Each Black Friday, acclaimed Chicago brewery Goose Island serves up its annual Bourbon County Stout lineup, and beer aficionados now have an early look at what promises to be another covetable lineup of barrel-aged goodness.
Last year’s Bourbon County Brand Stout roster including richly crafted rarities like a Double Barrel Stout finished in Heaven Hill bottled-in-bond whiskey barrels, and a similar attention to stout finished in prized bourbon casks is on display in the 2026 lineup (pricing details are yet to be announced). At the core of the yearly release is the “OG” Stout, clocking in at 14.2 percent ABV and featuring liquid aged in just-emptied barrels from a who’s-who of bourbon heavyweights, including Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey.
Originally brewed in 1992 in a toast to the 1,000th batch of beer brewed by Goose Island, notes of caramelized sugar and rich fudge should characterize the flagship Original Bourbon County Brand Stout, aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an average of about 13 months, the brewery notes.
Five sumptuous and seemingly delectable, thoughtfully crafted beers round out the lineup, including a Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout, which boasts a rum cask finish for the first time in the collection’s history. “There is something to be said for the tried and true — iconic flavors, ingredients, and desserts that stand the test of time because they simply work,” Goose Island said of the experimental stout, available in both 16.9oz. bottles and on draft this coming fall.
The Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout also leans on dessert notes in appealing fashion, with touches of cinnamon and clove arriving on the palate thanks to the bourbon barrel aging process, the brewery said. Each yearly offering brings with it the chance to experiment and coax new, richer flavors from the barrel, said Goose Island Beer Co President Todd Ahsmann. “That’s the fun of barrel aging: Every barrel adds its own character, giving each beer a personality all its own,” he said. Dessert remains squarely on the menu with the 2026 Proprietor’s Upside Down Cake Stout, an homage to pineapple upside down cake developed by Goose Island barrel team member Chase Craig, with the imperial stout aging in bourbon barrels and finished with pineapple, Montmorency cherry & panela sugar.
Equally compelling are two beers finished in legendary bourbon casks from the likes of Angel’s Envy and Elijah Craig. Goose Island pushed the boundaries of barrel aging with its 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine, resting the stout in newly emptied bourbon barrels before transitioning the beer to casks that once held Angel’s Envy Triple Oak Bourbon. Using barrels from a trio of different oak species lent rich flavor to the final product, Goose Island noted. “Each wood type lends its own voice; French oak bringing refined spice, Chinkapin oak contributing subtle sweetness, and Hungarian oak adding elegant tannin and baking spice,” the brewery said.
Rye whiskey also takes centerstage in the Goose Island 2026 Bourbon County Brand Stout lineup, namely Eljah Craig Kentucky straight rye whiskey barrels. The stout was aged in those rye barrels, then finished in toasted barrels for layers of complexity. The aging and finishing process delivers a round, full-bodied beer softened of tannins through the delicate barrel toasting, Goose Island notes, calling the end result “a celebration of the barrel in all its forms.” Beer lovers will have to wait some time before adding a bold stout to their beer fridge. To get your hands on some ultra-rare barrel-aged brews, look for the official Goose Island Bourbon County Stout release this coming Black Friday.