It’s amazing how much interest there still is in this beer. And I wonder if it’s because of the legendary status of the original 2014 release, or if people are just hesitant to drop the money on it until they know it’s good. I just posted a simple IG story, and I got about 50 “how is it?” DMs.
Thank you for your honesty I also did not like the base I paid $24.33 with tax for that garbage. I also purchased the very same one you just reviewed and i have not cracked open yet i will tonight will see but I'm not buying and wasting my time looking for them anymore.
I couldn't wait It sucks ass. Its amazing you got vanilla I got pure rye no vanilla. A tiny bit of chocolate. Never will I buy this another $24 dollars down the drain.
Every year I see more and more of these sitting on the shelf. I was all in on these back in 2014, waited in line etc. I burned out pretty fast when they took away the 4 packs. I’d rather just buy a bourbon bottle….more enjoyable nowadays
I had a 5 oz pour from a local taproom that had it on draft. I was glad it was only 5 oz. It wasn't bad, per se. It just wasn't worth the $ or the calories for that matter 😂 I thought the vanilla and rye spice were just battling it out. It wasn't balanced. Oh well. Plenty of fantastic local BA stouts for me to enjoy
I've been suspect of what would happen to Bourbon County Stout since the AB-InBev acquisition. It's been a slow deterioration but it's happening. Distribution may have improved but the base seems thinned out. This year, the base and the vanilla rye have not been getting good reviews, and though the "Prop" seems to have a better/more robust/oily body the flavor profile seems to wrong for a barleywine and perhaps would better suited for the stout. It seems, the only two variants worth getting are the Bardstown variant and the "Rare" variant. Those seems to be throw-backs. I'll chase those two and forget the other three.
@@jsenigaglia I follow you and approx 6 other beer-tubers, plus i've spoken to trading buddies who've had BCBS and most are in agreement with you. There maybe ONE person among them who gave it a passing grade. For the others... it's been a disappointment. Just the relatively-thin body alone, is enough to kill it for me.
I've had all the 2024 variants except for the Rare,and the base and Vanilla Rye are definitely the weakest. Neither were bad or drain pours for me, but not great either. The Bardstown is fantastic, but I paid $39 for a bottle...so that also knocked down the experience
I'm with ya on the $$$ I got the base for $9.99 and the Vanilla and Macaroons for 15.99 each at Costco The Bardstown was at its normal and ridiculous $39 price here in OH
Really wild that you didn’t like the base stout, Darwin said it was one of the best vintages and he’s a legit Cicerone. And the $24.99 for a bottle I mean that’s normal price for any adjunct stout. Top shelf stouts like Side Project go for $50 a bottle or more. $25 seems normal to me 🤷🏻♀️ Bourbon County has never been a thick beer, that’s relatively new to Stouts that was started by Toppling Goliath and Side Project. For the midrange price I don’t think many breweries comes close to Goose Island with Bourbon County.
Dar will tell you he’s got BC bias, lol. And being a cicerone doesn’t mean anything. We all like what we like. I had a bottle of Founders BA Imperial Stout recently and it absolutely shits on BCBS. This year was so muted. I’ve gone back and watched old vids on previous BC vintages and there aren’t many where them being thin is talked about. They’ve always had a solid body. This one doesn’t. I’m glad you enjoyed it though. That’s the beauty of beer 🍻
Had this on draft and it was ALL vanilla. Bottle is better because the rye comes through. I agree it’s not a great year for bcbs, although Rare is fantastic. 2 years aged so different base.
I haven't opened either one of my Bourbon County beers yet (base and Vanilla Rye). I hope I like them better than you do. $40 on two beers really hurts and then if they're not that good to begin with, then UGH!
I live in Chicago and I'm waiting until they drop the prices in a few months as it sits on the shelf. Bourbon County just isn't worth that price point. It hasn't for a long time. As others have mentioned, there's a ton of other breweries doing it just as good these days. Don't feel bad for telling it like it is. You've had a ton of BCBS in the past and if it's not even living up to a somewhat standard that they have done, then you let the people know! All that being said, I will get a regular, vanilla rye and I heard the Macaroon is actually this years best one so I'll give it a try.
I’ve also been told to try Macaroon. Honestly, Bardstown and Rare are the only ones that really interest me but I have no chance at getting those so 🤷🏻♂️
@@jsenigaglia if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that any time there's a "rare" or "reserve" or they got special barrels or something, it's always just a tiny bit better bourbon county. just a little more barrel, MAYBE slightly more body. but its never worth the price point. those don't ever go down in price. still the last 2 years of those sitting on the shelves over here at full price!
