WILK Friday BeerBuzz - 31 Aug 2012 - Goose Island Pepe Nero w/Brett Porter (& Bourbon County Stout 2012)

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It’s always interesting to hear from a brewmaster, and it’s always a lot of fun talking beer with the man who creates it, but we had even more fun today with our brewery choice because their beers are brand spanking NEW in Northeastern PA.



Today we featured Goose Island Brewery, and for those following along, you’ll note that only a month or so ago Goose Island entered the Pennsylvania market.  For many years I hurriedly sampled Goose Island beers as I ran from one terminal to another at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport….they always had great beers and I can remember wondering why I didn’t see them in PA.

Jump ahead to a year or so ago and Goose Island was purchased by Anheuser-Busch bumping their distribution and production up considerably.  In fact Goose Island just announced that by Nov 2012 they will distribute in all 50 states.  Some may think this is not good news for Goose Island beer, but I would disagree…their beer is better than ever and now more available than ever before.
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Today we chose an interesting beer from Goose Island called Pepe Nero.  This is an interesting mix of a Belgian Farmhouse beer that uses black peppercorns in the brew.  Pepe Nero is an interesting combination of sweet and savory flavors with notes of nutty flavor and an earthy peppery finish.  The addition of black peppercorns accentuates the typical Farmhouse Ale peppery feel and finish and makes for a really tasty beer.  If you stop to savor the flavor for a moment, be sure to check out the dark mahogany color of this beer too…it simply looks and tastes wonderful.



Today we were lucky enough to talk to Goose Island Brewmaster Brett Porter.  Brett not only has a last name perfect for a brewer, but even a first name that is perfect for a brewer…and hopefully we will see him create a Brett-Yeast Porter someday.  It was really fun talking about Pepe Nero and the recent expansion of the barrel program and distribution at Goose Island.  It was also fun talking flavors with Brett & even a bit of food pairing for Pepe Nero as well.  This is a beer and style I’d recommend everyone try for themselves and see if you like it as much as we did.


Not many people realize that Goose Island has one of the largest barrel collections in the U.S……so as a bonus, the guys at Goose Island were nice enough to send us a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2012 and it was wonderful!  At 15% ABV, Bourbon County is a big beer for sure, and it is loaded with chocolate, boozy bourbon flavor that I really enjoyed.  Try this one for yourself if and when it does hit PA.

Thank you to Brett Porter from Goose Island

, Nancy, John & Joe for yet another fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE

37 comments (click to read or post):

  1. Pepe Nero is a roasty, peppery treat. Bourbon County Stout, potentially trance inducing! And both were great!

    Thanks to Brett Porter for being on the show, thanks as always to Bill from MyBeerBuzz.com for making ths show happen, and of course thanks to you for listening!

    Best,
    John
    (webster@wilknewsradio.com)

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  2. Great show. I used to fly out to Chicago just to get Bourbon County Stout so it was cool to hear Brett on the radio in our area. Cheers Brett.

    James

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  3. Thanks everyone and thank you to Brett Porter and everyone at Goose Island for joining us on the show today. We really enjoyed both beers and it was a lot of fun talking to Brett.

    I have quite a few comments to moderate and I am catching up so stay tuned for the comment postings....

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  4. I was lucky enough to taste Honker Ale on draft a month or two ago and I loved it. The guy told me when I bought the case that I was probably the first guy in NEPA to buy a case. Cheers Brett.

    Eric

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  5. Another trifecta buzzers. Great show,m great guest and 2 great beers. Nice!

    RYan

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  6. I'll be buying Pepe Nero @ Lunchtime today. Nice show! Amy

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  7. You guys always get the best beers and guests. Thank you Brett. NEPA Loves Goose Island.

    Marcus

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  8. I knew as soon as I heard it was Goose Island today that you would have some Bourbon County Stout. That's a favorite of mine and their best beer. Nice choice Bill and nice show Brett.

