The Hunt Is On For Rare Bourbon County Stout

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 23, 2010 8:00PM

Goose Island Beer Company is getting into the Black Friday action with the release of its Rare Bourbon County Stout. It'll only be available at the Lincoln Park Binny's at 9 a.m. and at the Clybourn brewpub at 10 a.m. Friday, before going into wide release Monday. But they've only brewed 940 cases of the stuff and, given the hype that's been brewing (catch the pun there?) over this beer, it won't be long for shelves.

What makes BCS rare, as Goose Island calls it, so special that it warrants a $45 retail price tag? Unlike the standard Bourbon County stout, which is aged in Heaven Hill casks, BCS Rare is aged for two years in 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle casks. If you've had Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old bourbon, it's one of the smoother bourbons around, almost like candy. The Tribune's Josh Noel had a chance to taste BCS Rare with Goose Island generalissimo Greg Hall. His take?

"Too many barrel-aged beers are cloying and needlessly hot with alcohol. The BCS Rare spread smoothly, cleanly and evenly on the palate. Its stout roast quickly gave way to a complex richness that only really said “whiskey” at the end of the taste - a tribute to all the other flavors at work. BCS Rare is a whopping 13 percent alcohol, but doesn’t taste like it. That doesn’t mean it goes down easily; it goes down smoothly."

Standard BCS has that alcohol burn on the nose that makes you want to have a bottle immediately and cellar the rest. If Noel's assessment is near the mark, BCS Rare is gonna be a killer hit.

But is it worth $45 a bottle? I'm not the right person to answer that, as I keep on returning to Three Floyds every spring for Dark Lord Day after vowing "never again." Chances are you'll find me at either Binny's or the brewpub Friday enjoying a sip, regardless.