I have been wanting to try bourbon county but its so expensive. I love kbs and backwoods bastardsl,they are not thin and i can get 4 packs for cheaper than 1 bourbon county
We have a taproom that will do 5 oz pours of a few versions. I'll just do that based on what I am seeing in your videos. You want the mouthfeel to be somewhat chewy, not thin. Total bummer.
Bourbon County definitely isn’t what it used to be. Quality typically suffers when production increases though. The price point is definitely too high, especially for the variants. I had this year’s Vanilla Rye both on draft and from a bottle. I absolutely preferred the packaged beer. The draft pour had an off putting metallic aftertaste that wasn’t present from the bottle. 🍻
idk. 2023 was an incredible vintage. It tastes very similar every year, with minor variance. I've had every one since 2017 and it's definitely the same stout each time. This year was a definitely on the thin side, though, and had less chocolate/fudge flavors. They can't all be "the best ever" each year
@ I’m glad you still like it. For me it’s become thin, fizzy, and soda-like. I’ve done 4 year verticals, and to me there’s been noticeable drop offs. I had a bottle of 2008 BCBS at the brewery last year. It was definitely oxidized, giving it a paper flavor, but the body was thicker, and the carbonation was better. There’s far better BA Stouts for the value, but that’s just my opinion. 🍻
@@psychofruit when you have AB InBev money, I think it needs to be as close to the "best ever" each year if you want to keep people coming back. Like, I think Im done spending upwards of $25 for this if I'm not sure its gonna be amazing, ya know?
@@psychofruit If you’re charging 24 dollars for one 16 oz bottle, sorry, the juice has to be exceptional. I don’t even think thats a controversial take
Had this last week. Poured half to try and saved the other half for the next day. 1st day was not impressed, too much carbonation but tons of vanilla. Next day was much better!
@ I think it’s mostly cost. Same with real vanilla. Prices are insane. But I think brewers know that the current consumer won’t find it interesting enough. If they’re not dumping hostess snacks or cookies in it anymore, people aren’t interested.
I thought this was a good beer. Thinner than I’d like, but the flavor was there. Much better than the base 2024 BCBS. Not worth the price though. I can drive down the street to Tree House and get bottles of BBA stouts that are far better and like $8-$10 cheaper.
Very underwhelmed by this beer. This was the only one I seeked out because of the 2014 vintage. That was probably the best vanilla stout on the planet until FO came out.
It’s amazing how much interest there still is in this beer. And I wonder if it’s because of the legendary status of the original 2014 release, or if people are just hesitant to drop the money on it until they know it’s good. I just posted a simple IG story, and I got about 50 “how is it?” DMs.
Soooo…. How was it? 😬
@ ☠️
You nailed it again!
Coming from the Vanilla police I'm honored :D
@ hahaha
Thank you for your honesty I also did not like the base I paid $24.33 with tax for that garbage. I also purchased the very same one you just reviewed and i have not cracked open yet i will tonight will see but I'm not buying and wasting my time looking for them anymore.
Lemme know what you think of this one when you crack it. Hopefully you like it! 🤞🏼🍻
I couldn't wait It sucks ass. Its amazing you got vanilla I got pure rye no vanilla. A tiny bit of chocolate. Never will I buy this another $24 dollars down the drain.
Someone liked the one that was a banana taste that was the good one last year.
@@frankferrans5791 dang, there has to be bottle variation. I got mostly vanilla, lol. Im with you though, Im done with BCBS.
Every year I see more and more of these sitting on the shelf. I was all in on these back in 2014, waited in line etc. I burned out pretty fast when they took away the 4 packs. I’d rather just buy a bourbon bottle….more enjoyable nowadays
My man. Bourbon is the way :)
I had a 5 oz pour from a local taproom that had it on draft. I was glad it was only 5 oz. It wasn't bad, per se. It just wasn't worth the $ or the calories for that matter 😂 I thought the vanilla and rye spice were just battling it out. It wasn't balanced. Oh well. Plenty of fantastic local BA stouts for me to enjoy
5oz is the correct amount 😆🍻
I've been suspect of what would happen to Bourbon County Stout since the AB-InBev acquisition. It's been a slow deterioration but it's happening. Distribution may have improved but the base seems thinned out. This year, the base and the vanilla rye have not been getting good reviews, and though the "Prop" seems to have a better/more robust/oily body the flavor profile seems to wrong for a barleywine and perhaps would better suited for the stout. It seems, the only two variants worth getting are the Bardstown variant and the "Rare" variant. Those seems to be throw-backs. I'll chase those two and forget the other three.
