I can’t wait to open the 2006 editions of their Bourbon County Stout (I’m aging a few). As I looked at my 2008 edition, I noticed that it is actually 2% higher ABV than the 2006. 2008 comes in at a whopping 13% alcohol by volume. There is a lot I can say here, but I already have a lot to say about this beer in the review.

Looking at this beer is like looking into a deep dark cavern. So dark, so bold. On top of the black body rested a dark brown head. This beer is a bold as it looks.

When you take a sniff of this beer, it is sensory overload. Here are some of the notes that I got from the beer. Of course there were strong bourbon notes. Among the best were vanilla, spicy cinnamon (hints), nuts and caramel. Dark roasted grains came through all the bourbon notes and showed that this was a powerful beer all around. No notable hops character was present. Alcohol qualities, along with some biscuitiness, was also noteworthy. And what would a strong stout be without some lovely chocolate notes? What an aroma! One more note that I would like to make is that the biscuitiness, nuts, and caramel gave this beer some aromas of a sweet sherry.

Wow! Upon sipping this beer, the bourbon alcohol heat and flavors were not masked at all. The nuts, vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon spiciness and biscuity qualities wove into a tapestry of wonderful and unique flavors. A smoky bourbon barrel flavor emerged after the initial alcohol qualities. The huge amount of deep, dark, roasted grain balanced the huge bourbon flavors in the beer. They came through as a powerful stout. It seemed that the flavors in this beer would last forever. I don’t know if the full coating mouth-feel gave the beer such long-lasting power or if it was just that powerful of a beer. I would also like to note that this stout had less coffee flavors than other stouts of this depth (that can be a bonus for me–depending on my mood). There was some residual sweetness and a long, dry finish. The very end of the lingering flavors in this beer distinctly reminded me of the after-taste of vanilla and chocolate ice cream (or even chocolate milk).

If you like Bourbon, beer, or both, I think that you will love this beer. I’ve never had a better bourbon barreled stout than the one that Goose Island puts out. It is powerful but balanced in its powerful alcohol and malts. Perfection! My first 5 on the website! I like the Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Stout but this one kills it. By the way, this is an excellent cigar beer.  I like a good Kristoff…smoker’s choice.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★★ 

Among other Bourbon Barreled Stouts: ★★★★★ 

Among other Stouts ★★★★★ 

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First, it’s been a while since I had this beer and this particular one has matured for about a year and a half.  In fact, it was bottled in April of ‘07.  Jefferson’s Reserve is a quite a good bourbon on its own (especially the small batch stuff), so I was excited to drink this Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout beer.  It is made by Bluegrass Brewing.  Upon the pour, it looked nice and blackwith hints of brown coming through when held up to the light.  There was very little head retention after the beer sat for a second. 

A slightly metallic aroma was noticeable on the nose, while Bourbon vanilla, caramel, and nuts were evident.  There were also grain-driven chocolate, sweet malts, and coffee to be noticed.  A charred wood aroma also came through.

The charred wood was also slightly smoky in the taste of the beer.  All the above mentioned grain and bourbon qualities were also present in the brew.  One thing that was lacking was the sweetness that the malt presented in the nose.  I found the beer to be a little thin for a stout but still having some good taste qualities.  There was a slight dryness throughout the stout, which was especially pleasant with the dry woodiness of the beer.  There were no notable hop qualities to the beer.  I’ve had much better bourbon stouts than this, but it was still not bad at all. 

Drinking this beer with a Kristoff cigar was another matter altogether.  Let me say that the cigar picked up some wonderful bourbon qualities, which were imparted by the George T. Stagg that I flavored it with.  The cigar seemed to add a slight sweetness that intermingled wonderfully with the beer.  Of course, the cigar also made the beer seem much less dry that it was.  By way of contrast, I really enjoyed what the dryness of the cigar did for the perception of the beer.  The toastiness of the grains really pushed through the beer.  The sweet smokiness of the cigar made some nice additions to the beer, while pushing the alcohol and fruits to the front of the palate.  Wonderful experience…I bet even more with a really good beer.  I’ll let you know.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

Among other Bourbon Barreled Stouts: ★★★½☆ 

Among other Stouts ★★★☆☆ 

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When I got this Bourbon that comes out once a year in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, I thought about how great it would be to put some cigars in a sealed jar with a shot of this Bourbon.  I’m in the middle of leaving them in there for about three or three and a half weeks.  When I get these out, I’m going to try them with various beers.  I think I’ll drink a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout with one of them.  I’ll also have a German smoked beer and some other more delicate beers with these cigars.  By the way, these are Kristoff cigars, of which I’m a big fan.  I’m posting this now in anticipation of sharing the results of this experiment with you guys.  I’m always looking for new way to enjoy beers, and I hope you are, too.

In addition, do yourself a favor and try this Bourbon.

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As some of you may know, Sam Adam’s makes the strongest and most expensive beer in the world.  Utopias comes in at an amazing 26% abv.  It is an astounding achievement to make a beer that strong.  There is no distilling, nothing but grains, and a whole lot of very robust yeast strains in this beer.  Believe me when I say producing a beer of this strength is already a feat. 

