Beer of the Week

The beer: Bourbon County Original Stout (2025) 

The brewery: Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois

Description (from the website): "2025 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout was aged in a blend of freshly emptied barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. 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."

Would I buy it again? Is this cheating, reviewing a new year's version of a beer I had last year? Maybe, but it's my blog and I'm reviewing this. Goose Island treats it separately, so I will too.

Of course, I don't have all that much to add from last year's review. It's still ultra-decadent yet delicious to drink. Perfect for New Year's Eve.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pumpkin Barrel Ale

The brewery: Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, Lexington, Kentucky

Description (from the website): "A barrel-aged ale brewed with Kentucky-sourced pumpkin, richly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. This robust, limited-release seasonal brew makes for a flavorful sipping beer to slowly warm up with as the weather cools."

Would I buy it again? I'm a little disappointed in this one. It's got some pumpkin and cinnamon to it, but it's a little hoppier and more bitter than I expected. Not to an extreme amount and it's certainly still drinkable, but when there are so many good pumpkin beers out there, why waste your time on something that isn't amazing? I'd pass on this in the future.

Beer of the Week

The beer: So Happens It's Tuesday (2021)

The brewery: The Bruery, Placentia, California

Description (from the can): "Namesake aside, this bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout is worthy of pouring every day of the week. Both elegant and complex, it exemplifies over 10 years of experience in barrel-aging technique. Notes of dark chocolate and vanilla are rounded out with hints of freshly picked cherries, dried figs, and molasses."

Would I buy it again? This isn't exactly a beer one would drink on the threshold of summer, being a thick stout, but since May has been a never-ending cavalcade of miserably rainy days, I figured there was no better time. 

My feelings on this beer are mixed. Obviously, it's very, very good. Despite being 15% alcohol and a bourbon barrel-aged stout, it's surprisingly easy to drink. On the other hand, there's more than a hint of cherry here. I won't say it tastes like cough medicine, but it's more on that end that I would like. I feel like the honey Troegs adds to Mad Elf does a lot to balance out the cherry, and I'm honestly missing that here. I know this is a good beer, but it isn't for me.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bourbon County Original Stout (2024)

The brewery: Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois

Description (from the website): "After crafting the very first bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, we've learned that to have the best beer, you start with the best possible ingredients. Barrels are such an important ingredient and we continue to use only the best our friends on the bourbon trail have to offer. 2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout is aged in a mix of freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey distilleries. Barrel-aged for an average of 12 months, Bourbon County Original Stout boasts deeply developed flavors of fudge, vanilla and caramelized sugar with a rich, decadent mouthfeel."

Would I buy it again? This is an interesting question, because come on, of course this beer is going to be amazing. Goose Island was the first brewery to do bourbon barrel–aged beer; they've got over 20 years of experience doing it. It's a sweet, chocolatey, thick stout that is a pleasure to drink from start to finish. However, it's $25 for a bottle, and this isn't a big bottle. $25 for a pint of beer, even one as excellent and as strong as this one, is an awful lot to ask. 

And you know what? I do think it's good enough to justify the price tag. Not regularly, of course not. But one a year, or once every couple years? Sure, I don't think that's unreasonable. This is a very, very good beer.

Beer of the Week

The beer: White Oak

The brewery: The Bruery, Placentia, California

Description (from Untappd): White Oak is an equal blend of two beers. A wheat-wine aged in Bourbon barrels (we call it "White Oak Sap") and our Belgian-style Golden Strong Ale (Mischief) join each other in a delicate dance of flavor and character before we package the final product. White Oak showcases vivid caramel, coconut and vanilla flavors blanketed in a crisp yet robust wheat ale. A true exercise of balance."

Would I buy it again? This beer has apparently been discontinued, which makes buying more a moot point, apparently. Which is a shame, because I really like this beer. It's strong and has plenty of vanilla flavor, but because the base beer is a wheat ale, it's not that heavy. Not an easy-drinker by any means at all, but this doesn't feel like a meal all on its own. If I could buy it again, I would.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Barrel Aged Imperial Amber Lager

The brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio

Description (from the website): "Join our 35th anniversary celebration with this limited edition Imperial Amber Lager inspired by one of our original 1988 recipes, aged in Bulleit™ bourbon barrels."

