Welcome back my friends. Rest assured your Brew Review Crew was not ignoring Cervisiarus Mundus over the Easter weekend, rather, we brought out The Crew to do some important research, and share the results with you. 4 Barrel Aged Stouts to choose from but only one can be called The Best.
This was to be a blind test, where most testers were unaware of the beer's true identity until after the test was complete. 4 Tasters, four blind samples. At the end, there could be Only One.
All samples poured into 4 oz snifters at the same temperature.
Beer # 1
Drago
Wild Onion Brewery (Lake Barrington, IL)
( http://onionbrewery.com/ )
Russian Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged
9.2% ABV
"...Brewed with boatloads of roasted malt and Sumatra coffee beans."
Taster 1 Review:
Pours black, impenetrable. No lasting head, minimal carbonation. Smells of oak and dark roasted malts. Rich, not too thick. Strong, slightly bitter finish, the oak tannins lingering. No alcohol burn. Barrel charred oak and roasted malts dominate. Rated 4.25 / 5
Taster 2 Review: Dark color, minimal almost non-existent head, warmy boozy aftertaste, chocolate-y bourbon flavor, smooth mouthfeel, almost cake-like.
Taster 3 Review: Dark color, tan head, sticks to glass, warmth, bitterness, tingling in throat.
Taster 4 Review: No head, coffee dark smell - coffee beans / taste, dark taste, some fizz, slight burn going down. Low ABV for a stout.
Beer # 2
Islay
Goose Island (Chicago, IL)
( http://www.gooseisland.com/ )
Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged
13.4% ABV
" ...brimming with aromas of peat and roast. Its opaque, jet-black color heralds intense flavors of smoke, earth, and tobacco"
Tester 1 Review:Pours viscous, black, no head. Prominnent "barrel" nose - very peat-y and smoked, salty - vert "Scotch-Barrel-like", like a good Scottish single malt. Definitely a sipper. If you like a good Scotch, you'll like this. Probably a love/hate for most people. I like it.
Rated 4.5 / 5
Taster 2 Review: Very Strong Scotch smell and taste. Peaty flavor, dark color, minimal head. Coats the glass, somewhat bitter
Taster 3 Review: Dark color, brown head, very thick. Smoky notes.
Taster 4 Review: Look? absolutely no head, dark smell? burnt tire, smokey taste - very bitter burnt tasting, hard liquor really shines through.
Beer #3
Bourbon County Brand Stout (2017)
Goose Island (Chicago, IL)
( http://www.gooseisland.com/ )
Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged
14.1% ABV
"...an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke"
Taster 1 Review: Dark, dark red, no head, smells of dark, molasses-y roasted malts, alcohol notes, oily, coats the glass, rich mouthfeel, sweet finish. Almost candy-like molasses/caramel taste. Rich and dessert-y, I'll take as scoop of vanilla, please....
Rated 4.75 / 5
Taster 2 Review:
Very sweet, chocolate flavor, oily, coats glass, smooth and dark / vanilla? Very little head, Dessert-like, no burn.
Taster 3 Review: Dark color, no visible head. Sweet, tingles too.
Taster 4 Review: Dark, no head. Smell? Sweet. Taste? Chocolate, soft burn going down, smooth, malty
Beer #4
Bourbon County Brand Stout - Rare (2015)
Goose Island (Chicago, IL)
( http://www.gooseisland.com/ )
Imperial Stout; Barrel-Aged
14.5% ABV
Taster 1 Review: Brown/Black color, no carbonation evident, coats the glass. Dark, malty, boozy flavor. Dark fruit & alcohol emerge, crossing over from Imperial Stout to aged barleywine/belgian quad flavors in a very good way. Drink slowly and enjoy, there's lots going on here.
Rated: 5 / 5
Taster 2 Review: More coating, boozy nose, slight boozy flavor, smooth, more complex. Dark.
Taster 3 Review: Dark Color. Thick. Burns. Rich.
Taster 4 Review: Brown color, little transparency, aroma boozy, oily and shiny in the glass, more of a burn going down, distinct liquor flavor
So which is Best?
Drum Roll Please .....
By a majority ruling of the empanelled tastes we recommend Goose Island BCBS Rare (2015)
Naturally, this is the most expensive and hard to come by. Now you can't go wrong with a BCBS, and some retailers still have a few bottles stashed but it comes at a price; Islay is currently easy to come by but there's that love/hate factor; if you just want a good stout without paying the premium, go for a Drago.
