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22 oz bottle sent to me by Joe's beautiful ass. Been lost in the back of my fridge for far too long, so it was forced to find my snifter.

A: Hints the glass as the inky black stout I expect. The pour got me a slow building, 3/4 finger dark brown colored foam. Sadly this foam doesn't last at all, falling quickly to a thin ring. Absolutely no lace or stick to the foam. Held to the light, nothing gets through it. As it moves around in the snifter, it leaves that really nice yellowing, oil like film. Just wish there was a bit more foam.

S: Boozy awesomeness. Smells exactly like I wanted it to. Smells like if you put an open bag of whole, dark roasted coffee beans, and a high ball of bourbon in a wooden box for a couple hours and then opened said box with your nose. Dark, DARK chocolate and a touch of vanilla. Heaven.

T: Things start with the dark, dark chocolate notes coming from the malts. Vanilla finds its way in before the deep coffee and espresso awesomeness hits the palate. This shifts into the boozy bourbon notes. Boozy, oaky, vanilla bourbon goodness. It holds that BCS quality but has more than enough coffee to change the flavor for tasty goodness.

M: Full bodied with a medium to low carbonation. Very nice stout feel. Alcohol is nice and warming in the throat and belly. Sweet and boozy on the palate. Sticky and coating. Aftertaste is all BCS and booze.

OA: Came together beautifully. This bottle has lost a touch of the coffee since the first time I had it at Lumfest, but it allowed the BCS notes to come out. I am very happy that the BCS is allowed to come through and doesn't get lost in all the coffee (this time or the last time I have had it). Just damned good. Want more.

Served In: Snifter

Pours into my glass a dark, brooding black with a syrupy overused oil viscosity and a thin dark tan head on top that fades away. Alcohol slickness on the side of the glass. Aroma is a dense conglomeration of vibrant, fresh brewed espresso, vanilla, bourbon, deep chocolate and woody accents. Quite intoxicating honestly.

First sip brings dense, semisweet dark malts bathing in deep roasted coffee flavors. Vanilla, chocolate and wood tannins intertwine along with a healthy kick of bourbon that packs a bit of a punch. Well balanced between sweet and bitter. A damn good, bold coffee bourbon stout that doesn't hold back!

Mouthfeel is dense, rich and heavy. A big, bold brew all around that will warm the stomach for sure. A great twist on the already amazing Bourbon County. I have to give big kudos to Intelligentsia as their Black Cat Espresso is awesome and really helps to make this brew what it is! Cheers to Goose Island and Intelligentsia.....now can we just get this in 4packs please?? A bomber is a tad much in one sitting.

Price: $12.99 Served In: Snifter

Picked up a bottle of this goodness from Princeton’s Liquors in Maple Grove. I tried this at Dark Lord Day and it was wonderful. Glad to have a whole bottle to myself while I grill. Drank from my Darkness snifter.

2010 Edition bottled on 03/26/10

Appearance- Pours a bitch ass black with a nice one finger dark tan head that quickly fizzles away leaving a thin cap and collar. Not really any lacing is left but the collar seems to stick around.
Smell- Oh my word. SO much coffee bursting out of this one with an espresso like potency that I absolutely adore. Toffee and brown sugar along with the undertones of the good ol’ Bourbon County Stout. Bourbon and oak abound with hints of vanilla and chocolate. The coffee really changes the nose quite a bit and actually improves it. A few whiffs of alcohol shows as well.
Taste- Not as much coffee as I remember or the nose leads on. The backbone of the beer is fully the Bourbon County Stout and the coffee is just a bonus (unlike the nose where the coffee is fully in charge). So much oak and bourbon as there is a lightly boozy alcohol bite that is a staple in fresh BCS. It gets much better after a year though. Loads of caramel through the vanilla and milk chocolate and just slightly sweeter than I remember BCS ever being. Vanilla galore as it may actually be more potent than the coffee. The finish is slightly warm but a delicious caramelly oakiness lingers.
Mouthfeel- Thick and rich and creamy with a body that may be about as thick and luscious as I can remember in a beer. The carbonation is fairly low, but spot on.
Drinkability- Really really love this one. Honestly it was a bit of a disappointment from what I remember at Dark Lord Day, but about the lamest disappointment ever because the beer is still REALLY delicious. The coffee doesn’t seem quite as potent and realistically in a year when BCS really gets good the coffee will probably be all but an afterthought. Better than regular BCS? Yes. Could it use more coffee? YES!! Seek this out though, very good beer.

Price: $11.99 Served In: Snifter

grabbed 3 of these for myself after severstad graciously shared a bottle he had with the crew at Capital on sunday.

beautiful coffee+bourbon aroma. potent is a good way to describe it. very punchy. smoky booze flavor that goes down pretty smoothly. the bourbon stood out pretty noticeably but it was not too hot or overwhelming. a nice blend of two of my favorite beer "additives".

digger nailed it.. like KBS on steroids. that my or may not be your thing but it is definitely mine.

strong recommendation

Price: $12.99 Served In: Snifter

Served in my Sam Adams special pint glass....alas no snifter. Pours a deep dark nearly black cola brown which only shows through on the edges when held up to the light. A nice cinnamon brown head makes an appearance, then exits stage left to leave only a ring around the edges. Of course the Sam Adams glass keeps a small amount of head forming during consumption....
Smell is bourbon, coffee, and chocolate with hints of peaty smoky soil all mixed together in a beautiful symphony. Thought the smell itself if not the coffee presence would be stronger...
Taste is more of the same...Chocolate, coffee and bourbon like the smell with hints of leather and tobacco showing through. Molassas laced with brown sugar and bourbon complete the taste. Creamy light carbonation compliments the medium thick viscosity of the liquid perfectly....excellent.
Reminds me ever so much of KBS or Devil Over a Barrel on steroids. Lovely looks, beautiful taste and perfect mouthfeel leave me looking forward to the rest of the bottle and the others that I purchased. Can't wait until Vanilla BCS makes an appearance later this year.... =)

Served In: Pint Glass