Would I buy it again? You don't usually see imperial lagers. Stouts, all the time, IPAs, not as common, but definitely out there. But an imperial version of a regular old amber lager? I couldn't resist trying it out. But does it work? Yes and no, I would say. You can definitely taste the bourbon in this, and I'm not going to deny this beer tastes good. It's not an easy drinker, but I enjoyed drinking it. However, I feel like something has been lost of the original lager, which I have had before. That doesn't stop this beer from being very good, and I would drink it again, but I'm not sure how well it works as a celebration of their regular amber lager.    

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bourbon Barrel–Aged Triple Nator

Brewed by: Troegs Independent Brewing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the bottle): "This is the big, malty, and ageable Triple Nator with a bourbon barrel twist. Munich malt, chocolate malt, and Belgian candy sugar deliver deep toffee and complex malt notes, and months in bourbon barrels add hints of toasted coconut, vanilla, and molasses. Put it in a glass or put it in your cellar. The next chapter is yours!"

Would I buy it again? Not an ideal picture there, but oh well. Needless to say, this is an absolutely amazing beer, with all the taste of the previous Triple Nator plus a definite bourbony vanilla feel. I'm not sure if I prefer this one to the normal one, but it's close, and that puts this in my top five beers of all time. Only problem here is the price: It's twice as expensive as the Triple Nator, and that's a lot. $10 for a single bottle of beer is way too much to be anything other than a very occasional splurge. Which is probably fine, it's 14% and dangerously drinkable, just like the normal Troegenator it's based on. If the pit in your wallet didn't stop you from downing way too many, nothing would. It took most of my resolve not to buy as many of these as I could, though I couldn't resist buying one more. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa

Brewed by: Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Description (from the website): "Here’s one for the cocoa lovers: KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa – the sumptuous, deep coffee and chocolate flavors of KBS rise to the next level with a swirl of cinnamon and a hint of vanilla to create a sweet-but-not-too-sweet barrel-aged drinking experience. It’s a whole new spin on KBS that’s sure to sweeten your spirits."

Would I buy it again?: Okay, here's the thing with this beer. Obviously, it's extremely good. The cinnamon, the cocoa, the vanilla, they're all there, and they complement each other well. But one bottle is nearly $10, and that's just too much. It's too much for a 16 oz. can, so it's definitely too much for a 12 oz. bottle. I'm glad I bought it, because I've heard good things about KBS beers from Founders, but I just can't see myself buying it again. It's not good enough to justify the price tag. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Strawberry Ale

Brewed by: Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, Lexington, Kentucky

Description (from the Lexington Brewing Twitter): "Aged in fresh bourbon barrels, and brewed with real strawberry juice, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Strawberry Ale is a perfect blend of fresh fruit and bourbon notes. This is the perfect summer sipper."

Would I buy it again?: You know, I wasn't too thrilled with it after the first sip, but this beer grew on me as I went along. The strawberry grew on me. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way for it, but I wouldn't say no.

Beer of the Week

Oh my goodness, is this a new type of post? Good heavens. I had this idea suggested to me, and after a while, I decided that it was a good idea. So let's give this a try. This isn't a review, per se, I can't tell you all the fancy little details that a real beer reviewer would give you, just more of a "hey, look at this cool beer I drank recently!"

The beer: Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale

Brewed by: Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company

Description (from the website): "Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale is our take on a classic American style of beer. We took a cold-conditioned cream ale, brewed with a hint of flaked corn and bourbon vanilla beans, and aged it in freshly decanted bourbon barrels for a minimum of six weeks. Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale's medium body and 5.5% ABV make it the perfect barrel-aged beer for an all day event."

Would I buy it again?: Yes

Okay I couldn't resist a little bit of review.