Beer fans are already getting excited about the new Bourbon County Stout variants that will be released this year.
Goose Island Beer Co.
The annual release of Goose Island Beer Co.’s Bourbon County stout variants is getting beer fans in a tizzy. Since the company announced it’s new lineup last week, beer fans have started making their plans to get in line on Black Friday for the special release.
Bourbon County Stout – and its various variants – have become a phenomenon in that this Chicago-based brewing company announces them, then doesn’t release them to the public until Black Friday. But what makes it crazy is that brewski lovers from around the globe head out to the company’s brewery, where they wait, sometimes starting on the Wednesday for Thanksgiving in bone-chilling temperatures, until the doors open.
Mike Erickson, senior media manager for the company, shakes his head and says it’s just crazy. “I’ve been overseeing the announcement of our Bourbon County variants on Goose Island’s social since 2014 and I can safely say that this has been by far the best received lineup,” he says. “People are losing their minds over Double Barrel, which is our most liked Instagram post to date.”
The Double Barrel joins seven other variants – Bourbon County Stout, 2-year Reserve Bourbon County Stout, Reserve Rye Bourbon County Sout, Proprietor’s Bourbon County Stout, Bourbon County Wheatwine Ale, Bourbon County Café de Olla Stout and Bourbon County Mon Chéri Stout. But this year, in addition to this lineup, the company is also releasing a vertical collection, which includes stouts from 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Across the Chicagoland area, there were close to 3,000 people waiting in line, in near freezing weather no less. “We’re always thrilled, and humbled, that people care about this beer as much as we do and are willing to wait in line and form new Thanksgiving traditions with us,” Erickson says.
Erickson and many other folks and executives at Goose Island work the long, long lines to welcome people out of the cold, and they often give out free and cool swag to those who wait. People as far away as London, Seoul and Sweden have come to get the stout. And there are several people who come every year, camping out, and making Goose Island their Thanksgiving thing to do. “If you say you traveled from outside of the country to get your hands on BCS, I will probably either high five you or hug you out of sheer excitement,” Erickson says. “You have fair warning.”
In Chicago, the brewery also hosts a Prop Day, which will be scheduled this year in November, just a few weeks prior to Black Friday. Prop Day takes place outside of the brewery’s Fulton Street Brewery & Taproom. It’s a celebration with food trucks, music and plenty of beer.
“It’s actually an exclusive way for consumers to get their first chance at sampling most of the current year’s variants,” Erickson says. “Last year, most of the variants were on tap for attendees to sample. It really is one of the best beer events for barrel-aged stouts.”
While some fans might not be as familiar with Prop Day, the release date itself is something that not all fans know about. “People will comment that are very excited about the news of the variants, but will still ask what the release date is,” Ericson says. “At Goose, we tend to assume that if someone is interacting with a Bourbon County post they know the full story, but I guess it means that people are still discovering the deliciousness that is Bourbon County Stout. And that’s a good thing.”