I liked Bourbon County a lot. The only Bourbon-style Stout i've liked better was a 1 year aged Boulevard Imperial Stout.

That said, I've got 3 12oz bottles aging in my basement. One for one year out, two years out and three years out. Should be a tasty 4th for the next three years.

Similar to the OP, though it's only 5. I imagine Reaper has had them all:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/b...essions-123998

For a beer lover, there is no better thrill than wandering the beer aisle and suddenly spotting a bottle of some elusive, seasonally available, or otherwise un-find-able beer. It’s cause for a minor, and sometimes major, celebration. Here are five beers we’ve had on our “Love to Try” list for quite some time - what’s on yours?




1. Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company - This one always gets mentioned whenever Double IPAs come up in conversation. We hear that the hop flavors are out of this world. It’s made year round, but bottles get snatched up incredibly quickly. Russian River also makes a Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA that’s even harder to find!
2. Curieux from Allagash Brewing Company - Aged in Jim Beam barrels, this rich and fruity Belgian-style tripel received top marks from Beer Advocate’s Alstrom brothers last year. It’s produced seasonally but is well-distributed nationally. It’s just a matter of finding it in the store at the right time.
3. Brute from Ithaca Beer Company - This is one of those truly American beers that’s really pushing all the boundaries. It’s a sour ale, similar to Belgian wild-fermented beers, but...different. It uses local New York hops, gets aged in oak barrels, and then has some champagne yeast added during bottling. Amazing stuff, but produced in understandably small batches with limited distribution.
4. Immort Ale from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - The combination maple syrup, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, and vanilla in this beer just sounds too good to pass up. Dogfish is known for producing incredibly unique and top-notched beers. If anyone can pull off a beer like this, it’s them. It’s a released in late spring (dependent on the maple season), so mark your calendars now.
5. Dreadnaught IPA from Three Floyds Brewing Company - Another double IPA that we keep hearing about. It’s described as having a lot of fruity and citrusy hops balanced with sweet caramel malts. Sounds good to us. It’s available year-round, but is still hard to find.
What beers do you really really really want to try?

More Stout talk
 

Just got back from Madison, WI and fell in love with a stout that I have the Gomer's boys ordering for me. Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout. Great chocolate, coffee, anise flavors. Nicely balanced with hops. Strong smoky finish. Took another bottle camping with me and it was more intense as it had come to temperature by the time I drank it.

I haven't had the Ithaca Brute but I have had the four others, yes.

Tonight:
Bluegrass Brewing Company Professor Gesser's Mind Numbing Ale (IPA) - terrible

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow - an imperial/double IPA brewed with lactose sugar as if it were a milk/sweet stout. Super bizarre and lots of fun.

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale - a strong ale/stout hybrid. Tons of smoky, ashy flavors. Quite tasty.

Found some more Pliny and was a lot fresher this time around at a little over two weeks old. Kind of amusing that they had it stashed in a min-fridge behind the counter and you have to ask for it.

Drinking one right now and it is notably better than than the 40 day old bottle I had last month.

Drinking some Seeyoulator Doppelbock by Boulevard. There was a Boulevard rep at the store that suggested it and it is pretty damn enjoyable. The ceder is a nice touch that might have mellowed some in this 2009 leftover.

The Boulevard guy also mentioned a few times that they have a Saison due out this fall that was something different than Tank 7.

Doppelbock is one of my favorites of the Smokestack Series. (What isn't, really? Okay, don't answer. (Harvest Dance and Two-Joker's Wit))



As for tonight, I'm choosing between Hoppin' Frog's Wild Frog Wheat and Chatoe Rogue's First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager.

You pretty much listed the Smokestack ones I don't have much interest in since I really dislike wheat beers.

That Rogue Black Lager sounds interesting. Really haven't tried all that much from them yet.

Sad that I just polished off my last glass of the doppelbock. Really enjoyed that one.

The Black Lager is above average. I was expecting a little bit more given the 98ish RateBeer rating.

Black Lager isn't the greatest of styles to begin with IMO.

I dunno. Old Engine Oil was delicious. But, yeah, it's not really in my top 3 or 5 styles, I suppose.

In what sense? For the evening?

98 for the style. A lot of online reviewers, myself included, rate to style.

Rating to style, I liked Rogue's black lager quite a bit: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile...9/?ba=Reaper16

And this BLVD guy wasn't referring to Saison-Brett was he? Because if he wasn't... then we have the answer as to what Collaboration #2 is.