Since I sipped on some of this Utopias the other night, I thought I’d offer a review of it.  From the beginning of the pour (1 1/2 to 2 ounces suggested) Utopias does not look like a common beer.  In fact, there is no carbonation, no head, and a thick tracing on the glass.  The beer sits there with a thin clear line of liquid sitting on top of a beautiful whiskey-colored body.  As the prescient color of the beer suggests, it is more like liquor than beer. 

Aroma, aroma, aroma…boy, does this beer have it.  On the nose it is extremely bready and yeasty in quality.  The alcohol is very noticeable on the nose.  There are wonderful grape, caramel (suggestive of Boubon), and nutty qualities on the nose.  The smell is more suggestive of a brandy or port than it is a beer.

Breadiness in the nose is certainly translated into the taste of this brew.  It has a nice thick and full mouth-feel.  The nuttiness in the nose seems to define itself as Macadamia nuts in the taste of the beer.  Muscat grapes (and wine) are apparent in the sweet flavor of the beer, which gives it a taste very similar to various sweet sherries that I’ve had. 

If you get a chance, you have to try this beer.  Properly speaking, it is not very “beer” tasting at all.  However, it is still worth tasting because it shows just how diverse beers can truly be.  By the way, this a great beer to have with a robust cigar.

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Samuel Adam’s Chocolate Bock is considered one of their extreme beers, if you look at their website.  They have four “extreme” beers: Chocolate Bock, Millennium, Triple Bock and Utopias (the strongest and most expensive beer in the world).  While the Utopias and company are more extreme, this one is not so much extreme as it is extremely good. 

The pour:  There was a fair amount of carbonation in the brew with fair head retention.  It had a deep brown color with touches of Crimson.  The beer looked almost as smooth in the glass as it did in the bottle.  By the way, the label on the bottle might be the most beautiful on earth.  It’s pewter and almost rococo label speaks to its cocoa beauty inside.  The bottle and look of the beer is truly an achievement in of itself.

The aroma of the beer was floral and simply popped.  Chocolate, roasted grains, and yeast were prevalent. 

The taste of the beer is really the awesome part of the brew.  Since this Chocolate Bock is put on top of cocoa, it has obvious chocolate notes.  There is more of a good deep dark chocolate taste and bitterness than other types of chocolate.  Yet, the beer is extremely smooth and imminently drinkable.  A slight sweetness in the beer is complemented by its ending dryness.  Roastiness, a slight smokiness, and nutty qualities are also in abundance here.  I also caught what I can only describe as the aftertaste of un-buttered popcorn in the brew.  Call me crazy but its there. 

All in all this is a magnificent brew.  Do yourself a favor and try it.

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First, let me say that this is not the first time I have brought up the cigar-beer combination.  In fact, I mentioned what I was smoking along with the beer.  But I did not offer an apologetic for a cigar with a beer at the time.  Here goes!  Many of us are familiar with the concept of drinking Scotch with a cigar.  Companies like Dalmore even make a specific cigar malt Scotch (although I actually enjoy their 12 year more).  There are those who drink a good Bourbon with a cigar.  Even Cognac has made its way into certain cigars.  But where is the beer love?

With all its complexities, beer is a wonderful complement to a cigar.  Of course, this depends on which cigar and which beer we are talking about.  Let me offer up my humble opinion.  For those who sing to the tune of  Scotch or Bourbon to complement a cigar, there are many offerings in the beer world that will hit the notes required to make beautiful concerto in their mouths.  For instance, Goose Island makes a Bourbon County Stout, Schlafly makes a Bourbon Barrel Stout (and Barley Wine Style), Bluegrass Brewing Co makes a Stout with Jefferson’s Reserve…and the list goes on and on.  For the Scotch drinker, Harviestoun makes an Ale matured in Whisky Casks.  They make three versions of this beer called Ola Dubh, which are matured in Scotch casks.  The Scotch casks have had whiskys aged in them at 12, 16, and 30 years, respectively.  As you might imagine, the beers go up in price according to the cask (they can also be a little difficult to find).  So, for the timid, you can at least get the Scotch or Bourbon flavors that you are used to.

For those who wish to experiment a little more, the floweriness and citrus qualities of some IPAs might go well with a woody or nutty cigar.  Perhaps a nutty cigar would also go well with a traditional Belgian beer of the Lambic category (fruit and nuts).  Stouts are always a good source of chocolaty and/or coffee notes that would complement a nutty, coffeeish, or velvety cigar.  A German smoked Marzen or a smoked Porter might fit in well with a cigar.  Or by way of contrast, a delicate wheat beer or Belgian golden ale could synthesize two wonderful (but disparate) flavors.  Be creative and open up to the new world of a beer with your cigar.    

Is it really that unreasonable to try a cigar with a beer instead of a Scotch?  After all, Scotch/Bourbon and beer share a lot of the same production process.  Why not some of the same aficionados?

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