fantastic. Double barrel, fantastic. Then you've got you know fucking chocolate praline, which I was excited about. Delicious. Cherry's Jubilee, nervous, delicious.
00:41:59
Speaker
The fucking baklava prop is amazing. And then we got a chance to try the King Henry II, and it was also very good. And thank you, Goose Island, for having us out.
00:42:09
Speaker
Especially when if you guys have listened to our podcast. ah we We don't love everything that everybody does, but we are being 100% honest about all of these beers. they're just This year's lineup is so good. I sent a text ah to our friend Ron.
00:42:25
Speaker
We said, this year's lineup is really good, man. um It's worth, because you know he's the one. What did Ron say? We'll see. you know He's the he's the the doubter of everything, and that's fine. That's okay. That's okay.
00:42:39
Speaker
Uh, but I'm excited to have everything. I'm excited to get everything. I'm excited to drink everything. Um, I think, you know, in the the last years that we've seen some excess stuff sitting on the shelves, I have a hard time, seeing some of these variants yeah sitting around.
00:42:56
Speaker
Yeah. I feel like these will go quick because i mean, it's just so well done. Kudos to goose. Yeah. Goose did a great job. Um, and also thank you goose for inviting us. That was a lot of fun. Um,
00:43:08
Speaker
Look forward to doing again. It's it's it's such a great time to talk to other people who also work with Goose, who are distributors, or other people who are just different walks of life than we are, media people, and then talking to people from Goose, like the president of Goose.
00:43:23
Speaker
I'm bad with names, man. You're much better than I am. We had Mike and and Mike. Yeah, he totally recognized us. We sat in the same seats. He was like, oh, you guys are back. yeah And you had the same seats, which I thought was hilarious. So thank you, Goose, very much for inviting us. It was so much fun. um And we look forward to Prop Day. We look forward to Black Friday. And we hope that you guys all get a chance to try these beers as well.
00:43:49
Speaker
Indeed. Anything else you want to Brandon? No. I mean, again, like just to compliment your sentiments... um Thanks, Goose, for letting us come and try these because that was amazing.
00:44:01
Speaker
And we didn't get into it really, but, like, the food lineup was fantastic. Actually, you know what? Hold on. before we Before we ditch out on that, I do have a picture of that menu ah just because it was so good. And, like, it's a reminder that everybody needs to go to the salt shed, Goose Island, to get their food. Yeah, and I don't know what like what they do regularly, but, like, the the beef short rib, they have these, like...
00:44:25
Speaker
It was we had a BCS barbecue sauce and pickled shallots. um And then we had these. Little chili dog. Yep. Which was the Vienna beef with brisket, chili, New England bun, and stout mustard. peanut butter. Adult PB&J that had cherry jam almond butter on a brioche. Yep. And.
00:44:41
Speaker
The donuts. With BCS caramel cinnamon sugar. Yeah. the Those donuts were my favorite thing oh yeah of them. The beef was great, but those donuts were so good. want to make Bourbon County caramel.
00:44:53
Speaker
We can do that. Let's go do it. Let's go do it right now. Brandon, I love you, buddy. Love you too, man. And we'll see everybody next week. Bye. World Series.
00:45:04
Speaker
This has been The Malting Hour. Be sure to follow us on all social media by searching The Malting Hour and at themaltinghour.com. You can also follow us individually on social media. Brandon can be found on Instagram as bmdub81, on Twitter bdub81, and on Untappd as bdubdrinksbeer.
00:45:22
Speaker
Tony can be found on Instagram and Untappd under AsaFelpsChicago, on Twitter the AsaFelpsChicago. Clark can be found as Clarkowski on all three. Dan can be found on Instagram as hip underscore underscore hops and hops on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe, like, and rate the show on your preferred podcast listening platform. Until next time, cheers from all of us at the Malting Hour.