Goose Island Beer Co. of Chicago announced this year’s highly-anticipated variants of their annual Bourbon County Stout.
Goose Island is largely credited with inventing the now-popular barrel aged stout beer style. To this day, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout remains a favorite among beer lovers and since 2010, those beer lovers have also been able to enjoy annual variants, along with the original recipe.
Here are the 2024 Bourbon County Stout variants, which will be available nationally on Black Friday, November 29, 2024.
2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout
Kicking up a whopping 14.7% ABV, this is the beer that started it all. 2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout is aged for an average of 16 months in a mix of bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey.
2024 Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout
The Vanilla Rye Stout variant was last released six years ago. But the 2024 edition of Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout is a new take on it. Goose Island started with a rye imperial stout and aged it in rye whiskey barrels for a full year. The beer was then finished with Madagascar vanilla beans.
2024 Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout
This a new variant for Bourbon County Stout. 2024 Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout is an imperial stout aged for a full year in bourbon barrels before cocoa nibs, sweet candied ginger and toasted coconut are added. This variant is intended to evoke flavors of coconut macaroons.
2024 Bourbon County Brand Bardstown Cask Finish Stout
2024 Bourbon County Brand Bardstown Cask Finish Stout results from the cooperation between Goose Island and Bardstown Bourbon Company. Mirroring the process of aging Bardstown’s Original Series Rye, Goose Island’s imperial stout was aged in Bardstown’s straight rye whiskey barrels. The beer is then transferred to hybrid oak and cherry wood barrels for finishing.
2024 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Barleywine Ale
The annual Proprietor’s variant of Bourbon County is a Chicago-only release—the other variants are available nationally. In an interesting twist, for 2024, the Proprietor’s variant is not a stout at all. Goose Island has instead chosen to release 2024 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Barleywine, aged in bourbon barrels—like a proper Bourbon County beer should be—with tamarind, lime, guajillo peppers, and piloncillo sugar added.
“Goose Island created the world’s first bourbon barrel-aged stout with Bourbon County Brand Stout, and, to this day, it continues to be the industry benchmark,” said Todd Ahsmann, president of Goose Island Beer Co. in a statement issued by the brewery. “This year’s lineup does an amazing job of living up to our legacy while still pushing boundaries and setting the standard. There’s something exciting for every type of drinker; each beer in this year’s release explores different ways our brewers highlight and amplify the expressions found in our Original Stout.”