    JT

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  9. I just had some 312 Wheat last weekend. Goose Island makes a great beer. Cheers Brett, you have a great name and great job.

    Chris

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  10. Bourbon County! I'm so jealous. Nice show today.

    Krista J

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  11. I just bought a 4-pack of Pepe Nero. It's cooling down now. Thank you WILK. John G (Dallas)

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  12. I knew it! Goose Island was great.

    J

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  13. I really liked Sophie and Matilda too. I haven't tried pepe Nero and I cannot find Bourbon County. I know if you guys sampled Pepe Nero I have to try it too. Fun show today.

    Steve

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  14. Matilda is my favorite too.

    Chris L

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  15. Pepe Nero it is. I'll buy some tonight @ Georgetown. Warren from WB

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  16. Bourbon County Stout is a fantastic beer and super-strong too. It's labeled 15% but I think it's more. Nice job WILK & Cheers Brett Porter.

    Sam K

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  17. Honkers is my favorite but my wife loves 312 Wheat cans too. Webster loves beer too.

    Rob

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  18. I used to live in Chicago and I loved Goose Island. I've lived in PA for 6 years and really missed Goose Island Brown Ale. I can't believe I didn't know Goose Island was in PA until I heard it on your show. Nice job WILK. Jim from Chicago

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  19. Another new beer in PA and a good one too. I'll drink to that. JJ

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  20. You guys always start my weekend off right. I don;t know how you do it but the show is so much fun to listen to. I only wish I could see it live. Thank you for kicking off the big weekend. Chris

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  21. If the beer is as cool as the label you can count me in. I'll be in Chicago next month so I know where I'm heading. Bob

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  22. I'll try Pepe Nero for sure. I'm heading to Krugels tonight too. Jason

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  23. I love the video!

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  24. Whoa! I just found the video. You guys should be on Fox 56 with this show. You have way too much fun.

    Mark

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  25. Thanks everyone. Yes the show is a lot of fun and yes we do video every show just to prove it. The Goose Island beers were fantastic today and we really enjoyed talking to Brett Porter while we sampled. Thank you Brett!

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  26. What a great name for a brewer. Brett Porter. My first thought was that you all made that up. Now I'm interested. Is Pepe Nero in big or small bottles? Jared

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  27. Jared...Pepe Nero comes in 12oz bottles and a 4-Pack. If I remember correctly it was $11.99.

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  28. And for those asking via e-Mail...Goose Island Harvest Ale IS coming very soon and we should see it in PA.

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  29. I know the Goose Island kiosk you mentioned in Chicago airport. I used to stop there all the time. It's in the connector between Concourse A & C. Your beer choices today were really solid, especially the Bourbon County Stout. That is an amazing barrel-aged beer. Ron

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  30. Thank Ron. I really enjoyed the Bourbon County Stout and I look forward to trying it again sometime in the future. One fact we didn't get out on the radio today is that Goose Island has one of the largest collections of barrels for aging beer in the US. Hopefully that means more Bourbon County for us. Also keep in mind there are other versions of Bourbon County as well. Can't wait to try them all.

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  31. We buy Goose Island Sophie for special occasions but I never tried Pepe. Now you have me curious to try it myself.

    Pat

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  32. I just watched about 10 of your show videos. I had no idea how big the Friday beer buzz is. NEPA is really lucky to have such a strong craft beer media at WILK. I'll tune in more now too. How do I get your job? Steve H

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  33. I want your jobs too!

    CK

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  34. I buy every beer you guys feature. I think it gives me a well rounded sample of some fantastic beers. I may have missed a few rare ones but I know I'll be trying more Goose Island beer now. Thanks Bill. Jason

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  35. Thanks Jason....we always encourage people to keep an open mind and try all sorts of beers whether we recommend them or not....but of course I'm glad you;re sampling our show beers ;)

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  36. A farmhouse with peppercorns. I have to try that one. I love saison-styles. Barry T

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  37. Great show. Brett knows his brewing. Cheers Brett! Andy

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