Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout

Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.
Chicago, IL
13.00% ABV
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout

C: Way to dark to tell
H: BLACK
N: Boozey, Bourbon, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate

Miguel: Before the day of having this I would be one of the first people to admit that I was never impressed by Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout. I've tried it a number of times and it just seemed like nothing special to me. I guess my general dislike for bourbon aged beers can contribute to that but when the Ferm offered to try some of the Vanilla version I wasn't going to say no. Also earlier in the day we had a 2008 bottle of the normal Bourbon County Stout and I must say that it was so much better with age than the new ones I've sampled before. But anyway onto the Vanilla version. The nose is mostly sweet bourbon and cherries. I get a little brown sugar smell too but no real vanilla. The taste brings forward a slight vanilla taste but nothing huge. Probably will come forward more with age. A lot of the same tastes as the smell in there too. It has an extremely warming feel to it. All my innerds felts like they were sitting by a fire on a winter evening. A very good beer but a slight bit let down with the minimal vanilla taste.
Score: 4.4925

The Ferm: Wow this is quite crazy...I am sampling this beer next to a 2008 Bourbon County Stout. The Vanilla is extremely hot (boozey). There is a good amount of vanilla up front with a strong lingering vanilla flavor in your mouth. I must make it known that I love the base beer with a passion, and the treatments have been stellar so far (check previous reviews). BCBVS is not as good as the Coffee or the standard BCBS, but it is a different beer. It holds its own in the family though. Very solid beer!
Score: 4.712