I’ve been told I’m crazy with how I feel about BCBS this year but that’s what makes beer fun 😬🍻
@@jsenigaglia I follow you and approx 6 other beer-tubers, plus i've spoken to trading buddies who've had BCBS and most are in agreement with you. There maybe ONE person among them who gave it a passing grade. For the others... it's been a disappointment. Just the relatively-thin body alone, is enough to kill it for me.
I've had all the 2024 variants except for the Rare,and the base and Vanilla Rye are definitely the weakest. Neither were bad or drain pours for me, but not great either. The Bardstown is fantastic, but I paid $39 for a bottle...so that also knocked down the experience
I can get amazing whiskey bottles for under $39. GI doesn’t give a single fuck anymore 😆
I'm with ya on the $$$
I got the base for $9.99 and the Vanilla and Macaroons for 15.99 each at Costco
The Bardstown was at its normal and ridiculous $39 price here in OH
I usually enjoy the base beer but also drain poured the 2024 base. This one I drank the entire bottle
Legend 🔥
Really wild that you didn’t like the base stout, Darwin said it was one of the best vintages and he’s a legit Cicerone. And the $24.99 for a bottle I mean that’s normal price for any adjunct stout. Top shelf stouts like Side Project go for $50 a bottle or more. $25 seems normal to me 🤷🏻♀️ Bourbon County has never been a thick beer, that’s relatively new to Stouts that was started by Toppling Goliath and Side Project. For the midrange price I don’t think many breweries comes close to Goose Island with Bourbon County.
Dar will tell you he’s got BC bias, lol. And being a cicerone doesn’t mean anything. We all like what we like. I had a bottle of Founders BA Imperial Stout recently and it absolutely shits on BCBS. This year was so muted. I’ve gone back and watched old vids on previous BC vintages and there aren’t many where them being thin is talked about. They’ve always had a solid body. This one doesn’t. I’m glad you enjoyed it though. That’s the beauty of beer 🍻
Joe "I don't go Boubron County hunting" Senigaglia with a suspicious amount of Bourbon stout reviews 🍻
Hahah I stopped by BevMo 😂🍻
I thought this one was TOO vanilla-forward. I'm looking forward to aging this a year+ to have the vanilla fade and rye come out more.
I’m not mad at the amount of the vanilla, but I could see it being too much for sure 🍻
Keeping my eye out for the macaroon variant. The bananas foster was good last year
I didn’t think I’d like BF last year but I did! Head Macaroon was good, too. I might grab one.
Had this on draft and it was ALL vanilla. Bottle is better because the rye comes through. I agree it’s not a great year for bcbs, although Rare is fantastic. 2 years aged so different base.
Wish I could have had Rare and Bardstown 🍻
Tried a barrel aged stout from Allagash brewing recently called Gatherwell. Super good if you can find it out in Cali
I don’t think I’ve seen much Allagash out here besides White. I’ll check! 🍻
I haven't opened either one of my Bourbon County beers yet (base and Vanilla Rye). I hope I like them better than you do. $40 on two beers really hurts and then if they're not that good to begin with, then UGH!
I hope you like them, too! I seem to be in the minority when it comes to Untappd check ins and other reviews 🤷🏻♂️
I live in Chicago and I'm waiting until they drop the prices in a few months as it sits on the shelf. Bourbon County just isn't worth that price point. It hasn't for a long time. As others have mentioned, there's a ton of other breweries doing it just as good these days. Don't feel bad for telling it like it is. You've had a ton of BCBS in the past and if it's not even living up to a somewhat standard that they have done, then you let the people know! All that being said, I will get a regular, vanilla rye and I heard the Macaroon is actually this years best one so I'll give it a try.
I’ve also been told to try Macaroon. Honestly, Bardstown and Rare are the only ones that really interest me but I have no chance at getting those so 🤷🏻♂️
@@jsenigaglia if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that any time there's a "rare" or "reserve" or they got special barrels or something, it's always just a tiny bit better bourbon county. just a little more barrel, MAYBE slightly more body. but its never worth the price point. those don't ever go down in price. still the last 2 years of those sitting on the shelves over here at full price!
