Alec Bradley Harvest Selection 97 and Goose Island 2010 Bourbon County: Review

Brand Vanilla Stout

Stout Brewed with Vanilla Beans and Aged in Bourbon Barrels

This Stout has the potential to age up to five years, if you can keep your hands off of it. 

The Stout

Goose Island 2010 Bourbon County

13% abv

650 ml bottle

gift from my The Fine Wine and Liquor Store in Canton, Michigan.

Goose Island Beer Co.

Chicago, Illinois, USA

My Strength Rating: 9; heavy weight on the tongue, with complex flavors and a long lingering aftertaste.

Wow, what an aroma.  The bourbon stands out for sure and there is a good chocolate and vanilla on the nose as well.  I feel like I have a bourbon barrel right in my glass.  Not much in the carbonation department.  There is just a little tan fizz that swirls around on the top of the black body.   

Wow, bourbon for sure on the flavor.  This is a sipper from the get go.  The vanilla bean is present with some good chocolate notes and rich toasted caramel notes.  The texture is thick yet smooth. 

On the back of the palate I taste the oak and get some good alcohol spice.  To me it has a boozy feel. 

As I continue this difficult research project here (tasting beer), I notice a good coffee taste.  The toasted notes change from toasted to roasted to charred and back again.  There is some underlying sweet caramel notes mixed in with some nice bitter notes.  But, the bourbon is still there.  As the stout warms up the thick texture moves to a syrupy mouthfeel.

The Cigar

Alec Bradley Harvest Selection 97

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Fillers: Dominican Piloto Cubano 1997, Mexican ligero 1997, and Nicaraguan Criollo 1998

Size: 7 x 50 Churchill

My Strength Rating: 5; Nice medium bodied flavors and a smooth delivery.  Does not change much from start to finish. 

I bought a box of these about a year and a half ago.  I find it to be an okay to good cigar.  I remember it to be a toasty and slightly earthy cigar so, let’s review it and see what it really is all about.  I also, think it should pair up well with this bold Stout.

Off the light it has some nice toasty notes.  As it moves along I think it has a toasty wheat bread character.  There is a woody and mushroom like earthiness to the smoke. 

The ash is super firm and strong.  It is hard to remove the damn thing.  I usually don’t try to remove my ash from the cigar but, I am working at my laptop.  

The Pairing

I believe these two complement each other well. 

When we define ‘body’ for a beverage or cigar it is the weight on the tongue or palate.  This stout is very heavy and the cigar is medium like.  This is one way they complement each other. 

Looking at flavors: The stout is complex.  It has a variety of definable flavors and undertones.  The Alec Bradley cigar falls short of complex and is closer to simple; it has a few definable flavors.  This is another way they complement each other.

Overall taste: Taste would be how the flavors work together.  Are they muddled, bland, definable, rich, soft, complex, simple, and on and on.  I would say the stout is ‘very tasty’, rich, bold, and complex.  The cigar I would describe as ‘tasty’, smooth, and just short of medium in its flavor profile. 

The pairing overall works and it is enjoyable.  This is one where I think the cigar refreshes the palate from the stout.  The simple earthy tones of the cigar seem to sooth the rich, bold characteristics of the stout. 

I have to admit that I did not know what to expect after tasting the Bourbon County Stout.  I think I am glad that I did not choose a big bold chocolate profile stick, but there is enough stout here to give it a whirl when I am done with this cigar.