In the beginning, the mere fact that a stout had been aged for a spell in bourbon barrels was enough to send customers into fits of delight. The excitement is still there, of course, as people line up for annual releases of dark ale aged in whisky containers.
They open bottles for special occasions and collect vintages for vertical tastings. But, somewhere along the way, the notion of just bourbon and stout became passé or quaint to some, so brewers started adding chocolate or coffee to their recipes. Then came the birth of pastry stouts, and the excitement shifted from big and boozy to sugary sweet.
A few weeks ago beer message boards across the Internet lit up when proposed labels for the 2018 versions of Goose Island's (owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev) Bourbon County Brand Stout were released. Among the batches that have become familiar, there were variants that capitalize on the current fondness for all things dessert, including a Bourbon County Brand Neapolitan Stout, aged in bourbon barrels and blended with strawberry puree, chocolate, vanilla, and lactose; and Bourbon County Brand Horchata Stout, aged in bourbon barrels and flavored with Ceylon cinnamon, vanilla, and lactose. The latter got a lot of excitement, including ISO:FT designations. This week, when the brewery announced the official 2018 lineup the horchata was nowhere to be seen. Seems the brewery pulled a fast one on the internet sleuths.