Year of New Beer: Bourbon County Brand Café de Olla Stout, Goose Island Beer Co (Chicago)

Written By: Dion on 12/06/2019

Every Black Friday for the last 9 or 10 years, I've gone out and purchased some of the annual release of Bourbon County and its variants. It's pretty much the only money I spend that goes into the coffers of the evil empire that is Anheuser-Busch. And for the last 2 or 3 years, I've become less enamored with these beers in favor of local offerings. This one is no different. Initially, this seems promising...tons of coffee, dark chocolate, and cinnamon on the nose, all of which transition well to the tongue. But then it gets really sweet, with an odd, burnt coffee and soured dark fruit. Big barrel kick on the finish. As little as 3 or 4 years ago I would've been blown away by this. But with each passing year, I'm reminded how good our local breweries are, and I'm realizing they are offering equal, and in some cases, superior products, at better prices. I still love and will continue to buy the base Bourbon County as long as the quality is there. But these variants won't command the same attention.