They release a special one every year, that you can only get in Chicago. 😢
I wish I could have had this years Rare and Bardstown!
Where can i get that shirt lol 👏
80swrestling.shop/products/thank-you-for-being-a-woooo
👊🏼🍻
I have been wanting to try bourbon county but its so expensive. I love kbs and backwoods bastardsl,they are not thin and i can get 4 packs for cheaper than 1 bourbon county
I’m not a KBS guy but I’d drink Backwoods over BCBS all day every day 🍻
@jsenigaglia I think I'll spend $16 on the 4 pack of backwoods.
We have a taproom that will do 5 oz pours of a few versions. I'll just do that based on what I am seeing in your videos. You want the mouthfeel to be somewhat chewy, not thin. Total bummer.
Haha you might love these beers! Seems Untappd does 😜😬🍻
@@jsenigaglia There has to be barrel variation, unless they blend them all in the end before bottling. I just saw Darwin give it 100/100.
@@ajoyce I saw that. BCBS is his favorite beer of all time though so he's totally biased ;)
@@jsenigaglia Fine, I'll go get a base and try it! You twisted my arm.
Mine and especially your local breweries would probably make a better BA stout than AB InBev these days. I never had the ‘14 vanilla rye.
I had it in a blind (with some age) and it finished last IIRC. There is a video on my channel way back when with it 🍻
Bourbon County definitely isn’t what it used to be. Quality typically suffers when production increases though.
The price point is definitely too high, especially for the variants.
I had this year’s Vanilla Rye both on draft and from a bottle. I absolutely preferred the packaged beer. The draft pour had an off putting metallic aftertaste that wasn’t present from the bottle. 🍻
Ugh, I’d be bummed for a draft pour like that. I might be all done with BCBS moving forward. I dunno 🤷🏻♂️
idk. 2023 was an incredible vintage. It tastes very similar every year, with minor variance. I've had every one since 2017 and it's definitely the same stout each time. This year was a definitely on the thin side, though, and had less chocolate/fudge flavors. They can't all be "the best ever" each year
@ I’m glad you still like it. For me it’s become thin, fizzy, and soda-like.
I’ve done 4 year verticals, and to me there’s been noticeable drop offs.
I had a bottle of 2008 BCBS at the brewery last year. It was definitely oxidized, giving it a paper flavor, but the body was thicker, and the carbonation was better.
There’s far better BA Stouts for the value, but that’s just my opinion. 🍻
@@psychofruit when you have AB InBev money, I think it needs to be as close to the "best ever" each year if you want to keep people coming back. Like, I think Im done spending upwards of $25 for this if I'm not sure its gonna be amazing, ya know?
@@psychofruit If you’re charging 24 dollars for one 16 oz bottle, sorry, the juice has to be exceptional. I don’t even think thats a controversial take
Crazy to think this beer is more expensive than an entire bottle of Wild Turkey 101. What are we doing is right 😂
😆🍻. WT101 > BCBS
Had this last week. Poured half to try and saved the other half for the next day. 1st day was not impressed, too much carbonation but tons of vanilla. Next day was much better!
I guess I could start capping these and checking back in on them?
@@jsenigagliaimo they taste a bit better the next day, and a better mouth feel.
Hardly anyone does maple anymore.
Do you think it’s because maple sucks these days?
@ I think it’s mostly cost. Same with real vanilla. Prices are insane. But I think brewers know that the current consumer won’t find it interesting enough. If they’re not dumping hostess snacks or cookies in it anymore, people aren’t interested.
Joe I'm hooking up with you from now on ... This Goose is done.
Haha we won’t always agree on beer I’m sure! 🍻
I thought this was a good beer. Thinner than I’d like, but the flavor was there. Much better than the base 2024 BCBS. Not worth the price though. I can drive down the street to Tree House and get bottles of BBA stouts that are far better and like $8-$10 cheaper.
It’s crazy that TH has that price point, but I guess in fairness they’re 12oz bottles? Either way, I’m sure I’d much prefer the TH BA stouts 🍻
Very underwhelmed by this beer. This was the only one I seeked out because of the 2014 vintage. That was probably the best vanilla stout on the planet until FO came out.
I was told I was being too harsh 🤷🏻♂️
Nope, not even close.